Jouette Shouse
Encyclopedia
Jouett Shouse was an American lawyer, newspaper publisher, and leading Democratic politician. A conservative, he was best known for opposing the liberal New Deal
in the 1930s.
Born in Midway, Kentucky
, his family moved to Mexico, Missouri
in 1892 where he attended public school. After studying at the University of Missouri
at Columbia
he returned to his native Kentucky where he served on the staff of the Lexington Herald
from 1898 to 1904 and eventually became the owner/editor of The Kentucky Farmer and Breeder.
In 1911, Jouett Shouse moved to Kinsley, Kansas
where he married. He became involved in agricultural and livestock businesses and served on the Board of Directors
of the director of the Kinsley Bank. He was elected a state senator in 1913 then in 1915 was elected to the United States Congress
where he served until 1919 when President Woodrow Wilson
appointed him as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. At the Treasury Department he was in charge of customs, internal revenue and reorganized the War Risk Insurance division until November 15, 1920 when he resigned "in order to adjust his personal affairs."
Shouse was very active in the Democratic Party and was appointed chairman of the executive committee of the Democratic National Committee
in May 1929. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,740634-1,00.html. His powerful position in Washington politics led to him being on the cover of the November 10, 1930 issue of TIME
magazine. He opposed the nomination of Franklin D. Roosevelt
as the Democtic Party's candidate for president and along with John J. Raskob
supported the candidacy of Alfred E. Smith. http://www.fdrheritage.org/fdr_museum_preview.htm
In 1932 Jouett Shouse divorced his wife of twenty-one years and married the wealthy divorcee, Catherine Filene Dodd
. A native of Boston
, Massachusetts
, the new Mrs. Shouse was a daughter of A. Lincoln Filene
, head of Filene's
department stores. She would serve on the Board of Trustees of the Filene Foundation. After their marriage, Jouett and Catherine Shouse took in and brought up a boy whom they renamed William Filene Shouse.
. That organization played an important role in bringing about the repeal of prohibition
in 1933. In this campaign Shouse worked together with Roosevelt's people.
Shouse broke with the liberals and became the president of the American Liberty League
, 1934-40, a new conservative organization formed by leading businessmen to oppose parts of the New Deal
. Roosevelt received him in the White House for a generous amount of discussion concerning the group's values and concerns, and he left Shouse charmed. Later, however, Roosevelt told the press that Shouse's organization put "too much stress on property rights, too little on human rights
." The League, he said, was sworn to "uphold two of the Ten Commandments
".
Regarding the controversial NRA
, Shouse was ambivalent. He commented that "the NRA has indulged in unwarranted excesses of attempted regulation"; on the other hand, he added that "in many regards [the NRA] has served a useful purpose." Shouse said that he had "deep sympathy" with the goals of the NRA, explaining, "While I feel very strongly that the prohibition of child labor, the maintenance of a minimum wage and the limitation of the hours of work belong under our form of government in the realm of the affairs of the different states, yet I am entirely willing to agree that in the case of an overwhelming national emergency the Federal Government for a limited period should be permitted to assume jurisdiction of them."
In 1936 Roosevelt built his campaign on crusading against the American Liberty League as a band of economic royalists.
Shouse practiced law in Kansas City, Missouri
as well as in Washington, D.C.
In 1953, he was appointed chairman of the Board of Directors of New York City
-based Anton Smit and Co. Inc., now part of 3M
.
horse breeding
and racing was an integral part of daily life as well as the state's economy. According to a 1916 article in the New York Times, for many years he was actively engaged in promoting the Thoroughbred interests of Kentucky. Shouse and his second wife Catherine owned Wolf Trap Farm in Vienna, Virginia
where they raised and bred boxer
dogs as well as Thoroughbred horses used as show hunter
s and for competing in flat racing
. A part of the farm was later donated by Mrs. Shouse to become the site of the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
.
Jouett Shouse retired in 1965 and died in 1968. He is buried in the Lexington Cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky
.
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
in the 1930s.
Born in Midway, Kentucky
Midway, Kentucky
Midway is a city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 1,620 at the 2000 census. It is located midway between Frankfort and Lexington along the single-track railroad between them. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is home to a...
, his family moved to Mexico, Missouri
Mexico, Missouri
Mexico is a city in Audrain County, Missouri, United States. The population was 11,543 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Audrain County. The Mexico Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Audrain County...
in 1892 where he attended public school. After studying at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
at Columbia
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
he returned to his native Kentucky where he served on the staff of the Lexington Herald
Lexington Herald-Leader
The Lexington Herald-Leader is a newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and based in the U.S. city of Lexington, Kentucky. According to the 1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, the Herald-Leaders paid circulation is the second largest in the Commonwealth of Kentucky...
from 1898 to 1904 and eventually became the owner/editor of The Kentucky Farmer and Breeder.
In 1911, Jouett Shouse moved to Kinsley, Kansas
Kinsley, Kansas
Kinsley is a city in and the county seat of Edwards County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,457.-Geography:...
where he married. He became involved in agricultural and livestock businesses and served on the Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of the director of the Kinsley Bank. He was elected a state senator in 1913 then in 1915 was elected to the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
where he served until 1919 when President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
appointed him as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. At the Treasury Department he was in charge of customs, internal revenue and reorganized the War Risk Insurance division until November 15, 1920 when he resigned "in order to adjust his personal affairs."
