Lewis Williams Douglas
Lewis Douglas | |
---|---|
United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom | |
In office March 25, 1947 – November 16, 1950 | |
President | Harry S. Truman |
Preceded by | W. Averell Harriman |
Succeeded by | Walter Gifford |
4th Director of the Bureau of the Budget | |
In office March 7, 1933 – August 31, 1934 | |
President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
Preceded by | Clawson Roop |
Succeeded by | Daniel W. Bell |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's at-large district | |
In office March 4, 1927 – March 4, 1933 | |
Preceded by | Carl Hayden |
Succeeded by | Isabella Greenway |
Personal details | |
Born | James Edwin Webb July 2, 1894 Bisbee, Arizona, U.S. |
Died | March 7, 1974 Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | (aged 79)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Peggy Zinsser (1921–1974) |
Children | 3 (including Sharman) |
Parent(s) | James Douglas Jr. Josalee Williams |
Education | Amherst College (BA) Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1917–1919 |
Rank | First Lieutenant |
Unit | 91st Infantry Division |
Battles/wars | World War I |
Awards | War Cross (Belgium) |
Lewis Williams Douglas (July 2, 1894 – March 7, 1974) was an
Early life and education
Douglas was the son of
On the advice of Arthur Curtiss James, Douglas attended Amherst College, where he joined Alpha Delta Phi and was involved in both athletics and student government. Though he did not take his coursework seriously at first, his performance improved after taking a course in logic from the college president, Alexander Meiklejohn, and graduated cum laude in 1916 with a degree in economics.[2]: 14–21
After his graduation, Douglas enrolled at
Upon his discharge in February 1919, Douglas returned to
Political career
In the summer of 1922, Douglas agreed to run as a candidate for one of the Jerome area's seats in the
Years in Congress
Though some newspapers anticipated that he would seek election to the state senate in 1924, Douglas declined to run for any public office, pursuing a number of business ventures instead. When Carl Hayden, Arizona's lone Congressman, announced that he would challenge the state's incumbent junior senator, Ralph H. Cameron, in 1926, Douglas decided to enter the race to succeed Hayden. Once again benefiting from his family's wealth, name recognition and war record, and enjoying the support of the state's Democratic press, he easily bested five rivals for the Democratic nomination before defeating his Republican challenger in the general election by nearly 20,000 votes.[2]: 40–48
Douglas served as Arizona's Congressman from the
Director of the Bureau of the Budget
Though he would have preferred a more conservative candidate, Douglas nonetheless loyally supported Franklin D. Roosevelt as the Democratic Party's nominee in the 1932 presidential election. In December, Douglas was invited to meet with Roosevelt in Albany, New York, where he soon became an influential member of the president-elect's group of advisers. Though there was considerable speculation that Douglas would be offered the secretaryship of State, Treasury, or War, Roosevelt asked him instead to serve as Director of the Bureau of the Budget after Roosevelt's initial choice, J. Swagar Sherley, declined the post due to poor health. After Roosevelt reassured Douglas of his commitment to a balanced budget, the congressman accepted.[2]: 73–84
Douglas's time as budget director proved frustrating. While he supported the
Later career
Faced with a number of offers from universities and the private sector, Douglas accepted the vice-presidency of the American Cyanamid Company and moved to New York City. He also remained involved in politics, and Republican presidential nominee Alf Landon wanted to name Douglas as his vice presidential candidate during the 1936 presidential election but was dissuaded from doing so by party leaders. Nonetheless, Douglas announced publicly that he was voting for Landon, primarily as a protest against the New Deal.[2]: 119–29
Principal of McGill University
In August 1937, Douglas was approached by Sir Edward Beatty about becoming principal of McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Bored with his job at American Cyanamid, Douglas accepted and was installed on January 7, 1938. Douglas would subsequently refer to his time as McGill as the happiest in his life. As principal, he struggled to address the deficit in the university budget and to counteract what he perceived as the socialist leanings within the social science faculty of the university. By reducing expenditures and soliciting private donations he succeeded in restoring McGill to financial health, and launched a public lecture series designed to promote conservative viewpoints. Yet while Douglas did modify tenure policies so as to make it easier to remove radical faculty members, he resisted efforts to restrict the free-speech of faculty, especially as debates over Canada's role in international affairs heated up in 1939.[2]: 131–44
Service in the Second World War
Never intending to remain long at McGill, Douglas left the post at the end of 1939 and returned to the United States. There he accepted the presidency of
With America's entry into the Second World War, Douglas sought to return to public service. After a short period as deputy to Averell Harriman, the American Lend-Lease representative in Britain, Douglas was named deputy administrator of the War Shipping Administration (WSA). Douglas's appointment came in response to the growing criticism of the WSA's chief administrator, Admiral Emory S. Land, who nonetheless kept his post due to his friendship with the president. As deputy administrator, Douglas emerged as the effective head of the agency, addressing the difficult task of managing the country's shipping needs while fighting a global war. He served as deputy administrator until medical issues and growing tensions with Land led to his resignation in March 1944, after which he traveled to Europe to serve as a special adviser to General Lucius D. Clay on the reconstruction of German finance after the war.[2]: 163–237
Rockefeller Foundation
Beginning in 1935, Douglas would serve as a member of the Rockefeller Foundation where he maintained a position on the executive committee from 1936 to 1939. Douglas was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1942.[3] From 1942 to 1947, Douglas served as a trustee before being appointed as the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1947.[4]
Ambassador to the Court of St. James's
In February 1947, Douglas was appointed as the
Final years
After resigning from the ambassadorship in 1950, Douglas returned to the United States and settled in Tucson, Arizona. He was the chairman and director of the Southern Arizona Bank and Trust Company from 1949 until 1966 and served on a number of boards and commissions, including the General Motors Corporation, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Government Study of Foreign Economic Problems, and the President's Task Force on American Indians. Though declining further suggestions to run for public office, he remained actively involved in state and national politics. While typically endorsing Republicans, he remained a Democrat and supported Lyndon B. Johnson over Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election out of concerns for Goldwater's suitability for the presidency. Douglas died in Tucson, Arizona, on March 7, 1974, from complications following surgery to remove an intestinal obstruction. His remains were later cremated and his ashes scattered over the hills of Jerome.[2]: 359–404 In 2002, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.[5] [6]
Electoral history
Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1926 | Lewis Douglas | 43,725 | 64% | Otis J. Baughn | 24,502 | 36% | |||
1928 | Lewis Douglas | Guy Axline | |||||||
1930 | Lewis Douglas | 52,343 | 100% | None | 0 | 0% | |||
1932 | Lewis Douglas | 75,469 | 72% | H. B. Wilkinson | 29,710 | 28% |
References
- ^ Alumni Awards, Montclair Kimberley Academy. Accessed March 6, 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-0394498782
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
- ^ The Rockefeller Foundation Annual Reports 1935–47.
- ^ "Hall of Great Westerners". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ^ "Southern Arizona Bank and Trust Company". USBankLocations. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
Further reading
- Young, Herbert V. (1964). Ghosts of Cleopatra Hill: Men and Legends of Old Jerome. Jerome [AZ] Historical Society.
- United States Congress. "Lewis Williams Douglas (id: D000455)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-02-10
- British Educational Website