Irvine Lenroot
Encyclopedia
Irvine Luther Lenroot was a member of the United States Republican Party (GOP) who served in the House of Representatives
from 1909 to 1918, and in the United States Senate
from 1918 to 1927, for the state of Wisconsin
. He was also Warren G. Harding's
personal preference for Vice President of the United States
in 1920, but the delegates chose instead to nominate Massachusetts Governor
Calvin Coolidge
. Had Lenroot won the nomination, he, rather than Coolidge, would have become the 30th President of the United States upon Harding's death in 1923.
in 1869 and began practicing law in 1898. He served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from 1901 to 1907, and as Speaker of the Assembly from 1903 to 1907. He became a United States Senator in 1918 when he was elected in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death on October 17, 1917 of Paul O. Husting
.
at the Blackstone Hotel
in Chicago, and after the selection of Harding as the GOP nominee for president, GOP leaders decided that the progressive Lenroot would be a balance to a ticket with the more conservative Harding. By June 12, a Saturday night, many of the delegates had gone home, along with most of the party bosses. After Lenroot's name had been placed in nomination and seconded, but before a vote could be taken, an Oregon delegate, Wallace McCamant
, nominated Coolidge for vice-president. Unfettered by party bosses, the delegates weighed in for Coolidge, who received 674 votes to Lenroot's 146 and won on the first ballot.
He was re-elected in 1920, in the most competitive race for a Republican senator in the nation, receiving 41.6% of the vote in a competition with strong independent, Democrat and Socialist candidates. Independent James Thompson came in second place with 34.7%. He ran for the United States Senate
again in 1926, but lost the Republican primary to John J. Blaine
.
He was appointed a judge of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
by President Herbert Hoover
in 1929, and served there until his retirement in 1944. He married Clara Clough, of Superior, Wisconsin, who wrote a short memoir of her girlhood in Wisconsin in the 1860s and 1870s. His daughter, Katharine Lenroot, was known for successfully lobbying for the Fair Labor Standards Act
, and in regulating enforcement of child labor
laws.
Lenroot died in Washington on January 26, 1949, five days short of his 80th birthday and was buried at the Greenwood Cemetery in Superior, Wisconsin. The Associated Press report of his death began, "Former Senator Irvine L. Lenroot of Wisconsin, the man who might have been the 30th President of the United States, died Wednesday night."
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 1909 to 1918, and in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from 1918 to 1927, for the state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. He was also Warren G. Harding's
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
personal preference for Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
in 1920, but the delegates chose instead to nominate Massachusetts Governor
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
. Had Lenroot won the nomination, he, rather than Coolidge, would have become the 30th President of the United States upon Harding's death in 1923.
Biography
Lenroot was born in Superior, WisconsinSuperior, Wisconsin
Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...
in 1869 and began practicing law in 1898. He served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Wisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....
from 1901 to 1907, and as Speaker of the Assembly from 1903 to 1907. He became a United States Senator in 1918 when he was elected in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death on October 17, 1917 of Paul O. Husting
Paul O. Husting
Paul Oscar Husting was a member of the Democratic Party who represented Wisconsin in the United States Senate from 1915 to 1917.-Biography:...
.
The 1920 Republican Convention
Senator Lenroot attended the 1920 Republican National Convention1920 Republican National Convention
The 1920 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States nominated Ohio Senator Warren G. Harding for President and Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge for Vice President...
at the Blackstone Hotel
Blackstone Hotel
The Renaissance Blackstone Hotel is located on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Balbo Street in the Michigan Boulevard Historic District in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. This 21-story hotel was built from 1908 to 1910 and designed by Marshall and Fox. On May 29, 1998, the...
in Chicago, and after the selection of Harding as the GOP nominee for president, GOP leaders decided that the progressive Lenroot would be a balance to a ticket with the more conservative Harding. By June 12, a Saturday night, many of the delegates had gone home, along with most of the party bosses. After Lenroot's name had been placed in nomination and seconded, but before a vote could be taken, an Oregon delegate, Wallace McCamant
Wallace McCamant
Wallace McCamant was an American jurist in Oregon. A Pennsylvania native, he served as the 46th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court from 1917 to 1918. Later he served briefly on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit...
, nominated Coolidge for vice-president. Unfettered by party bosses, the delegates weighed in for Coolidge, who received 674 votes to Lenroot's 146 and won on the first ballot.
He was re-elected in 1920, in the most competitive race for a Republican senator in the nation, receiving 41.6% of the vote in a competition with strong independent, Democrat and Socialist candidates. Independent James Thompson came in second place with 34.7%. He ran for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
again in 1926, but lost the Republican primary to John J. Blaine
John J. Blaine
John James Blaine was the 24th Governor of Wisconsin and a United States Senator. He served as Mayor of Boscobel, on the Grant County Board of Supervisors, Wisconsin Attorney General, and in the Wisconsin State Senate...
.
He was appointed a judge of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
The United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals is a former United States federal court which existed from 1909 to 1982 and had jurisdiction over certain types of civil disputes.-History:...
by President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
in 1929, and served there until his retirement in 1944. He married Clara Clough, of Superior, Wisconsin, who wrote a short memoir of her girlhood in Wisconsin in the 1860s and 1870s. His daughter, Katharine Lenroot, was known for successfully lobbying for the Fair Labor Standards Act
Fair Labor Standards Act
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 is a federal statute of the United States. The FLSA established a national minimum wage, guaranteed 'time-and-a-half' for overtime in certain jobs, and prohibited most employment of minors in "oppressive child labor," a term that is defined in the statute...
, and in regulating enforcement of child labor
Child labor
Child labour refers to the employment of children at regular and sustained labour. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations and is illegal in many countries...
laws.
Lenroot died in Washington on January 26, 1949, five days short of his 80th birthday and was buried at the Greenwood Cemetery in Superior, Wisconsin. The Associated Press report of his death began, "Former Senator Irvine L. Lenroot of Wisconsin, the man who might have been the 30th President of the United States, died Wednesday night."