James W. Wadsworth Jr.
James W. Wadsworth Jr. | |
|---|---|
Speaker of the New York Assembly | |
| In office January 1906 – December 31, 1910 | |
| Preceded by | S. Frederick Nixon |
| Succeeded by | Daniel D. Frisbie |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the Livingston County district | |
| In office January 1, 1905 – December 31, 1910 | |
| Preceded by | William Robinson |
| Succeeded by | John Winters |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 12, 1877 James Wolcott Wadsworth (father) |
| Relatives | James S. Wadsworth (grandfather) Cornelia Adair (aunt) John George Adair (uncle) John Hay (father-in-law) |
| Education | St. Mark's School |
| Alma mater | Yale University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr. (August 12, 1877 – June 21, 1952) was an American politician, a
Early life
Wadsworth was born in
His paternal grandparents were Union General James S. Wadsworth[1] and Mary Craig (née Wharton) Wadsworth (1814–1874). His grandfather built a 13,000 square-foot house in Geneseo in 1835.[3]
Wadsworth attended
: 35Career
After Yale, he served as a private in the Volunteer Army in the
He became active early in Republican politics. He was a member of the
In
Wadsworth was a proponent of individual rights and feared what he considered the threat of federal intervention into the private lives of Americans. He believed that the only purpose of the
By the mid-1920s, Wadsworth was one of a handful of congressmen who spoke out forcefully and frequently against prohibition. He was especially concerned that citizens could be prosecuted by both state and federal officials for a single violation of prohibition law. This seemed to him to constitute double jeopardy, inconsistent with the spirit if not the letter of the Fifth Amendment.
In 1926, he joined the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment and made 131 speeches across the country for the organization between then and repeal. His political acumen and contacts proved valuable in overturning prohibition.
He served in the
Winifred Stanley, a representative from Buffalo NY, was kept off the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary by Wadsworth Jr. who was in charge of assignments. Stanley made clear that she wanted to maintain in "peacetime the drive and energy which women have contributed to the war." [6] Thus in 1944, Stanley had introduced a bill for the National Labor Relations Board to bar discrimination in pay on the basis of sex. The bill died in committee. Wadsworth's reason was his opposition to women in the workplace, according to a House of Representatives history of women in Congress.[7][8]
A confidential 1943 analysis of the
A newcomer to the committee; in the House since 1933. A highly respected and well-liked Congressman, who has voted in support of nearly all the President's foreign policy measures. One of the most forceful and independent-minded men in Congress and a highly skilled parliamentarian. While not favoring any "World New Deal", he is apparently in favor of American co-operation with the rest of the world and United States definite commitments to establish a secure peace but disagrees with any attempt by the United States to interfere with other nations' internal politics or forms of government. A very effective supporter of the Administration's foreign policies, who did yeoman service by his speeches and active lobbying during the recent Lend-Lease debate. Was in the Senate from 1915 to 1927. A wealthy Episcopalian squire, sympathetic to Moral Re-Armament. Age 66. An internationalist.
He was a hereditary companion of Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States and was also a member of the United Spanish War Veterans.
Personal life
Wadsworth was married to Alice Evelyn Hay (1880–1960). She was the daughter of former
- Evelyn Wadsworth (1903–1972),Secretary of the Air Force and a Democratic U.S. Senator from Missouri, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1960.
- United States Ambassador to the United Nations.[12]
- Reverdy J. Wadsworth (1914–1970),Henry Latrobe Roosevelt, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy.[14]
Wadsworth died on June 21, 1952, in Washington, D.C. He was buried in Temple Hill Cemetery in Geneseo.[1]
Descendants
Through his daughter Evelyn, he was the grandfather of
Through his son James, he was the grandfather of Alice Wadsworth (1928–1998) who was married to Trowbridge Strong (1925–2001) in 1948 at the home of Wadsworth's grandfather, General James Wadsworth.[3]
See also
- List of people on the cover of Time Magazine: 1920s. December 28, 1925.
Notes
- ^ a b c "WADSWORTH, James Wolcott, Jr. – Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
- ^ ISBN 9780786748525. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ a b Baker, Conrad (February 15, 2016). "General James Wadsworth's House Opens for Weddings". Genesee Sun. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ "Obituary Record of Graduates of the Undergraduate Schools Deceased During the Year 1951–1952" (PDF). Yale University. September 1, 1969. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
- ^ "SENATOR WADSWORTH; JAMES W. WADSWORTH JR.: A Biographical Sketch. By Henry F. Holthusen. Preface by the Hon. Elihu Root. Illustrated. 243 pp. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. $2.50". The New York Times. October 31, 1926. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ISSN 0043-4078.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-16-076753-1.
- JSTOR 4634869. Archived from the original(PDF) on October 21, 2013.
- ^ a b "Mrs. Stuart Symington Is Dead; Wife of Senator From Missouri". The New York Times. December 25, 1972. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ "EVELYN WADSWORTH WED IN WASHINGTON; President and Mrs. Coolidge Attend Marriage to William Stuart Symington 3d". The New York Times. March 2, 1924. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ Treaster, Joseph B. (March 15, 1984). "James J. Wadsworth Dies at 78; Headed U.s. Delegation to U.n." The New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ Times, Special To the New York (March 23, 1970). "Reverdy J. Wadsworth Dies; Chairman of Geneseo Bank". The New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ "MISS ROOSEVELT MARRIED UP-STATE; Daughter of Late Assistant Secretary of Navy Wed to Reverdy J. Wadsworth Brother Is Best Man Many Out of Town Guests Miss Eleanor Roosevelt, Kin of President, Married Up-State to Reverdy Wadsworth". The New York Times. September 5, 1937. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
Sources
- United States Congress. "James W. Wadsworth Jr. (id: W000012)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
External links
Media related to James Wolcott Wadsworth, Jr. at Wikimedia Commons
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Chairmen of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services | ||
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| Military Affairs Committee (1816–1947) | | |
| Naval Affairs Committee (1816–1947) | ||
| Armed Services Committee (1947–present) | ||
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| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
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