Homer S. Ferguson

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"Senator Ferguson" redirects here. For other uses, see Senator Ferguson (disambiguation).
Homer Ferguson
Senate Republican Policy Committee
In office
August 4, 1953 – January 3, 1955
LeaderWilliam Knowland
Preceded byWilliam Knowland
Succeeded byStyles Bridges
United States Senator
from Michigan
In office
January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1955
Preceded byPrentiss M. Brown
Succeeded byPatrick V. McNamara
Personal details
Born
Homer Samuel Ferguson

(1889-02-25)February 25, 1889
Harrison City, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedDecember 17, 1982(1982-12-17) (aged 93)
Grosse Pointe, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMyrtle
EducationUniversity of Pittsburgh
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (LLB)

Homer Samuel Ferguson (February 25, 1889 – December 17, 1982) was an American attorney, professor, judge,

United States Court of Military Appeals
.

Education and early career

Ferguson attended public schools and the

Detroit College of Law (now part of Michigan State University) from 1929 to 1939.[1]

Senator

Elected as a

Frank E. Hook in a year dominated by the Democratic party's upset wins. The election was contested by Hook, who alleged fraud; a subcommittee uncovered unethical practices in the election cycle, though it exonerated Ferguson, who was seated.[2]

He unsuccessfully ran for reelection to a third-term in 1954, defeated by Democrat Patrick V. McNamara.

While in the Senate, he served as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee in the 83rd United States Congress.

In 1943, Ferguson was one of 12 senators who sponsored or co-sponsored the Rescue Resolution, which would have declared that Congress "recommends and urges the creation by the President of a commission of diplomatic, economic, and military experts to formulate and effectuate a plan of immediate action designed to save the surviving Jewish people of Europe from extinction at the hands of Nazi Germany."[3]

In 1948, he served as chairman of the

spy William Remington was called in to testify; the trial of Nazi war criminal Ilse Koch; and the Mississippi Democratic Party's sale of postal jobs, which Mississippians from rural areas attested to purchasing. On July 30, 1948, his committee heard testimony from ex-Soviet spy Elizabeth Bentley. Bentley testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee the next day, followed by Whittaker Chambers a few days later – setting off the Hiss Case, used by both Richard Nixon and Joseph McCarthy for their own political agendas.[4]

Ferguson sponsored an anti-lynching bill, which was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in June 1949.[5] The House of Representatives had approved several anti-lynching bills. Due to opposition from Southern Democrats, no anti-lynching bill was ever approved by the full Senate.[6]

He introduced the Senate version of the bill that inserted "under God" into the

Pledge of Allegiance in 1954. Michigan's 17th congressional district United States House of Representatives Republican Charles G. Oakman had previously introduced a House version. The bill became law on Flag Day
, June 14, 1954.

Also in 1954, Ferguson proposed several amendments to the Bricker Amendment.[7]

Later life

Ferguson served as

United States Court of Military Appeals in Washington, D.C.
, from 1956 to until his retirement 1971. He served as senior judge on the United States Court of Military Appeals from 1971 to 1976.

In 1976, he retired and moved back to Michigan and resided in Grosse Pointe until his death in 1982.[8]

Ferguson's involvement behind the scenes in influencing the failed investigation, trial, and slander of

Securities and Exchange Commission has long been speculated. Lloyd Bridges portrayed Ferguson in the 1988 film Tucker: The Man and His Dream in which Tucker was played by the elder actor's son Jeff Bridges
.

References

  1. ProQuest 151461542
    .
  2. ^ The Election Case of Frank E. Hook v. Homer Ferguson of Michigan (1949). United States Senate. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  3. ISBN 0-394-74077-7
    . Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  4. ISBN 0-8078-2739-8
    . Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  5. ^ "Committee Approves Anti-Lynching Bill; Senate's First Formal Action on 'Rights'". New York Times. June 7, 1948. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  6. ^ Thomas-Lester, Avis (June 14, 2005). "A Senate Apology for History on Lynching". Washington Post. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  7. ProQuest 152637623
    .
  8. ProQuest 147336917
    .

Sources

External links

Party political offices
Preceded by
Class 2)
1942, 1948, 1954
 Succeeded by
Preceded by
William F. Knowland
 Chair of the
Senate Republican Policy Committee

1953–1955 		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by
U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Michigan
1943–1955
Served alongside: Arthur Vandenberg, Blair Moody, Charles E. Potter
 Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
United States Ambassador to the Philippines

1955–1956 		Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
1956–1971 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Homer_S._Ferguson&oldid=1186812710"