Homer Stille Cummings
Homer Cummings | |
|---|---|
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| 55th United States Attorney General | |
| In office March 4, 1933 – January 2, 1939 | |
| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | William D. Mitchell |
| Succeeded by | Frank Murphy |
| Chair of the Democratic National Committee | |
| In office February 27, 1919 – July 28, 1920 | |
| Preceded by | Vance C. McCormick |
| Succeeded by | George White |
| State Attorney of Fairfield County | |
| In office 1914–1924 | |
| Preceded by | Elmore S. Banks[1] |
| Succeeded by | William H. Comley[2] |
| Mayor of Stamford, Connecticut | |
| In office 1904–1906 | |
| Preceded by | Edward J. Tupper |
| Succeeded by | Charles H. Leeds |
| In office 1900–1902 | |
| Preceded by | Charles H. Leeds |
| Succeeded by | Edward J. Tupper |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Homer Stille Cummings April 30, 1870 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | September 10, 1956 (aged 86) Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Yale University (BPhil, LLB) |
Homer Stille Cummings (April 30, 1870 – September 10, 1956) was an American lawyer and politician who was the
Early life and career
Cummings was born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 30, 1870,[4] and graduated from the Heathcote School in Buffalo, New York. He earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree from the Sheffield School of Yale University in 1891, and completed his degree at Yale Law School two years later. Practicing law in Stamford, he joined with Charles D. Lockwood in 1909 to form Cummings & Lockwood, remaining a partner in the firm until 1933.
Three years after entering private practice, Cummings supported William Jennings Bryan's 1896 presidential bid. Connecticut (Silver) Democrats nominated him for Secretary of State. As a Progressive whose oratorical skills made him a dramatic trial lawyer, Cummings seemed a natural for the political arena.
In 1900, 1901, and 1904, Cummings was elected mayor of Stamford. His two tenures as mayor were served from 1900 to 1902 and again from 1904 to 1906.[5] At the time of his first election, he began a quarter-century of service as a committeeman from Connecticut with the national Democratic party. As mayor, he helped construct and improve streets and sewers, reorganized the police and fire departments, and secured a shorefront park that later was named for him.
Nominated for Congressman-at-large in 1902 and for U.S. Senator in 1910 and 1916, Cummings lost all three races by narrow margins. During the 1912 campaign, he directed the Democratic speaker's bureau from Washington, D.C., then served as vice-chairman of the national committee from 1913 to 1919. He served as chairman for the next two years.
During the period from 1914 to 1924, Cummings served as the state attorney for Connecticut in
During the bitterly divided
Marriage and family
Cummings was married four times, the first two ending in divorce. In 1897, he wed Helen W. Smith, a union that lasted 10 years. The couple had one son, Dickinson Schuyler Cummings, before their divorce. His 1909 marriage to Marguerite T. Owings ended in divorce in 1928.
The following year, he married Mary Cecilia Waterbury, and it lasted until her death in 1939. He had a memoir, The Tired Sea (1939), published as a tribute to her. In 1942, he married Julia Alter, who died in 1955.
Later political career
After nearly a decade out of the spotlight, Cummings reentered politics. In 1932, he helped persuade 24 senators and numerous congressmen to announce their support for Franklin D. Roosevelt. At the Chicago convention, he planned strategy, operated as floor manager, and delivered a resounding seconding speech.
Following the election, Roosevelt chose Cummings as governor-general of the
Cummings transformed the Department of Justice by establishing uniform rules of practice and procedure in federal courts. He secured the passage of twelve laws that buttressed the "
Cummings served as the chief protector of
Frustration over the conservative nature of the Court, coupled with outrage over the proliferation of lawsuits and injunctions against the government, made Cummings eager to expand the judiciary. After the 1936 presidential election, Roosevelt instructed him to draft legislation for court reform. Neither man wanted to attempt to amend the Constitution.
Conservative Justice
Cummings retired on January 2, 1939, entering private law practice in Washington. He helped develop a spring golf tournament that annually brought executives, lawyers, and politicians together. He also retained his interest in the Connecticut Democratic party, along with a residence in Greenwich, Connecticut. He served on the Greenwich Town Committee until 1951.
Cummings's papers are held at the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia.
Representation in other media
In 1961,
References
- ^ State of Connecticut register and manual (1913)
- ^ State of Connecticut register and manual (1925)
- ^ Powers, 1977.
- ^ a b "Office of the Attorney General | Attorney General: Homer Stillé Cummings | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
- ^ "Homer Cummings (1870-1956)". Living New Deal. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- JSTOR 1134810.
Further reading
- Powers, Richard Gid. "The Attorney General And the G-Man: Hollywood's Role in Hoover's Rise to Power." Southwest Review 62.4 (1977): 329–346. online
External links
- Works by or about Homer Stille Cummings at Internet Archive
- Speeches of Attorney General Homer Stille Cummings
