Scott Leavitt
Encyclopedia
Scott Leavitt was a U.S. Representative
from Montana
. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Indian Affairs.
in 1879 to Roswell Leavitt, an attorney, member of the Maine House of Representatives
and later Michigan State Senator
, a native of Turner, Maine
, where he enlisted in the 17th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
, and his wife Anna C. (Lawrence) Leavitt. Scott Leavitt moved with his parents in 1881 to Bellaire, Michigan
, where his father Roswell served as prosecuting attorney and circuit court
commissioner.
Scott Leavitt attended the public schools and while in high school enlisted in the Thirty-third Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry, during the Spanish-American War
. Leavitt served in the campaign at Santiago, Cuba during the war. After the war he attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He subsequently moved to Oregon in 1901 and began homesteading in the Coast Range Mountains
near Falls City
. There he worked as a school principal in the communities of Falls City, North Yamhill, Dayton, and Lakeview, Oregon
from 1901 to 1907. In 1907 Leavitt entered the United States Forest Service
as a ranger at the Fremont National Forest
in Oregon. He later served in Minnesota
and Montana until 1917.
from Montana to the Sixty-eighth
and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1923-March 3, 1933). He served as chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs (Sixty-ninth
through Seventy-first
Congresses).
On March 5, 1932, Leavitt took to the floor of the House to deliver a eulogy to Indian Chief Plenty Coups
. "I have chosen to announce the passing of one who has graced the history of my state of Montana," said Leavitt on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Leavitt was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932 to the Seventy-third
Congress and for election in 1934 to the United States Senate
.
In 1932, Leavitt served as delegate to the Republican National Convention. He again became connected with the Forest Service at Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, in 1935. Then from 1936 to 1937, he was Commander-in-chief of the United Spanish War Veterans.
, where Scott Leavitt died on October 19, 1966. He was interred in Willamette National Cemetery
near Portland, Oregon
. Scott Leavitt Park in Newberg is named for the Congressman and Forest Ranger.
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 Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Indian Affairs.
Early life
Scott Leavitt was born in Elk Rapids, MichiganElk Rapids, Michigan
Elk Rapids is a village in Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,700 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Elk Rapids Township, about north of Traverse City. It is physically split by the Elk River, which runs between nearby Elk Lake and Grand Traverse...
in 1879 to Roswell Leavitt, an attorney, member of the Maine House of Representatives
Maine House of Representatives
The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 members representing an equal amount of districts across the state. Each voting member of the House represents around 8,450 citizens of the state...
and later Michigan State Senator
Michigan Senate
The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. The Senate consists of 38 members, who are elected from constituencies having approximately 212,400 to 263,500 residents....
, a native of Turner, Maine
Turner, Maine
Turner is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,972 at the 2000 census. Turner includes the villages of Turner Center and North Turner...
, where he enlisted in the 17th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
17th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 17th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment was mustered in at Cape Elizabeth, Maine for three year's service on August 18, 1862 and were mustered out on June 10, 1865. Recruits still liable to serve were transferred to 1st Maine Volunteer Heavy Artillery Regiment.-Casualties and total strength:The...
, and his wife Anna C. (Lawrence) Leavitt. Scott Leavitt moved with his parents in 1881 to Bellaire, Michigan
Bellaire, Michigan
Bellaire is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 1,164. It is the county seat of Antrim County. The town has a very scenic main street, and is a popular location for tourists. Bellaire is also home to the Antrim County Courthouse, a historic...
, where his father Roswell served as prosecuting attorney and circuit court
Circuit court
Circuit court is the name of court systems in several common law jurisdictions.-History:King Henry II instituted the custom of having judges ride around the countryside each year to hear appeals, rather than forcing everyone to bring their appeals to London...
commissioner.
Scott Leavitt attended the public schools and while in high school enlisted in the Thirty-third Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry, during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. Leavitt served in the campaign at Santiago, Cuba during the war. After the war he attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He subsequently moved to Oregon in 1901 and began homesteading in the Coast Range Mountains
Central Oregon Coast Range
The Central Oregon Coast Range is the middle section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, and located in the west-central portion of the state of Oregon, United States roughly between the Salmon River and the Umpqua River and the Willamette Valley and the...
near Falls City
Falls City, Oregon
Falls City is a city in Polk County, Oregon, United States. The population was 966 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. There he worked as a school principal in the communities of Falls City, North Yamhill, Dayton, and Lakeview, Oregon
Lakeview, Oregon
Lakeview is a city in Lake County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,294 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lake County. Although it is an incorporated city, the municipal government refers to the community as "The Town of Lakeview", and bills itself as "Tallest Town in Oregon"...
from 1901 to 1907. In 1907 Leavitt entered the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
as a ranger at the Fremont National Forest
Fremont National Forest
The Fremont National Forest is a United States National Forest named after John C. Frémont, who explored the area for the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1843. It is located in western Lake and eastern Klamath counties in Oregon, and has a land area of . There are local ranger district...
in Oregon. He later served in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and Montana until 1917.
Politics
Leavitt 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...
from Montana to the Sixty-eighth
68th United States Congress
The Sixty-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1923 to March 4, 1925, during the last months of...
and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1923-March 3, 1933). He served as chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs (Sixty-ninth
69th United States Congress
The Sixty-ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1925 to March 4, 1927, during the third and fourth...
through Seventy-first
71st United States Congress
The Seventy-first United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1929 to March 4, 1931, during the first two years...
Congresses).
On March 5, 1932, Leavitt took to the floor of the House to deliver a eulogy to Indian Chief Plenty Coups
Plenty Coups
Plenty Coups was a Crow chief and visionary leader. He allied Crow with the whites when the war for the West was being fought, because the Sioux and Cheyenne were the traditional enemies of the Crow...
. "I have chosen to announce the passing of one who has graced the history of my state of Montana," said Leavitt on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
- "[Plenty Coup's] life was in truth a symbol of the absorption of the American Indian into the citizenship of the United States," Leavitt continued. "His was one of the finest characters I have ever known.... He was a man of such caliber and such high character, and his service was so outstanding, that it is entirely fitting that the American Congress should pause for a moment to do him reverence."
Leavitt was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932 to the Seventy-third
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...
Congress and for election in 1934 to 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...
.
In 1932, Leavitt served as delegate to the Republican National Convention. He again became connected with the Forest Service at Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, in 1935. Then from 1936 to 1937, he was Commander-in-chief of the United Spanish War Veterans.
Later life
He retired from the Forest Service in 1941 and moved to Newberg, OregonNewberg, Oregon
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,064 people, 6,099 households, and 4,348 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,599.4 people per square mile . There were 6,435 housing units at an average density of 1,282.2 per square mile...
, where Scott Leavitt died on October 19, 1966. He was interred in Willamette National Cemetery
Willamette National Cemetery
Willamette National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located about southeast of the city of Portland, Oregon. The cemetery encompasses straddling the county line between Multnomah and Clackamas Counties. Up to the end of 2005, there had been 126,561 interments.- History :Plans to...
near Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Scott Leavitt Park in Newberg is named for the Congressman and Forest Ranger.
External links
- Scott Leavitt page on Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...