Samuel M. Shortridge
Encyclopedia
Samuel Morgan Shortridge (August 3, 1861 January 15, 1952) was a Republican Senator from California
.
A descendant of Daniel Boone
, he was born in Mount Pleasant, Iowa
and moved to California as a child with his family, which settled in San Jose
in 1875. He practiced law in San Francisco, California
for most of his life.
He lost the 1914 U.S. Senate Republican primary to veteran congressman Joseph R. Knowland
, who was defeated in the general election by James D. Phelan
. Shortridge was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1920, riding Warren G. Harding
's post World War I "Return to Normalcy" campaign. Defeating Phelan and strong candidates from the Prohibition Party
and Socialist Party of America
, Shortridge won the general election with 49% of the vote. He was reelected in 1926 with 63% of the vote over Democrat John B. Elliott. He served two full terms before being defeated in a primary in 1932. His sister Clara S. Foltz
helped him campaign for the Senate.
Shortridge served as a special attorney for the Justice Department
in Washington, D.C.
from 1939 to 1943. He died in Atherton, California
and was buried in Oak Lawn Cemetery in San Jose.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
A descendant of Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
, he was born in Mount Pleasant, Iowa
Mount Pleasant, Iowa
Mount Pleasant is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, Iowa, in the United States. The population was 8,668 in the 2010 census, a decline from 8,751 in the 2000 census. It was founded in 1835 by pioneer Presley Saunders.- History :...
and moved to California as a child with his family, which settled in San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
in 1875. He practiced law in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
for most of his life.
He lost the 1914 U.S. Senate Republican primary to veteran congressman Joseph R. Knowland
Joseph R. Knowland
Joseph Russell Knowland was an American politician and newspaper publisher. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California and was owner, editor and publisher of the Oakland Tribune. He was the father of United States Senator William F...
, who was defeated in the general election by James D. Phelan
James D. Phelan
James Duval Phelan was an American politician, civic leader and banker.-Early years:Phelan was born in San Francisco, the son of an Irish immigrant who became wealthy during the California Gold Rush as a trader, merchant and banker. He graduated from St...
. Shortridge was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1920, riding Warren G. Harding
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...
's post World War I "Return to Normalcy" campaign. Defeating Phelan and strong candidates from the Prohibition Party
Prohibition Party
The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party was an integral part of the temperance movement...
and Socialist Party of America
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
, Shortridge won the general election with 49% of the vote. He was reelected in 1926 with 63% of the vote over Democrat John B. Elliott. He served two full terms before being defeated in a primary in 1932. His sister Clara S. Foltz
Clara S. Foltz
Clara Shortridge Foltz was the first female lawyer on the West Coast. She was the sister of U.S. Senator Samuel M. Shortridge...
helped him campaign for the Senate.
Shortridge served as a special attorney for the Justice Department
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
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....
from 1939 to 1943. He died in Atherton, California
Atherton, California
Atherton is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 6,914 at the 2010 census. In September 2010, Forbes magazine placed Atherton's zip code of 94027 at #2 on its annual list of America's most expensive zip codes, with a median home price of $4,010,200...
and was buried in Oak Lawn Cemetery in San Jose.