George Anthony Dondero
Encyclopedia
George A. Dondero was a Representative to the U.S. House of Representatives
from the state
of Michigan
.
, which has since become part of Detroit
. He served as the village clerk of Royal Oak, Michigan
in 1905 and 1906, as town treasurer in 1907 and 1908, and as village assessor in 1909. He graduated from the Detroit College of Law in 1910, was admitted to the bar
, and started a practice in Royal Oak the same year. He was village attorney, 1911–1921 and assistant prosecuting attorney for Oakland County
in 1918 and 1919. He was mayor of Royal Oak in 1921 and 1922 and a member of the board of education, 1910-1928.
In 1932, he was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 17th congressional district
to the 73rd United States Congress
and the eleven succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1933 to January 3, 1957. The 17th district was newly created following redistricting after the 1930 census
and Dondero was the first representative elected from that district. Following the 1950 census
, the 18th district
was created and Dondero was also the first representative elected from that district, which began in 1953. Both districts are now obsolete.
From 1937 to 1947 Dondero served as ranking member
of the House Committee on Education. He was chairman of the Committee on Public Works in the 80th
and 81st
Congresses. In 1954, he sponsored the bill creating the Saint Lawrence Seaway
, which allowed large ocean-going vessels access to the Great Lakes
. Thus, he helped connect the central United States
with the Atlantic Ocean
.
A sympathiser with McCarthyism
, Dondero claimed American liberals had been responsible for a "whitewash" over the Amerasia
affair. In 1947, Dondero tried to block the trial of IG Farben executives for war crimes at Nuremberg by withholding funding for the prosecution team before indictments could be handed down.
Dondero was most notable for mounting an attack on modern art, which he claimed to be inspired by Communism. He asserted that "Cubism
aims to destroy by designed disorder... Dadaism aims to destroy by ridicule... Abstractionism
aims to destroy by the creation of brainstorms". In 1952, Dondero went so far as to tell Congress that modern art was, in fact, a conspiracy by Moscow
to spread communism
in the United States
. This speech won him the International Fine Arts Council's Gold Medal of Honor for "dedicated service to American Art." When art critic Emily Genauer (future winner of the Pulitzer Prize
for Criticism) interviewed Dondero in the mid-1950s he stated "modern art is Communistic because it is distorted and ugly, because it does not glorify our beautiful country, our cheerful and smiling people, our material progress. Art which does not glorify our beautiful country in plain simple terms that everyone can understand breeds dissatisfaction. It is therefore opposed to our government and those who promote it are our enemies." When Genauer pointed out the resemblance between his views and those of the Stalinist Communists he despised, Dondero was so enraged that he arranged to have her fired from her job at the New York Herald Tribune
.
Dondero, a great admirer of Abraham Lincoln
, named his son after Lincoln's son. Dondero died at the age of 84 in Royal Oak, Michigan
and is interred there at Oakview Cemetery. Dondero High School
in Royal Oak was named for him.
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 the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Biography
Dondero was born on a farm in Greenfield Township, MichiganGreenfield Township, Michigan
Greenfield is a former civil township of Wayne County, Michigan; it was created from a portion of neighboring Springwells Township in 1833. Greenfield eventually encompassed the survey township T1S R11E....
, which has since become part of Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. He served as the village clerk of Royal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 57,236. It should not be confused with Royal Oak Charter Township, a separate community located nearby....
in 1905 and 1906, as town treasurer in 1907 and 1908, and as village assessor in 1909. He graduated from the Detroit College of Law in 1910, was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
, and started a practice in Royal Oak the same year. He was village attorney, 1911–1921 and assistant prosecuting attorney for Oakland County
Oakland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...
in 1918 and 1919. He was mayor of Royal Oak in 1921 and 1922 and a member of the board of education, 1910-1928.
In 1932, he was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 17th congressional district
Michigan's 17th congressional district
Michigan's 17th congressional district is an obsolete United States congressional district in Michigan. The first Representative to Congress elected from the 17th district, George Anthony Dondero, took office in 1933, after reapportionment due to the 1930 census. The district was dissolved...
to the 73rd United States Congress
73rd United States Congress
The Seventy-third 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 March 4, 1933 to January 3, 1935, during the first two years...
and the eleven succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1933 to January 3, 1957. The 17th district was newly created following redistricting after the 1930 census
United States Census, 1930
The Fifteenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during the 1920 Census.-Census questions:The 1930 Census...
and Dondero was the first representative elected from that district. Following the 1950 census
United States Census, 1950
The Seventeenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 150,697,361, an increase of 14.5 percent over the 131,669,275 persons enumerated during the 1940 Census.-Census questions:...
, the 18th district
Michigan's 18th congressional district
Michigan's 18th congressional district is an obsolete United States congressional district in Michigan. The first Representative to Congress elected from the 18th district, George Anthony Dondero, took office in 1953, after reapportionment due to the 1950 census...
was created and Dondero was also the first representative elected from that district, which began in 1953. Both districts are now obsolete.
From 1937 to 1947 Dondero served as ranking member
Ranking member
In United States politics, a ranking member is the second-most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the majority party. Another usage refers to the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. This second usage, often...
of the House Committee on Education. He was chairman of the Committee on Public Works in the 80th
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...
and 81st
81st United States Congress
The Eighty-first 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...
Congresses. In 1954, he sponsored the bill creating the Saint Lawrence Seaway
Saint Lawrence Seaway
The Saint Lawrence Seaway , , is the common name for a system of locks, canals and channels that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the North American Great Lakes, as far as Lake Superior. Legally it extends from Montreal to Lake Erie, including the Welland Canal...
, which allowed large ocean-going vessels access to the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. Thus, he helped connect the central United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.
A sympathiser with McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
, Dondero claimed American liberals had been responsible for a "whitewash" over the Amerasia
Amerasia
Amerasia was a journal of Far Eastern affairs best known for the 1940s "Amerasia Affair" in which several of its staff and their contacts were suspected of espionage and charged with unauthorized possession of government documents.-Publication:...
affair. In 1947, Dondero tried to block the trial of IG Farben executives for war crimes at Nuremberg by withholding funding for the prosecution team before indictments could be handed down.
Dondero was most notable for mounting an attack on modern art, which he claimed to be inspired by Communism. He asserted that "Cubism
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
aims to destroy by designed disorder... Dadaism aims to destroy by ridicule... Abstractionism
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
aims to destroy by the creation of brainstorms". In 1952, Dondero went so far as to tell Congress that modern art was, in fact, a conspiracy by 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...
to spread communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This speech won him the International Fine Arts Council's Gold Medal of Honor for "dedicated service to American Art." When art critic Emily Genauer (future winner of the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for Criticism) interviewed Dondero in the mid-1950s he stated "modern art is Communistic because it is distorted and ugly, because it does not glorify our beautiful country, our cheerful and smiling people, our material progress. Art which does not glorify our beautiful country in plain simple terms that everyone can understand breeds dissatisfaction. It is therefore opposed to our government and those who promote it are our enemies." When Genauer pointed out the resemblance between his views and those of the Stalinist Communists he despised, Dondero was so enraged that he arranged to have her fired from her job at the New York Herald Tribune
New York Herald Tribune
The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
.
Dondero, a great admirer of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, named his son after Lincoln's son. Dondero died at the age of 84 in Royal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 57,236. It should not be confused with Royal Oak Charter Township, a separate community located nearby....
and is interred there at Oakview Cemetery. Dondero High School
Dondero High School
George A. Dondero High School was opened in 1927 in Royal Oak, Michigan. It was named after former United States congressman and Royal Oak School Board President George A. Dondero.- Overview :...
in Royal Oak was named for him.