Warren Austin
Warren Austin | |
---|---|
State's Attorney of Franklin County, Vermont | |
In office December 1, 1904 – November 30, 1906 | |
Preceded by | Wallace B. Locklin |
Succeeded by | Frederick S. Tupper |
Personal details | |
Born | Warren Robinson Austin November 12, 1877 Highgate, Vermont, U.S. |
Died | December 25, 1962 (aged 85) Burlington, Vermont, U.S. |
Resting place | Lakeview Cemetery, Burlington, Vermont |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Mildred Lucas (m. 1901) |
Relations | Roswell M. Austin (brother) |
Education | University of Vermont (Ph.B.) |
Profession | Attorney |
Warren Robinson Austin (November 12, 1877 – December 25, 1962) was an American politician and diplomat who served as
A native of Highgate Center, Vermont, Austin was educated in Highgate and Bakersfield, and also studied in Quebec to learn French. He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1899, studied law with his father, was admitted to the bar in 1902, and practiced in partnership with his father.
Austin settled in
In 1931, Austin was elected to the U.S. Senate in a special election, defeating Frank C. Partridge, who had been appointed to fill the vacancy after the death of Frank L. Greene. From 1939 to 1942, Austin was the Senate's Assistant Minority Leader (Minority Whip). In 1946 he resigned to accept president Harry S. Truman's appointment as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. He took office in January, 1947, and was the first official holder of this post. Austin served until January 1953, when the Eisenhower administration took office. He resided in Burlington during his retirement, and died there in 1962. Austin was buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington.
Early life
Austin was born in Highgate, Vermont on November 12, 1877,[1] one of six children born to Chauncey Goodrich Austin and Ann Mathilda Robinson.[2] He attended local schools and Bakersfield's Brigham Academy and also studied in Quebec to obtain fluency in French.[3] He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1899.[4] He then studied law with his father, attained admission to the bar, and entered practice in 1902 in partnership with his father.[5][6]
Early career
A
Austin was chairman of the Vermont Republican State Convention in 1908, and Mayor of St. Albans from 1909 to 1910.[9]
He served as a Commissioner for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1907 to 1915.[10] In 1912, he served on the Assay Commission for the United States Mint, which reviewed Mint operations by examining and testing coins for weight and fineness.[11]
In 1914 he was appointed a trustee of the University of Vermont in 1914, a position that he retained until 1941.[12]
From 1916 to 1917, he practiced before the United States Court for China as the representative of the American International Corporation and the Siems-Carey Railway & Canal Company.[13][14]
In 1917 Austin moved to Burlington, where he continued to practice law.[15]
From 1925 to 1937, Austin served as a special counsel for Vermont during the process of setting the official boundary between Vermont and New Hampshire, working with John G. Sargent.[16]
In the early 1930s, Austin employed Harold J. Arthur as a stenographer. Arthur studied law with Austin, attained admission to the bar, and later served as Governor of Vermont.[17]
United States Senator
He was elected to the Senate on March 31, 1931, defeating appointed Senator Frank C. Partridge in the special election to complete the term of the deceased Frank L. Greene.[18] Austin took his seat the next day, and won re-election in 1934 and 1940.[19]
In the Senate, Austin opposed the New Deal but championed internationalist causes, standing with President Franklin D. Roosevelt on issues such as Lend-Lease.[20] He became Assistant Minority Leader (Minority Whip) in 1939, served until 1942, and acted as Minority Leader during incumbent Charles L. McNary's run for Vice President in 1940.[21] In 1943 he became a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.[22]
Austin resigned his Senate seat on August 2, 1946, to become the
United Nations Ambassador
In June 1946, President
When he did take office in January, 1947 Austin was the first official U.S. Ambassador to the UN. (
He was a key figure at the start of the
Austin's term at the UN is also remembered for a supposed quote that is likely not completely accurate. In discussing the conflict between the
He retired after being succeeded by
Memberships
He was a member of the
Later life
An amateur orchardist, Austin tended to his trees and pursued other hobbies while living in retirement in Burlington.[44] In October, 1956 he suffered a stroke that caused him to curtail many of his activities.[45] Austin died in Burlington on December 25, 1962. He is buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington.[46]
Honors
Austin received honorary degrees from Columbia University, Norwich University, Bates College, Princeton University, Lafayette College, the University of Vermont, Dartmouth College, Boston University, American University, the University of the State of New York, and the University of Santo Domingo.[47][48]
He is memorialized in the Vermont State House Hall of Inscriptions.[49]
Family
In 1901 Austin married Mildred Marie Lucas.[50][51] Their children included attorney Warren R. Austin Jr. (1902–1979),[52][53] and career United States Army officer Edward Lucas Austin (1910–1980).[54][55]
Warren Austin's brother
References
- ^ James G. Ryan, Leonard Schlup, Historical Dictionary of the 1940s, 2006, page 34
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ The Rotarian, Austin: That Man from Vermont, September 1950, page 11
- ^ George Derby, James Terry White, The National Cyclopedia of American Biography, Volume 60, 1981, page 319
- ^ William Hartley Jeffrey, Successful Vermonters: A Modern Gazetteer of Lamoille, Franklin and Grand Isle Counties, Vermont, 1907, page 325
- ^ The Rotarian magazine, Austin: That Man from Vermont, September 1950, page 11
- ^ William Richard Cutter, New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial, Volume 2, 1914, page 913
- ^ Vermont Secretary of State, Who’s Who in Local Government, October, 2008
- ^ The Republican, Warren Austin, Volumes 9-13, 1944, page 4
- ^ United States Department of Justice, Register of the Department of Justice and the Courts of the United States, 1918, page 191
- ^ Director, United States Mint, Annual report, 1913, page 59
- ^ Vermont Secretary of State, Legislative Directory, 1943, page 585
- ^ University of Vermont, Warren R. Austin Collection: China period; description, retrieved February 18, 2014
- ^ H. W. Wilson Co., Current Biography Yearbook, Volume 5, 1945, page 18
- ^ James G. Ryan, Leonard Schlup, Historical Dictionary of the 1940s, 2006, page 34
- ^ Cornell University Law School, State of Vermont v. State of New Hampshire, 1933, retrieved February 18, 2014
- ^ James Terry White, The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume 57, 1977, page 135
- ^ Associated Press, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Austin Picked for Vermont's Senator, March 4, 1931
- ^ Vermont State Archives, United States Senators, Terms of Service Archived 2013-05-03 at the Wayback Machine, 2013, pages 3, 5
- ^ Lysohir, John W., "Warren R. Austin and the Republican Embrace of Internationalism, senior thesis, Middlebury College, April, 2008.
