Clinton Anderson
Clinton Anderson | |
---|---|
United States Senator from New Mexico | |
In office January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1973 | |
Preceded by | Carl Hatch |
Succeeded by | Pete Domenici |
13th United States Secretary of Agriculture | |
In office June 30, 1945 – May 10, 1948 | |
President | Harry S. Truman |
Preceded by | Claude R. Wickard |
Succeeded by | Charles F. Brannan |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico's at-large district | |
In office January 3, 1941 – June 30, 1945 | |
Preceded by | John J. Dempsey |
Succeeded by | George Lusk |
9th Treasurer of New Mexico | |
In office 1933–1934 | |
Governor | Arthur Seligman |
Preceded by | Warren Graham |
Succeeded by | James Connelly |
Personal details | |
Born | Clinton Presba Anderson October 23, 1895 Centerville, South Dakota, U.S. |
Died | November 11, 1975 Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. | (aged 80)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Henrietta McCartney (m. 1921) |
Children | 2 |
Clinton Presba Anderson (October 23, 1895 – November 11, 1975) was an American politician who represented
Early life and education
Anderson was born in Centerville, South Dakota, on October 23, 1895.[1] His parents were Andrew Jay and Hattie Belle Anderson (née Presba). He was educated in the public school system of South Dakota and attended Dakota Wesleyan University (1913–1915) and the University of Michigan (1915–1916) but did not receive a degree from either institution.
Career
Early career
After his father broke his back in 1916, Anderson left the University of Michigan to go home to help to support his family. He worked for several months for a newspaper in
In 1919, as soon as he was well enough to leave the sanitarium, he gained employment with the
His long career of public service began as executive secretary of the New Mexico Public Health Association in 1919. There, he raised money to fight tuberculosis, established county health programs, and was instrumental in founding the New Mexico Department of Health.
In the early 1920s, Anderson pursued private business affairs. In 1922, he started in the insurance business with the New Mexico Loan and Mortgage Company. Anderson was soon able to buy the business and change the name to the Clinton P. Anderson Agency, a successful and enduring enterprise.
Actively involved in the
New Mexico government and politics
Anderson returned to public life, becoming chairman of the
In 1940, a conflict among members of the state Democratic Party resulted in Congressman John J. Dempsey being disqualified from running for another term as New Mexico's only representative. Party members convinced Anderson to run for the seat, which he won by using his many business and political contacts throughout the state. For the next three decades, he divided his time between Albuquerque and Washington, D.C.
Anderson became known for his thorough investigative work, and during his three terms in the House of Representatives, he was assigned to several special committees, including the chairmanship of the Special Committee to Investigate Food Shortages in 1945. The committee argued for a streamlined food distribution system and emphasized long-range planning for increasing food production. His success in that assignment, along with their personal friendship, led to his appointment by President Harry S. Truman as United States secretary of agriculture.[2]
Truman administration
Shortly after Harry S. Truman became president in 1945, he selected Anderson to serve as his Secretary of Agriculture. His most immediate concern was the reorganization of the domestic agricultural economy, which for the previous four years, had been focused on supporting the American war effort in the Second World War. Anderson addressed issues such as price controls, shortages, and subsidies, and he played an important role in developing postwar agricultural policies.
The domestic situation was only one of Anderson's concerns as Secretary of Agriculture. The looming worldwide food crisis, which was becoming more evident by 1946, led President Truman to establish the Famine Emergency Committee.
Anderson made two controversial moves to change the drastic problems. Firstly, he used his organizational skills to incorporate all existing food and agricultural activities under his office. Secondly, he advised Truman to enlist former President Herbert Hoover to serve as chairman of the Famine Emergency Committee. During the crisis, Anderson, Truman, and Hoover worked together very closely. Many of Hoover's proposals on alleviating the international food shortage were adopted by the Truman administration, and it became Anderson's responsibility to implement the proposals. The three men can be credited with preventing an even larger international disaster.
