Claude I. Bakewell
Encyclopedia
Claude Ignatius Bakewell (August 9, 1912 – March 18, 1987) was a lawyer, U.S. Representative
from Missouri's 11th congressional district
, and U.S. Postmaster
for St. Louis, Missouri
.
. Claude Bakewell's grandfather Paul Bakewell was a patent and trademark lawyer in the firm Bakewell & Church whose wife was a granddaughter of the first Missouri governor Alexander McNair
, and Claude's great-grandfather was Missouri judge Robert Armytage Bakewell, who was married to Nancy de Laureal. Claude Bakewell graduated from St. Louis University High School and then in 1932 from Georgetown University
. In 1935, he graduated from St. Louis University School of Law and became a lawyer in private practice.
In the 25th Ward, he served as member of the board of aldermen of St. Louis, Missouri from 1941 to 1945 and was chairman of the legislation committee. From 1944 to 1946, Bakewell served in the United States Navy
.
to the House floor. That bill would have required royalty
fees for jukeboxes
that played music on disks. Bakewell was the only Republican who signed the minority report
of House Bill 4484, a quitclaim bill regarding tidelands
, because he felt that it empowered Congress to remove the sovereignty of U.S. public lands rather than disposing of the lands themselves.
Responding to an anti-segregation plan by the St. Louis Committee of Racial Equality
by sending interracial dining groups to three mall restaurants, Bakewell wrote: "It appears utterly inconsistent that the department stores would welcome the patronage of a large segment of the population at all counters and in all departments but would arbitrarily exclude them from the dining facilities."
to the 80th United States Congress
in 1946. Phyllis Schlafly
, conservative activist and founder of Eagle Forum
, managed Bakewell's 1946 campaign. However, Bakewell lost his 1948 re-election bid to John B. Sullivan
, a Democrat.
Following the death of Sullivan, Bakewell was re-elected to the 11th district seat in a special election in March 1951. Bakewell linked his Democratic opponent Harry Schendel to the political machine dominated by Morris Shenker and Larry Callanan; Democrats whom they backed usually won most elections. As it was the midst of the Second Red Scare, Bakewell also labeled Schendel a "stooge" of the political action committee of the Congress of Industrial Organizations
, a committee he considered "Moscow
-inspired." Bakewell won the election by 6,187 votes, and his victory was hailed as a defeat of an otherwise powerful political machine. However, Bakewell lost the regular 1952 election.
for St. Louis.
He died in University City, Missouri
on March 18, 1987 and was interred at Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Missouri's 11th congressional district
Missouri's 11th congressional district
The 11th Congressional District of New Missouri was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in Missouri from 1873 to 1963.-List of representatives:-References:*...
, and U.S. Postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
for St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
Early life and career
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Bakewell was one of the five children of Paul Bakewell, Jr. and Mary Morgan Fullerton Bakewell. When she was to be married to Paul, Mary was reportedly "the richest girl" in St. Louis; she was also a grand-niece of J. P. MorganJ. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier, banker and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric...
. Claude Bakewell's grandfather Paul Bakewell was a patent and trademark lawyer in the firm Bakewell & Church whose wife was a granddaughter of the first Missouri governor Alexander McNair
Alexander McNair
Alexander McNair was an American frontiersman and politician. He was the first Governor of Missouri from its entry as a state in 1820, until 1824....
, and Claude's great-grandfather was Missouri judge Robert Armytage Bakewell, who was married to Nancy de Laureal. Claude Bakewell graduated from St. Louis University High School and then in 1932 from Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
. In 1935, he graduated from St. Louis University School of Law and became a lawyer in private practice.
In the 25th Ward, he served as member of the board of aldermen of St. Louis, Missouri from 1941 to 1945 and was chairman of the legislation committee. From 1944 to 1946, Bakewell served in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
Congress
Bakewell sat on the House Judiciary Committee while serving. In 1952, Bakewell was one of three representatives who opposed bringing an unamended bill by Representatives Joseph Bryson and Estes KefauverEstes Kefauver
Carey Estes Kefauver July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S...
to the House floor. That bill would have required royalty
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
fees for jukeboxes
Jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media...
that played music on disks. Bakewell was the only Republican who signed the minority report
Dissenting opinion
A dissenting opinion is an opinion in a legal case written by one or more judges expressing disagreement with the majority opinion of the court which gives rise to its judgment....
of House Bill 4484, a quitclaim bill regarding tidelands
Tidelands
Tidelands are the territory between the high and low water tide line of sea coasts, and lands lying under the sea beyond the low-water limit of the tide, considered within the territorial waters of a nation. The United States Constitution does not specify whether ownership of these lands rests with...
, because he felt that it empowered Congress to remove the sovereignty of U.S. public lands rather than disposing of the lands themselves.
Responding to an anti-segregation plan by the St. Louis Committee of Racial Equality
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a U.S. civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement...
by sending interracial dining groups to three mall restaurants, Bakewell wrote: "It appears utterly inconsistent that the department stores would welcome the patronage of a large segment of the population at all counters and in all departments but would arbitrarily exclude them from the dining facilities."
Electoral history
Bakewell was elected as a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to the 80th United States Congress
80th United States Congress
The Eightieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1947 to January 3, 1949, during the third and fourth...
in 1946. Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis McAlpin Stewart Schlafly is a Constitutional lawyer and an American politically conservative activist and author who founded the Eagle Forum. She is known for her opposition to modern feminism ideas and for her campaign against the proposed Equal Rights Amendment...
, conservative activist and founder of Eagle Forum
Eagle Forum
Eagle Forum is a conservative interest group in the United States founded by Phyllis Schlafly in 1972 and is the parent organization that also includes the Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund and the Eagle Forum PAC. The Eagle Forum has been primarily focused on social issues; it describes...
, managed Bakewell's 1946 campaign. However, Bakewell lost his 1948 re-election bid to John B. Sullivan
John B. Sullivan
John Berchmans Sullivan was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri. He was a Democrat. He was married to Leonor Kretzer Sullivan....
, a Democrat.
Following the death of Sullivan, Bakewell was re-elected to the 11th district seat in a special election in March 1951. Bakewell linked his Democratic opponent Harry Schendel to the political machine dominated by Morris Shenker and Larry Callanan; Democrats whom they backed usually won most elections. As it was the midst of the Second Red Scare, Bakewell also labeled Schendel a "stooge" of the political action committee of the Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
, a committee he considered "Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
-inspired." Bakewell won the election by 6,187 votes, and his victory was hailed as a defeat of an otherwise powerful political machine. However, Bakewell lost the regular 1952 election.
After Congress
From 1958 to 1982, Bakewell was the postmasterPostmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
for St. Louis.
He died in University City, Missouri
University City, Missouri
University City is an inner-ring suburb in St. Louis County, Missouri. The population was 35,371 in 2010 census. The city was shaped by Washington University in St. Louis, whose campus abuts the city to the southeast....
on March 18, 1987 and was interred at Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri.