Henry Dworshak

Henry Clarence Dworshak Jr. (August 29, 1894 – July 23, 1962) was a United States Senator and Congressman from Idaho. Originally from Minnesota, he was a Republican from Burley, and served over 22 years in the House and Senate.

Henry Dworshak
Dworshak in 1950
United States Senator
from Idaho
In office
October 14, 1949 – July 23, 1962
Preceded byBert Miller
Succeeded byLen Jordan
In office
November 6, 1946 – January 3, 1949
Preceded byCharles Gossett
Succeeded byBert Miller
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Idaho's 2nd district
In office
January 3, 1939 – November 6, 1946
Preceded byD. Worth Clark
Succeeded byJohn Sanborn
Personal details
Born
Henry Clarence Dworshak Jr.

(1894-08-29)August 29, 1894
Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedJuly 23, 1962(1962-07-23) (aged 67)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Georgia B. Lowe
​
(m. 1917)​
Children4
ResidenceBurley, Idaho
OccupationPublisher
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service U.S. Army
Rank Sergeant
Unit
  • 4th Antiaircraft
  • Machine Gun Battalion
Battles/warsWorld War I

Early years

Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Dworshak attended its local public schools and learned the printer's trade. During the First World War, he served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army Fourth Antiaircraft Machine Gun Battalion in the American Expeditionary Forces. After the war, Dworshak managed a printing supply business in Duluth.

He moved west in 1924 to Burley, Idaho, to become the publisher and editor of the Burley Bulletin, a semi-weekly newspaper in Cassia County.[1][2] Dworshak became a public figure when he was elected president of the Idaho Editorial Association in 1931, and he was a prominent member of the American Legion and Rotary International. He was also a member of the Elks and a freemason.[2][3][4]

Congress

House

Dworshak ran for Congress in 1936 in Idaho's 2nd district,[4] but lost to incumbent D. Worth Clark. Two years later, Clark ran for U.S. Senator and won, and Dworshak won the open House seat in 1938 and was re-elected in 1940, 1942, and 1944.[1]

U.S. House elections (Idaho's 2nd district): Results 1936–1944
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
1936 D. Worth Clark (inc.) 67,238 60.5% Henry Dworshak 43,834 39.5%
1938 Bert H. Miller 47,199 46.4% Henry Dworshak 54,527 53.6%
1940 Ira Masters 61,726 46.9% Henry Dworshak (inc.) 69,804 53.1%
1942 Ira Masters 37,815 45.2% Henry Dworshak (inc.) 45,805 54.8%
1944 Phil J. Evans 56,249 47.7% Henry Dworshak (inc.) 61,751 52.3%

Senate

Republican Senator John Thomas died in office in November 1945, and Democratic Governor Charles C. Gossett resigned to accept an appointment (by his successor) to fill the seat. Gossett failed to secure the nomination for the special election; Dworshak defeated state senator George Donart in the November 1946 election to complete the term. Two years later, Dworshak was defeated for a full term in the 1948 general election by former state attorney general Bert H. Miller.

Miller died of a heart attack in October 1949 after only nine months in office, and Dworshak was appointed his successor by Republican Governor C. A. Robins.[3] Dworshak won a special election in 1950, and was elected to full Senate terms in 1954 and 1960. A staunch isolationist like William Borah, Dworshak stood unwavering against overseas intervention, especially in U.S. affairs.[1] Dworshak voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,[5][6][7] but did not vote on the Civil Rights Act of 1960.[8]

U.S. Senate elections in Idaho (Class II): Results 1946–1960
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
1946 George Donart 74,629 41.4% Henry Dworshak 105,523 58.6%
1948 Bert H. Miller 107,000 50.7% Henry Dworshak (inc.) 103,868 49.3%
1950 Claude J. Burtenshaw 97,092 48.1% Henry Dworshak (inc.^) 104,608 51.9%
1954 Glen Taylor 84,139 37.2% Henry Dworshak (inc.) 142,269 62.8%
1960 R.L. "Bob" McLaughlin 139,448 47.7% Henry Dworshak (inc.) 152,648 52.3%

Source:[9] ^Dworshak was appointed to the vacant seat in November 1946 and October 1949

Death

Dworshak died in office of a heart attack on July 23, 1962, in Washington, D.C., and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[10] His obituary described him as "...a staunchly conservative voice on Capitol Hill..."[2][11] He was succeeded by former Governor Len B. Jordan, who served until January 1973.

Legacy

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

  1. "Idaho's Dworshak claimed by death". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. July 24, 1962. p. 2.
  2. Witti, Fritz (July 27, 1962). "Sen. Dworshak buried at National Cemetery". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. p. 1.
  3. "Dworshak is selected new Idaho senator". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. October 14, 1949. p. 1.
  4. "Clark-Dworshak in race for Congress". Lewiston Morning Tribune. October 21, 1936. p. 8.
  5. "Senate – August 7, 1957" (PDF). Congressional Record. U.S. Government Printing Office. 103 (10): 13900. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  6. "Senate – August 29, 1957" (PDF). Congressional Record. U.S. Government Printing Office. 103 (12): 16478. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  7. "Senate – March 27, 1962" (PDF). Congressional Record. U.S. Government Printing Office. 108 (4): 5105. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  8. "Senate – April 8, 1960" (PDF). Congressional Record. U.S. Government Printing Office. 106 (6): 7810–7811. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  9. "Office of the Clerk: Election statistics". U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  10. Burial Detail: Dworshak, Henry C – ANC Explorer
  11. "Senator Dworshak Dies in Capital". Virgin Islands Daily News. July 26, 1962.
  12. "Dworshak Elementary School". Cassia County School District #151. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
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