U.S. food production and worldwide distribution was stabilized by 1948, and Anderson decided to retire from the Cabinet. As with every project he had undertaken, Anderson left after he had resolved the problems faced.
U.S. Senate
Election
Anderson considered retiring altogether after resigning from the cabinet. However, state Democrats, led by retiring Senator Carl Hatch, convinced Anderson to run for Hatch's seat against the formidable and distinguished diplomat Patrick J. Hurley.
The two well-established candidates faced off in one of the most heated campaigns of the
Anderson's
Accomplishments
During his tenure, Anderson was one of the most outspoken proponents of the
Anderson sponsored the final wilderness bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 73–12 on April 9, 1963, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 373–1 on July 30, 1964, and it was signed into law by President
He also served as chairman of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy (84th and 86th Congresses), Joint Committee on Construction of Building for Smithsonian (84th-92nd), Joint Committee on Navaho-Hopi Indians (84th-92nd), Special Committee on Preservation of Senate Records (85th and 86th, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs (87th and 88th), Special Committee on National Fuel Policy (87th).
Failed confirmation of Lewis Strauss
In 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower nominated Lewis Strauss to serve as Secretary of Commerce. Previously, Strauss had served in numerous government positions in the administrations of Presidents Truman and Eisenhower. The previous 13 nominees for the Cabinet position had won Senate confirmation in an average of eight days.[4] Because of both personal and professional disagreements, Anderson took up the cause to make sure that Strauss would not be confirmed by the Senate. Anderson found an ally in Senator Gale W. McGee on the Senate Commerce Committee, which had jurisdiction over Strauss's confirmation. During and after the Senate hearings, McGee charged Strauss with "a brazen attempt to hoodwink" the committee.[4] After 16 days of hearings the committee recommended Strauss's confirmation to the full Senate by a vote of 9–8. In preparation for the floor debate on the nomination, the Democratic majority's main argument against the nomination was that Strauss's statements before the committee were "sprinkled with half truths and even lies... and that under rough and hostile questioning, [he] can be evasive and quibblesome."
Despite an overwhelming Democratic majority, the 86th United States Congress was not able to accomplish much of its agenda since the President had immense popularity and a veto pen. With the 1960 elections nearing, congressional Democrats sought issues on which they could conspicuously oppose the Republican administration. The Strauss nomination proved to be tailor-made.[5]
Just after midnight on June 19, 1959, the Strauss nomination failed by a vote of 46–49. It marked only the eighth time in U.S. history that a Cabinet appointee had failed to be confirmed by the Senate.[6]
Personal life
On June 22, 1921, Anderson had married Henrietta McCartney, and he returned to Albuquerque with his new wife. They had two children: Sherburne Presba Anderson and Nancy Anderson.
His age and growing health problems made Anderson retire on January 3, 1973, after he had served four terms in the U.S. Senate. He died at his home in Albuquerque on November 11, 1975, from a massive stroke, and he was buried at Fairview Memorial Park in Albuquerque. His wife, Henrietta McCartney Anderson, died on June 7, 1994, at the age of 94.
Legacy
He was inducted into the
References
- ISBN 978-0-7656-2107-8.
- ^ Video: Air Forces Come Home Via Bomber, 1945/05/28 (1945). Universal Newsreel. 1945. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
- ^ "Wilderness.net Clinton Anderson". Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ^ a b http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,91771,892639,00.html. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
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(help)[dead link] - ^ "U.S. Senate: Art & History Home > Historical Minutes > 1941-1963 > Cabinet Nomination Defeated". Senate.gov. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
- ^ "Welcome to nginx!". Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
- ^ "Space Hall Honors Pioneers". Las Cruces Sun-News. Las Cruces, New Mexico. October 30, 1977. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- United States Congress. "Clinton Anderson (id: A000186)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
External links
- Clinton P. Anderson Papers, 1848-1975, University of New Mexico, Center for Southwest Research
- Clinton P. Anderson Papers, 1945-1948, Harry S. Truman Library
- Clinton P. Anderson Photographs, 1946-1975, University of New Mexico, Center for Southwest Research