Shouse was very active in the Democratic Party and was appointed chairman of the executive committee of the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
in May 1929. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,740634-1,00.html. His powerful position in Washington politics led to him being on the cover of the November 10, 1930 issue of TIME
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine. He opposed the nomination of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
as the Democtic Party's candidate for president and along with John J. Raskob
John J. Raskob
John Jakob Raskob, KCSG was a financial executive and businessman for DuPont and General Motors, and the builder of the Empire State Building. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1928 to 1932 and a key supporter of Alfred E. Smith's candidacy for President of the United...
supported the candidacy of Alfred E. Smith. http://www.fdrheritage.org/fdr_museum_preview.htm
In 1932 Jouett Shouse divorced his wife of twenty-one years and married the wealthy divorcee, Catherine Filene Dodd
Catherine Filene Shouse
Catherine Filene Shouse was a researcher and philanthropist. She graduated in 1918 from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. She worked for the Women's Division of the U.S. Employment Service of the Department of Labor, and the Democratic National Committee...
. A native of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, the new Mrs. Shouse was a daughter of A. Lincoln Filene
A. Lincoln Filene
Abraham Lincoln Filene was an American businessman, social entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he was one of 5 children of William Filene and Clara Ballin...
, head of Filene's
Filene's
Filene's was a Boston-based department store owned by Federated Department Stores , and May Department Stores . It operated throughout New England and in New York.-Early years:...
department stores. She would serve on the Board of Trustees of the Filene Foundation. After their marriage, Jouett and Catherine Shouse took in and brought up a boy whom they renamed William Filene Shouse.
Liberty League
After Roosevelt's election, Shouse left his leadership position to become president of the Association Against the Prohibition AmendmentAssociation Against the Prohibition Amendment
The Association Against the Prohibition Amendment was established in 1918 and became a leading organization working for the repeal of prohibition in the United States.- Background :...
. That organization played an important role in bringing about the repeal of prohibition
Repeal of Prohibition
The Repeal of Prohibition in the United States was accomplished with the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 5, 1933.-Background:...
in 1933. In this campaign Shouse worked together with Roosevelt's people.
Shouse broke with the liberals and became the president of the American Liberty League
American Liberty League
The American Liberty League was an American political organization formed in 1934 by conservative Democrats to oppose the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was active for just two years...
, 1934-40, a new conservative organization formed by leading businessmen to oppose parts of the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
. Roosevelt received him in the White House for a generous amount of discussion concerning the group's values and concerns, and he left Shouse charmed. Later, however, Roosevelt told the press that Shouse's organization put "too much stress on property rights, too little on human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
." The League, he said, was sworn to "uphold two of the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
".
Regarding the controversial NRA
NRA
NRA is an abbreviation that may mean:* National regulatory authorities , government agencies tasked with regulating and supervising sections of public service and economy...
, Shouse was ambivalent. He commented that "the NRA has indulged in unwarranted excesses of attempted regulation"; on the other hand, he added that "in many regards [the NRA] has served a useful purpose." Shouse said that he had "deep sympathy" with the goals of the NRA, explaining, "While I feel very strongly that the prohibition of child labor, the maintenance of a minimum wage and the limitation of the hours of work belong under our form of government in the realm of the affairs of the different states, yet I am entirely willing to agree that in the case of an overwhelming national emergency the Federal Government for a limited period should be permitted to assume jurisdiction of them."
In 1936 Roosevelt built his campaign on crusading against the American Liberty League as a band of economic royalists.
Shouse practiced law in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
as well as in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
In 1953, he was appointed chairman of the Board of Directors of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based Anton Smit and Co. Inc., now part of 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
.
Thoroughbred horse racing
Jouett Shouse grew up in Kentucky where ThoroughbredThoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse breeding
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
and racing was an integral part of daily life as well as the state's economy. According to a 1916 article in the New York Times, for many years he was actively engaged in promoting the Thoroughbred interests of Kentucky. Shouse and his second wife Catherine owned Wolf Trap Farm in Vienna, Virginia
Vienna, Virginia
Vienna is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 15,687. Significantly more people live in zip codes with the Vienna postal addresses bordered approximately by Interstate 66 on the south, Interstate 495 on the east, Route 7 to...
where they raised and bred boxer
Boxer (dog)
Developed in Germany, the Boxer is a breed of stocky, medium-sized, short-haired dog. The coat is smooth and fawn or brindled, with or without white markings. Boxers are brachycephalic , and have a square muzzle, mandibular prognathism , very strong jaws and a powerful bite ideal for hanging on to...
dogs as well as Thoroughbred horses used as show hunter
Show hunter
The show hunter is a type of show horse that is judged on its movement, manners, and way of going, particularly while jumping fences. The horses are shown in hunt seat style tack, and are often of Warmblood or Thoroughbred type, though a hunter-style pony is also seen in youth classes...
s and for competing in flat racing
Flat racing
Flat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...
. A part of the farm was later donated by Mrs. Shouse to become the site of the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, known locally in the Washington, D.C. area as simply Wolf Trap, is a performing arts center located on 130 acres of national park land in Wolf Trap, Virginia...
.
Jouett Shouse retired in 1965 and died in 1968. He is buried in the Lexington Cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.
Further reading
- Kyvig, David. Repealing National Prohibition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979.
- Rudolph, Frederick. "The American Liberty League, 1934-1940," American Historical Review 56 (October 1950): 19-33, in JSTOR
- Shamir, Ronen. Managing Legal Uncertainty: Elite Lawyers in the New Deal (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1995)
- Wolfskill, George. The Revolt of the Conservatives: A History of the American Liberty League, 1934-1940 (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962)