- ^ Richard E. Darilek, A Loyal Opposition in Time of War: The Republican Party and the Politics of Foreign Policy from Pearl Harbor to Yalta, 1976, pages 19, 61
- ^ U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Millennium Edition, 1816–2000, 2000, page 81
- ^ United Press, Altoona Mirror, Primaries Held in Four States, August 14, 1946
- ^ Associated Press, Suggest Novel Way to Avert Strikes: Invite Union Plan; Four GOP Senators Urge New' Methods to Halt Crippling Strikes, December 11, 1946
- ^ Associated Press, Atchison Daily Globe, Names Vermont Senator to United Nations Post], June 5, 1947
- ^ Associated Press, Troy Record, Senator Austin Named to Succeed Slettinius, June 6, 1946
- ^ Paul M. Edwards, Korean War Almanac, 2006, page 456
- ^ Peter Gilbert, Vermont Public Radio, Warren Austin, September 7, 2005
- ^ Robert L. Beisner, Dean Acheson: A Life in the Cold War, 2009
- ^ A. F. K. Organski, The $36 Billion Bargain: Strategy and Politics in U.S. Assistance to Israel, 1991, page 263
- ^ Harper & Row, Celebrity Register: An Irreverent Compendium of American Quotable Notables, 1960, page 447
- ^ American Bar Association (President 1923), Annual Report, 1918, page 202
- ^ Vermont Bar Association, Annual report, 1963, page 23
- ^ Vermont Secretary of State, Legislative Directory, 1943, page 585
- ^ Sons of the American Revolution, The Sons of the American Revolution Magazine, Volumes 57-59, 1962, page 34
- ^ University of Vermont, Warren R. Austin Collection: Chronological Biography, retrieved February 18, 2014
- ^ Grand Lodge of Vermont, Free and Accepted Masons, Well-Known Vermont Masons: James H. Douglas, Inaugurated Governor State of Vermont January 9, 2003 Archived March 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, retrieved February 18, 2014
- ^ The New Age Magazine, Warren R. Austin Is 33rd Degree Mason, Volume 54, 1946, page 504
- ^ George T. Mazuzan, Warren R. Austin at the U. N., 1946-1953, 1977, page 9
- ^ A. N. Marquis, Who's Who in New England, Volume 1, 1909, page 50
- ^ H. W. Wilson Co., Current Biography Yearbook, Volume 5, 1945, page 21
- ^ The Rotarian magazine, Rotary Club Activities, April 1923, page 226
- ^ Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Caduceus of Kappa Sigma, Volume 11, 1896, page 549
- ^ Vermont Historical Society, News and Notes, Volumes 11-15, 1959, page 42
- ^ Associated Press, Plattsburgh Press-Republican, Austin Suffers Stroke; Condition Listed as 'Serious'[permanent dead link], October 13, 1956
- ^ United Press International, Pittsburgh Press, Warren Austin Dies, December 26, 1962
- ^ Christian E. Burckel, Who's Who in the United Nations, Volume 1, 1951, page 26
- ^ University of Vermont, Warren R. Austin Collection: Timeline, retrieved February 18, 2014
- ^ George T. Mazuzan, Warren R. Austin at the U. N., 1946-1953, 1977, page ii
- ^ A. N. Marquis, Who's Who in New England, 1909, page 50
- ^ Vermont Vital Records, 1720-1908, marriage record for Warren Robinson Austin and Mildred May Lucas, retrieved February 14, 2014
- ^ Vermont Vital Records, 1720-1908, birth entry for Warren Robinson Austin, retrieved February 18, 2014
- ^ Florida Death Index, 1877-1998, entry for Warren Robinson Austin, retrieved February 18, 2014
- ^ Vermont Birth Records, 1909-2008, entry for Edward Lucas Austin, retrieved February 18, 2014
- ^ U.S. Social Security Death Index, entry for Edward Lucas Austin, retrieved February 18, 2014
- ^ James Roger Sharp, Nancy Weatherly Sharp, American Legislative Leaders in the Northeast, 1911-1994, 2000, page 50
- ^ Vermont Secretary of State, Legislative Directory, 1981, page 140
Further reading
- George T. Mazuzan. Warren R. Austin at the U. N., 1946-1953 (Kent State UP, 1977).
External links
- United States Congress. "Warren Austin (id: A000342)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Warren Austin at Find a Grave
- Ambassador to the World TIME magazine article
- Newspaper clippings about Warren Austin in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW