Whatever you may already know of Idaho's past, these excerpts concerning the birth of our great nation's 43rd state will, I'm sure, whet your appetite for more. My thanks to the Idaho State Historical Society for allowing me to reproduce some of the information they have expertly gathered.
I have also provided below a chronological list of names and brief biographies for each of Idaho's federal representatives in the US House and the US Senate.
Please visit the Society's website at http://www.idahohistory.net/, and discover the wealth of historical information available. I particularly enjoy the perspective provided by their Timeline of Idaho History and believe the site's collection of links to be the most comprehensive available online concerning Idaho and its history.
The Politics Of Idaho's Admission As The 43rd State
National and territorial conditions that account for Idaho's state admission:
Two essential conditions in 1880-1890 had to be met to ensure any territory's successful application for state admission. They applied for more than a decade after 1876:
Railroad construction had brought substantial populations to a broad western area, so that by 1890 a traditional census frontier line no longer could be identified. Congressional refusal to admit new states after 1876 hardly could have been continued much longer, but a solid tier of six northwestern states could not have gained approval from a politically divided national government as late as 1890.
A political compromise might have allowed four states rather than six, with two Republican (Dakota and Washington) territories balancing two Democratic (Montana and New Mexico) commonwealths. That same solution might have resulted from complete Democratic national control after 1888, because Dakota's claim hardly could have been deferred much longer. But Grover Cleveland's success in gaining a popular majority while being denied reelection as president resulted in an exceedingly narrow Republican margin of congressional control. Republicans in Congress, as a result, had to get six new Republican western states admitted as quickly as possible so that they could enlarge their majority enough to govern effectively. To do that, they had to hope to convert Democratic Montana into a Republican state--a venture that succeeded only marginally, but they got by in an awkwardly contested election. Even if they had lost in Montana, they obtained two additional new Republican states that they could not have included in a safely Republican group without Montana.
Democratic reluctance to admit Republican territories went back to their misadventure with Colorado in 1876. Colorado, like many places, had strayed from its Republican preference in 1874, and House Democrats took an unfortunate, and unsuccessful, risk of retaining control there in 1876 when they agreed to a state admission proposal that year. As a result, Samuel J. Tilden lost his otherwise certain opportunity to become president; without Colorado's vote, Republicans supporting R. B. Hayes could not have contested Tilden's election.
Except for 1880, a divided Congress confronted every president until after 1888. Republican Dakota lost its chance in 1882 when conservative senators complained that Yankton County had repudiated some railroad bonds, and Republican Washington-North Idaho (proposing to come in as a single state) ran into effective Boise opposition. A Democratic congressional blockade stalled admission of Dakota and Washington until 1889, when their last opportunity to delay Republican territories came to an end.
Idaho's transition from traditional Democratic control came just in time to qualify for admission as a Republican state in 1890. This shift was achieved by an election system that did not allow a large segment of Democrats to participate. Disfranchised because they had voted almost unanimously Democratic, Idaho's Mormons were identified in election statutes as having belonged to an organization that prior to 1888 had advocated plural, patriarchal, or celestial marriage. That doctrine gave radical anti-Mormons a device for Idaho politicians (who otherwise did not worry about marriage customs) to exclude their opponents from voting. Mormon voting had been a complex issue for years, but their exclusion for a decade after 1884 had an incidental effect of transforming Idaho into a Republican territory that President Benjamin Harrison and a Republican Congress were eager--over unanimous congressional Democratic opposition--to admit as a state in 1890. Idaho responded that year with a Republican congressional delegation so essential to national party needs, but in 1892, voted against Benjamin Harrison for reelection as president--preferring to replace him with a Populist candidate. Idaho's Republican era lasted barely long enough to secure state admission.
Number 916, revised 1989
Colorado was almost named Idaho
When a name was needed early in 1860 for a new territory in the Pike's Peak mining country, a lobbyist for the miners thought up the word "Idaho." He explained that the name meant "gem of the mountains." Congress was persuaded to designate the proposed territory "Idaho," and one of the mining towns there was named "Idaho Springs." Then, Just before final consideration of the matter, the United States Senate changed the territorial name to "Colorado," because "Idaho" was not an Indian word.
In the meantime, use of the name "Idaho" had spread from Washington, D.C., to the Pacific Northwest. A Columbia River steamboat, named the "Idaho" by Joseph S. Ruckel (a friend of the Colorado lobbyists), was launched June 9, 1860, for service between the Cascades and The Dalles. Later that year gold was found in the Nez Perce country. By 1862 the new Clearwater and Salmon River discoveries were known as the Idaho mines, after the steamboat used in the gold rush up the lower Columbia.
Only two years after completing action on Colorado, Congress had to create a new territory for the Idaho mines. The Idaho and Colorado name confusion forgotten, Congress chose "Idaho" as the name for the new territory established March 4, 1863. Strangely enough, Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts sponsored the final choice of name in both cases: He got the 1861 territory redesignated "Colorado" (instead of "Idaho") because "Idaho" was not an Indian word. Two years later, he prevailed upon the Senate to use the name "Idaho" after all.
The Creation of the Territory of Idaho, and The Date Idaho Was Created
Exceeding Texas substantially in size, Idaho originally included all of present Montana, along with practically all of Wyoming as well. That arrangement was a mistake. A large mountain block divided the population of the new territory of Idaho into three distinct sections. Each of them was relatively inaccessible from the others, and in 1864, Congress decided to set up a new territory of Montana, taking the northeastern part of Idaho for the purpose. That got rid of one of the three disconnected sections, but left the other two in Idaho, still separated by a difficult mountain barrier. The remainder of the original eastern Idaho was returned temporarily to Dakota when Montana was established, May 26, 1864. Finally, when construction of the Union Pacific railroad made possible the creation of Wyoming, July 25, 1868, Idaho received its present boundaries. By that time, the territory of Idaho had been in operation for a number of years, and the foundations for a new commonwealth had been laid. When Idaho became a state, July 3, 1890, the 1868 boundaries became permanent.
The Creation Of The Territory Of Idaho
Prior to 1868 the region destined to become Idaho passed through several territorial reorganizations. For five years (from August 14, 1848 to March 2, 1853) it was included in Oregon Territory. Then it was divided between Washington Territory and Oregon Territory until February 14, 1859. Oregon then became a state, and the entire Idaho area was attached to Washington. At that time, the land that became Idaho was expected to remain unsettled for another 50 years or so. That would have been some time into the twentieth century. Then an unexpected Idaho gold rush, a year after Oregon's admission to the Union, changed the whole situation. Miners came by the thousands, and within two years the Idaho mines (as the country was known in 1862) had gained a population a lot greater than the older settlements of Washington.
When gold was discovered at Pierce, September 30, 1860, the eastern part of Washington Territory (which included all of what is now Idaho) was undeveloped politically. The Idaho portion made up part of Spokane County, which no one had yet bothered to organize. Anticipating the Clearwater gold rush, the Washington legislature established Shoshone County, which included all the country south and east of Lewiston. In the territorial election of July 8, 1861, Shoshone County cast the largest vote in Washington, and in 1862 the Salmon River gold rush made Florence by far the biggest community in the territory. Older, more stable settlements such as Olympia and Seattle just did not compare with Florence that season. Mineral discoveries in Boise Basin, August 2, 1862, set off an even bigger gold rush to a region decidedly farther from the original settlements of western Washington. Something had to be done to provide better government for the new mining regions. Four different plans were advanced. Each was designed to fit the ambitions of one of four different communities in Washington: Olympia, Vancouver, Walla Walla, and Lewiston.
Lewiston wanted a new territory that would take in Washington east of the big bend of the Columbia River. If such a territory were to be established, Lewiston would have been a natural choice for capital. An editorial in Lewiston's pioneer newspaper, the Golden Age, expressed extreme dissatisfaction with Washington's government as administered from Olympia in the fall of 1862:
"Of what use to us is a capitol of Washington Territory located at Olympia on the forty-ninth parallel. During four months of last year no communication could be had with the place at all. Its distance is between seven and eight hundred miles, interspersed with hugh forests, roaring rivers, and rocky bound shores of ice, with impassable barriers of snow. One of the editors of the Washington Statesman was elected to the Legislature by the voters of Walla, and before he left to perform those legislative duties to his constituents, he made his will, settled all of his worldly accounts, and bid his friends adieu until next summer, and perhaps forever."
Olympia actually was not quite as far north, or quite as far away, as the Golden Age made out. But many people in Lewiston strongly supported the plan for making a new territory, and a citizens' meeting there firmly endorsed the project, December 28, 1862.
Walla dissented. Division of Washington Territory would leave Olympia capital of the western part, and make Lewiston capital of the new mining territory that would be established. Walla preferred to keep Washington territory intact. As a compromise, after the Boise gold rush got underway, Walla was willing to return to Washington's original boundaries which included the country later to become North Idaho and western Montana. Rapid growth of the mining population was expected to lead to Washington's admission as a state in another year or two, and Walla fully expected to be state capital. Most of the Idaho miners--at least the ones that voted in the 1862 election--had favored candidates who endorsed Walla Walla's preference. The Washington legislature chosen that year opposed the plan to set up a new mining territory of Idaho, and Walla expected to become capital of Washington just as soon as reapportionment of the legislature could give control of the territory to the mining counties, which clearly had the majority of the population.
West of the Cascades, Vancouver preferred an arrangement which would have kept enough of eastern Washington to advance Vancouver's claim to be territorial capital. Lack of a wagon road across the Cascades forced traffic from Puget Sound to come through Vancouver to reach eastern Washington. Thus Vancouver aspired to become territorial capital as a compromise location between the two sections. On Puget Sound, Olympia wished to retain its status as capital. In order to prevent the mining counties from gaining a legislative majority and from taking the capital to Walla, Olympia decided that the mining region would have to be set aside as a separate territory. At the same time, Olympia wished to keep the slower growing farming areas of eastern Washington. That way state admission would not be delayed too long, and Washington would be no smaller than was absolutely necessary to preserve Olympia's power.
Olympia won the fight. A new mining territory of Idaho emerged from eastern Washington, with Lewiston on its western boundary. In this boundary settlement, Olympia and Puget Sound had enough strength to hold down Vancouver and Walla once the mining counties were taken out of Washington. A. G. Henry, an Olympia agent and Washington surveyor general, recommended the line which congress adopted and which continues to separate Idaho and Washington to this day.
Of the four alternate boundary and capital city arrangements, Olympia's prevailed only after a hard battle. Those who worked in Olympia's interest--to keep the eastern agricultural lands in Washington, but to put the new mines in Idaho--had plenty of strength in the United States Senate but faced a hard time in the House of Representatives. The chairman of the House committee preferred to restore Washington's original 1853 boundaries, and to establish a new mining territory of Montana for the Boise region and for the upper Missouri mines which now are in Montana but then were in Dakota. This proposal passed the House, February 12, 1863. Yet it looked entirely too risky to the Olympia forces, and the last night of the session, they got Congress to amend the boundaries to include all the Idaho mines that Olympia wished to exclude from Washington. Olympia's agents quietly had built up enough strength in the House that they were able to gain concurrence in the senate amendments which changed the boundary and restored the name "Idaho" to the new mining territory. The last morning of the session--March 4, 1863--President Abraham Lincoln approved the proposal, and Idaho became a territory of the United States.
Number 264, revised March 1969
The Date Idaho Was Created
Although the Idaho Organic Act often is referred to as an act of March 3, 1863, President Lincoln approved the Idaho measure on March 4, not on March 3 (the date given in the statutes). After the Idaho act passed the Senate as amended, and after the House concurred in the Senate amendments (of name and boundaries), and before the bill could be signed, an enrolled copy had to be prepared. Then the speaker of the House signed the enrolled bill a little after 3:10 a.m. on March 4, and the presiding officer of the Senate followed some time after 4:15 a.m. President Lincoln did not receive the measure until after the presiding officers of the House and Senate had signed it, so he could not have signed the act which made Idaho a territory until early in the morning of March 4. His message notifying Congress of his approval of the Idaho act did not reach the Senate until shortly before 11:30 a.m., March 4.
Legislative days upon which action is taken upon bills may vary substantially from calendar days; in the case of the Idaho Organic Act, the discrepancy amounted only to one day. In the case of acts approved during the final legislative day of a Congress--as was the case with Idaho--they customarily were dated on the last legislative day to avoid doubts as to their validity. Some presidents, at least, thought that they could not approve legislation after the last legislative day of an expiring Congress. So they dated their approval as of the day before to avoid controversy.
Number 2, revised 1964
Delegates to the US House of Representatives
At Large/District 1
District 2
*Those representatives who served part of their terms (1913-18) as representatives-at-large at a time when there were two representatives-at-large elected from the state.
**Those representatives who later served as United States Senators.
Willis Sweet, born at Alburg Springs, Vermont, January 1, 1856; attended the common schools and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln; learned the printer's trade in Lincoln, Nebraska; moved to Moscow, Latah County, Idaho, in September 1881; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1889 and commenced practice in Moscow; appointed United States attorney for Idaho in May 1888; judge of the first judicial district of Idaho from November 19, 1889, to January 1, 1890; appointed associate justice of Idaho Supreme Court November 25, 1889; first president of the board of regents of the University of Idaho 1889-1893; upon the admission of Idaho as a State into the Union was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-first Congress; reelected to the Fifty-second and Fifty-third congresses and served from October 1, 1890, to March 3, 1895; was not a candidate for renomination in 1894; unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate in 1896; resumed the practice of his profession in Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai County, Idaho; attorney general for Puerto Rico 1903-1905; editor of a newspaper in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from 1913 until his death there July 9, 1925; interment in Santurce Cemetery.
Edgar Wilson, born in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, near the city of Pittsburgh, February 25, 1861; attended the public schools; was graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1884 and admitted to the bar; moved to Idaho in 1884, settled in Boise City and commenced the practice of law; elected city attorney of Boise City in 1887 and district attorney in 1888; member of the constitutional convention that framed the State constitution in 1890; elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1895-March 3, 1897); was not a candidate for reelection, having been nominated as a candidate for the bench; unsuccessful candidate for justice of the State supreme court in 1896; elected as a Silver Republican, with the endorsement of the Democratic Party, to the Fifty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1899-March 3, 1901); resumed the practice of law in Boise, Idaho, where he died January 3, 1915; interment in Morris Hill Cemetery.
James Gunn, born in County Fermanagh, Ireland, March 6, 1843; immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled in Wisconsin; attended the common schools and Notre Dame Academy, Indiana; taught school; studied law, but did not practice; during the Civil War volunteered as a private in Company G, Twenty-seventh Regiment, Wisconsin volunteer Infantry, in 1862 and served until October 1865; was mustered out with the rank of captain; in 1866 moved to Colorado, where he resided nine years in the counties of Gilpin and Clear Creek; mayor of Georgetown, Colorado, three years; moved to Virginia City, Nevada, in 1875, later to California, and to Hailey, Idaho, in Wood River valley, in 1881, and was editor of the Sentinel; member of the State senate of the first State legislature in 1890; delegate to the Trans-Mississippi Congress in Denver, Colorado; editor of the Boise Sentinel 1892-1897; unsuccessful Populist candidate for election in 1892 to the Fifty-third Congress and in 1894 to the Fifty-fourth Congress; elected to the Fifty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1897-March 3, 1899); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1898 to the Fifty-sixth Congress; commandant of the Idaho Soldiers' Home 1901-1903; died in Boise, Idaho, November 5, 1911; interment in St. John's Cemetery.
Thomas Louis Glenn, born near Bardwell, Ballard (now Carlisle) County, Kentucky, February 2, 1847; attended the public schools and the Commercial College, Evansville, Indiana; during the Civil War served in Company F, Second Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (John H. Morgan's brigade), Confederate Army; was wounded in action at Mount Sterling, Kentucky, June 9, 1864; captured and imprisoned in Transylvania University, Lexington, Kentucky, until September 9, 1864, when he was paroled; clerk of Ballard County 1874-1882; member of the State senate 1887-1891; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1890 and commenced practice in Montpelier, Idaho; elected as a Populist to the Fifty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1901-March 3, 1903); was not a candidate for renomination in 1902; mayor of Montpelier in 1904; served as prosecuting attorney; resumed the practice of law in Montpelier, Idaho, where he died November 18, 1918; interment in the City Cemetery.
Burton Lee French, born near Delphi, Carroll County, Indiana, August 1, 1875; moved with his parents to Kearney, Nebraska, in 1880, and then to Idaho in 1882; attended the public schools; was graduated from the University of Idaho at Moscow in 1901; fellow in the University of Chicago 1901-1903; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Moscow, Idaho; member of the State house of representatives 1898-1902; elected as a Republican to the Fifty-eighth, Fifty-ninth, and Sixtieth congresses (March 4, 1903-March 3, 1909); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1908 to the Sixty-first Congress; elected to the Sixty-second and a candidate for renomination in 1914, but was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for United States Senator; elected to the Sixty-fifth and to the seven succeeding congresses (March 4, 1917-March 3, 1933); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932 to the Seventy-third Congress and for election in 1934 to the Seventy-fourth Congress; delegate to the Interparliamentary Union Conventions at London in 1930, and at Bucharest in 1931; professor of government at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio from 1935 until his retirement in 1947; appointed by President Truman in 1947 a member of the Federal Loyalty Review Board and served until 1953; died in Hamilton, Ohio, September 12, 1954; interment in Moscow Cemetery, Moscow, Idaho.
Thomas Ray Hamer, born in Vermont, Fulton County, Illinois, May 4, 1864; attended the public schools, Hedding College, and Bloomington Law School; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in St. Anthony, Idaho; engaged in agricultural pursuits in Fremont County, Idaho; member of the State house of representatives in 1896; enlisted in April 1898 as a private in the First Regiment, Idaho volunteer Infantry, during the war with Spain; served as captain and lieutenant colonel in that regiment and was wounded at the Battle of Caloocan, Philippine Islands, February 11, 1899; Military Governor of the island of Cebu; associate justice of the supreme court of the Philippine Islands; mustered out at San Francisco, California, as lieutenant colonel of the Thirty-seventh Regiment, United States volunteer Infantry, on May 27, 1901, when he returned to St. Anthony, Idaho; delegate to the Republican State conventions in 1908 and 1912; elected as a Republican to the Sixty-first Congress (March 4, 1909-March 3, 1911); unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1910; resumed the practice of law in St. Anthony, Idaho; engaged in banking at St. Anthony and Boise, Idaho, 1912-1921; served as major and lieutenant colonel, Judge Advocate General's Department, during the First World War; reengaged in the practice of law at Portland, Oregon, until 1943, when he retired and moved to Los Angeles, California; died in a rest home at Phoenix, Arizona, December 32, 1950; interment in Greenwood Memorial Park.
Robert McDowell McCracken, born in Vincennes, Knox County, Indiana, March 15, 1874; moved to Carmi, Illinois in 1880; attended the public schools; went West in 1891 and settled in Blackfoot, Bingham County, Idaho; taught school in Blackfoot until 1897; employed as a clerk in the United States Surveyor General's Office in Boise, Idaho, 1897-1902; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1902 and commenced practice in Blackfoot; chief clerk of the State house of representatives in 1903; prosecuting attorney of Bingham County 1904-1906; elected a member of the State house of representatives from Bingham County in 1906 for a two-year term; moved to Boise in 1907 and continued the practice of law; elected to the State house of representatives from Ada County in 1908 for a two-year term; elected as a Republican to the Sixty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1915-1917); unsuccessful candidate for renomination; during the First World War was commissioned a captain in the Chemical Warfare Service; resumed the practice of his profession in Boise, Ada County, Idaho; was seeking the Republican nomination for election to Congress and while campaigning was in an automobile accident, which resulted in his death, in Emmett, Idaho, May 16, 1934; interment in Blackfoot Cemetery, Blackfoot, Idaho.
Compton Ignatius White, Sr., born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, July 31, 1877; at an early age moved with his parents to Rankin County, Mississippi, and to Clark Fork, Bonner County, Idaho, in 1890; attended the public schools, Metropolitan Business College, Chicago, Illinois, and Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington; railway telegraph operator 1897-1903, trainman 1903-1906, and conductor 1906-1910; engaged in agricultural, lumbering, and mining work in Clark Fork; also engaged in stock raising, member of the board of trustees of Clark Fork; delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1928, 1932, and 1936; unsuccessful candidate for election in 1930 to the Seventy-second Congress; elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-third and to the six succeeding congresses (March 4, 1933-January 3, 1947); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1946 to the Eightieth Congress; elected to the Eighty-first Congress (January 3, 1949-January 3, 1951); was not a candidate for renomination in 1950 but was unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for United States Senator; defeated for the Democratic nomination for Congress in 1952; resumed stock raising and mining interest at Clark Fork, Idaho, died in Spokane, Washington, March 31, 1956; interment in the family cemetery, east of Clark Fork, Idaho.
Abe McGregor Goff, born in Colfax, Whitman County, Washington, December 21, 1899; attended the public schools; during the First World War served as a private in the United States Army; was graduated from the College of Law of the University of Idaho in 1924; was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice in Moscow, Idaho; prosecuting attorney of Latah County, Idaho, 1926-1934; special lecturer at the University of Idaho Law School 1933-1941; president, Idaho State Bar Association, 1940; member of the State senate in 1941; during World War II was called to active duty from the Reserves as a major in August 1941 and served until his discharge as a colonel in September 1946; was among the first American officers to go overseas; was decorated with the Legion of Merit; elected as a Republican to the Eightieth Congress (January 3, 1947-January 3, 1949); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1948 to the Eighty-first Congress; solicitor and later general counsel, Post office Department, 1954-1958; appointed a commissioner of the Interstate Commerce Commission January 30, 1958; reappointed in 1959 for term ending December 31, 1966, and continued to serve until July 31, 1967, when he retired; engaged as a writer and lecturer in Moscow, Idaho. Died November 23, 1984, in Moscow, Idaho.
John Travers Wood, born in Wakefield, England, November 25, 1878; immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1889 and settled in Woodridge, North Dakota; naturalized in 1901; attended the public schools; taught school for six years after self-study and passage of teacher's examination; graduated from Detroit College of Medicine in 1904 and practiced medicine in Hannah, North Dakota, for one year; moved to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in 1905 and was licensed to practice medicine in 1906; surgeon for Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad 1910-1950; mayor of Coeur d'Alene in 1911 and 1912; founder and first president of Coeur d'Alene Hospital in 1908; during the First World War served as a lieutenant in the Medical Corps; physician, writer, lecturer, and a student of history and philosophy; elected as a Republican to the Eighty-second Congress (January 3, 1951-January 3, 1953); was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1952 to the Eighty-third Congress; resumed the practice of medicine; died in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, November 2, 1954; interment in Forest Cemetery.
Gracie Bowers Pfost, born in Harrison, Boone County, Arkansas, March 12, 1906; moved with her parents to a farm in the Boise Valley, Idaho, in 1911; attended the public schools and graduated from Link's Business University, Boise, Idaho, in 1929; chemist for milk products company for two years; deputy county clerk, auditor, and recorder of Canyon County, Idaho, 1929-1939; treasurer of Canyon County 1941-1951; engaged in the real-estate business in Nampa, Idaho, in 1951 and 1952; delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956, and 1960; unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Congress in 1950; elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-third and to the four succeeding congresses (January 3, 1953-January 3, 1963); was not a candidate for renomination in 1962 to the Eighty-eighth Congress, but was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate; Special Assistant for Elderly Housing, Federal Housing Administration, Washington, D.C., from June 1963 until her death in Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, August 11, 1965; interment in Meridian Cemetery, Meridian, Idaho.
Compton Ignatius White, Jr., born in Spokane, Washington, December 19, 1920; attended the public schools of Clark Fork, Idaho and Washington, D.C.; attended George Washington University, Washington, D.C., 1938-1939 and the University of Idaho at Moscow, 1939-1942; engaged as breeder of livestock, and also in mining and logging; during World War II was an analysis and experimental flight test engineer for Boeing Aircraft Company, Seattle, Washington; a member of school board and Clark Fork Board of Trustees, serving as chairman, 1947-1950; member of advisory committee, Kaniksu National Forest, 1960; candidate for the Democratic nomination for United States Senator in 1960; mayor of Clark Fork, 1958-1962; elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-eighth and Eighty-ninth congresses (January 3, 1963-January 3, 1967); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1966 to the Ninetieth Congress; consultant, Department of the Treasury, 1967; resumed ranching pursuits; member, Clark Fork City Council; member Bonner County Hospital Board; is a resident of Clark Fork, Idaho.
James Albertus McClure, born in Payette, Payette County, Idaho, December 27, 1924; attended the public schools of Payette, Idaho; United States Navy, 1942-1946; University of Idaho College of Law, J. D., 1950; admitted to the bar in 1950 and commenced practice in Payette, Idaho; prosecuting attorney of Payette County, Idaho 1950-1956; city attorney of Payette, Idaho, 1953-1966; member of the State Senate, 1961-1966; member of the Payette County Central Committee for fifteen years; temporary chairman of the 1962 Idaho State Republican Convention; delegate, National Republican Convention, 1964; elected as a Republican to the Ninetieth, Ninety-first, and Ninety-second congresses (January 3, 1967-January 3, 1973); elected to United States Senate November 6, 1972 and served until he retired in 1990.
Steven Darwin Symms, born in Nampa, Idaho, April 23, 1938; attended public schools in Caldwell, Idaho; was graduated from University of Idaho with a B.S. in Horticulture 1960; served with the United States Marine Corps 1960-1963; returned to Idaho and managed the family fruit ranch in Sunnyslope; elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1972; reelected in 1974, 1976, and 1978; elected to United states Senate in 1980 and served until he retired in 1992.
Larry E. Craig, born in Council, Idaho July 26, 1945; attended public schools in Midvale, Idaho; graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in Political Science and Agricultural Economics in 1969; served with the Idaho National Guard, 1970-1974; worked on the family ranch at Midvale and was active in Republican politics; elected to the State Senate in 1974, 1976, and 1978; in 1980 elected to the United States House of Representatives; elected United States Senator in 1990.
Larry LaRocco, born in Van Nuys, California, August 25, 1946; attended public schools in San Francisco, California; graduated from the University of Portland, Portland, Oregon in 1967 with a degree in communications; masters degree from the School of Public Communications, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts in 1969; Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, 1968-69; captain, military intelligence, United States Army, 1969-72; stockbroker; elected to the One- hundred-second Congress in 1990.
Helen Chenoweth-Hage, born in eastern Kansas; attended Whitworth College in Spokane, WA; served as executive director of the Idaho Republican Party; elected to US House of Representatives in 1994.
C.L. "Butch" Otter, born in Caldwell, Idaho, May 3, 1942; Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the College of Idaho in 1967, Idaho Army National Guard (116th Armored Cavalry) from 1968 to 1973, attended Armored Intelligence and Reconnaissance School at Fort Knox, Kentucky in 1968, Honorary Doctorate from Mindanao State University in the Philippines; served four terms as Lieutenant Governor of Idaho, served in Idaho House of Representatives, elected to US Congress in 2000.
Addison Taylor Smith, born near Cambridge County, Ohio, September 5, 1862; attended the public schools of Cambridge, Ohio; graduated from Cambridge High School in 1882, from the Iron City Commercial College, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1883, from the law department of George Washington University, Washington, D.C. in 1895, and from the National Law School, Washington, D.C., in 1896; was admitted to the District of Columbia bar in 1899 and to the Idaho bar in 1905; secretary to Senator George Laird Shoup 1891-1901 and to Senator Weldon B. Heyburn 1903-1912; secretary to the Republican State central committee of Idaho 1904-1911; register of the United States land office at Boise, Idaho, in 1907 and 1908; member of the Republican National Congressional Committee 1917-1927; elected as a Republican to the Sixty-third and to the nine succeeding congresses (March 4, 1913-March 3, 1933); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932 to the Seventy-third Congress; associate member of the Board of Veterans' Appeals of the Veterans' Administration from 1934 until his retirement in 1942; director of the Columbia Institution for the Deaf (now Gallaudet College), Washington, D.C., from 1937 until his death; died in Washington, D.C., July 5, 1956; interment in Rock Creek Cemetery.
Thomas Chalkley Coffin, born in Caldwell, Canyon County, Idaho, October 25, 1887; moved to Boise, Ada County, Idaho, with his parents in 1898; attended the public schools of CaIdwell and Boise, Idaho, and was graduated from the Phillips Exeter Academy at Exeter, New Hampshire in 1906; attended Yale's Sheffield Scientific School and was graduated from the law department of Yale University in 1910; was admitted to the bar on February 8, 1911, and commenced the practice of law in Boise, Idaho, the same year; served as assistant attorney general of Idaho 1913-1915; moved to Pocatello, Idaho, in 1917 and continued the practice of law; during the First World War served in the aviation branch of the United States Navy; mayor of Pocatello 1931-1933; elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-Third Congress and served from March 4, 1933, until his death in Washington, D.C., on June 8, 1934; interment in Mountainview Cemetery, Pocatello, Idaho.
David Worth Clark, born in Idaho Falls, Bonneville County, Idaho, April 2, 1902; attended the public schools; was graduated from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, in 1922 and from the law department of Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1925; was admitted to the bar in 1925 and com- menced practice in Pocatello, Idaho; assistant attorney general of Idaho 1933-1935; elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-fourth and Seventy-fifth congresses (January 3, 1935-January 3, 1939); did not seek renomination in 1938 to the seventy-sixth congress, having become a candidate for United states Senator; elected to the United States Senate in 1938 and served from January 3, 1939, to January 3, 1945; unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1944; resumed the practice of law in Boise, Idaho, and Washington, D.C.; moved to Los Angeles, California, in November 1954; and financial interests in radio stations in Van Nuys, California, San Francisco, California, Honolulu, and a bank in Las Vegas, Nevada; died in Los Angeles, California, June 19, 1955; interment in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California.
Henry Clarence Dworshak, born in Duluth, Minnesota, August 29, 1894; attended the public schools; worked at the printing trade 1909-1918; during the First World War served overseas as a sergeant in the Fourth Anti-aircraft Machine Gun Battalion in 1918 and 1919; manager of printers' supply business in Duluth, Minnesota, 1920-1924; editor and publisher of the Burley Bulletin in Burley, Idaho, 1924-1944; elected as a Republican to the Seventy-sixth and to the three succeeding congresses and served from January 3, 1939, to November 5, 1946, when he resigned; elected to the United States Senate on November 5, 1946, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John Thomas and served from January 3, 1947, to January 3, 1949; unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1948; appointed to the United States Senate and subsequently elected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Bert H. Miller and served from October 14, 1949, to January 3, 1955; reelected in 1954 and again in 1960 and served until his death in Washington, D.C., July 23, 1962; interment in Arlington National Cemetery, Fort Myer, Virginia.
John Carfield Sanborn, born in Chenoa, McLean County, Illinois, September 29, 1885; attended the public schools; was graduated from Oberlin (Ohio) college in 1908; moved to Idaho in 1908; graduated from Columbia University Law School, New York, New York, in 1912; returned to Idaho and engaged in agricultural pursuits; trustee of Hagerman Independent School District 1921-1924; served in the State house of representatives 1921-1929; member of the State senate 1939-1941; elected as a Republican to the Eightieth and Eighty-first congresses (January 3, l947-January 3, 1951); did not seek renomination to the Eighty-second Congress but was unsuccessful in 1950 and 1956 for the Republican nomination for United States Senator; resumed agricultural pursuits; president of Hagerman Farms, Inc., member of board of directors of Idaho Farm Bureau Federation and legislative representatives before the 1959 and 1961 sessions of Idaho Legislature; died in Boise, Idaho, May 16, 1968; interment in Hagerman Cemetery, Hagerman, Idaho.
Hamer Harold Budge, born in Pocatello, Bannock County, Idaho, November 21, 1910; attended the public schools of Boise, Idaho, and the College of Idaho at Caldwell 1928-1930; graduated from Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, in 1933, and from the law school of the University of Idaho at Moscow in 1936; was admitted to the bar in 1936 and commenced the practice of law in Boise, Idaho; member of the State house of representatives in 1939 and 1941, serving as assistant Republican floor leader; during World War II served in the United States Navy from 1942 until discharged in 1945 as a lieutenant commander, United States Naval Reserve, again a member of the State house of representatives in 1949, serving as Republican floor leader; elected as a Republican to the Eighty-second and to the four succeeding congresses (January 3, 1951-January 3, 1961); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1960 to the Eighty-seventh Congress; judge of the Third Judicial District of Idaho, 1961-1964; appointed to the Securities and Exchange Commission by President Johnson in 1964, became chairman in 1969, and served until his resignation, January 2, 1971; president, mutual funds group, is a resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ralph R. Harding, born in Malad City, Oneida County, Idaho, September 9, 1929; attended the public schools of Malad city and St. Anthony, Idaho; served two years as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; graduated from Brigham Young University in 1956; enlisted as a private In the United States Army in December 1951, commissioned lieutenant in December 1952, served in Korea, and was discharged in December 1953; member of State house of representatives in 1955 and 1956; comptroller, American Potato Company, Blackfoot, Idaho, 1957-1960; elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-seventh and Eighty-eighth congresses (January 3, 1961-January 3, 1965); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1964 to the Eighty-ninth Congress; served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, 1965-1966; unsuccessful candidate for United States Senate from Idaho in 1966 to the Ninetieth Congress; resumed business pursuits; elected Democratic National committeeman from Idaho, 1970; is a resident of Blackfoot, Idaho.
George Vernon Hansen, born in Tetonia, Teton County, Idaho, September 14, 1930; attended the elementary school of Tetonia, Idaho; graduated from Teton High School, Driggs, Idaho, in 1948; Ricks college, Rexburg, Idaho, B.A., 1956; did graduate work at Idaho State University, 1956-1957 and 1962-1963; graduated from Grimms Business College (accounting) in 1958; served in the United States Air Force, January 4, 1951, to July 16, 1954, and was a graduate of the Army language school; officer in the United States Naval Reserve, 1964-1970; grain elevator manager, 1950-1951 and 1954; public school teacher, 1956-1958; engaged in the life insurance business, 1958-1965; mayor of Alameda, Idaho, 1961-1962; upon consolidation of Alameda and Pocatello served as city commissioner of Pocatello, 1962-1965; past director of the Idaho Municipal League, 1961-1963; precinct committeeman and official in Bannock County Republican organizations, 1960-1965; unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate in 1962; delegate, State Republican conventions, 1962, 1964, 1966, and 1968; delegate, Republican National Convention, 1968; elected as a Republican to the Eighty-ninth and Ninetieth congresses (January 3, 1965-January 3, 1969); was not a candidate for reelection in 1968 but ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate; deputy under secretary for Congressional Liaison, Department of Agriculture, January 1969 to March 1969; deputy administrator for Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service; served as deputy vice president of Commodity credit Corporation; reelected to Congress in 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1982.
Orval Howard Hansen, born in Firth, Bingham County, Idaho, August 3, 1926; attended Idaho Falls public schools; served in the United States Navy, 1944-1946, and in the Air Force Reserve since 1949, presently a major; B.A., University of Idaho, 1950; J.D., George Washington University, 1954; awarded Rotary Foundation Fellowship for advance study, London School of Economics, University of London, 1954-1955; private law practice, 1956-1968; elected to the Idaho house of representatives, 1956, reelected in 1958 and 1960; house majority leader, 1961-1962; Republican nominee for Congress, 1962; elected to Idaho house of representatives, 1964, and to the State senate, 1966, chairman, Idaho Manpower Advisory Committee, 1963-1968; elected as a Republican to the Ninety-first, Ninety-second, and Ninety-third congresses (January 3, 1969-January 3, 1975); now practicing law in Washington, D.C.
Richard Stallings, born in Ogden, Utah, October 7, 1940; graduated from Weber State College in 1965 with a B.S. in History and Political Science; graduated from Utah State University in 1968 with a M.S. in History. Taught high school history and political science and conducted several history seminars in Europe. Professor and served as chairman of the History Department at Ricks College, Rexburg. Elected to United States House of Representatives in 1984; reelected in 1986, 1988, and 1990; unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate in 1992.
Michael D. Crapo, born in Idaho Falls, Idaho on May 20, 1951 attended Idaho Falls public schools; graduated from Brigham Young University with a B.A. in Political Science and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1977; attorney; elected to United States House of Representatives in 1992.
Number 18, revised 1993
Delegates to the US Senate
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R = Republican D = Democrat SR = Silver Republican P = Populist * = previous service Numbers in parentheses indicate age when elected and when in office. |
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Seat 1 George Laird Shoup, Salmon Fred T. Dubois* William Edgar Borah, Boise John Thomas* Charles Clinton Gossett, Nampa Henry Clarence Dworshak, Burley Bert Henry Miller, Idaho Falls Henry C. Dworshak* Leonard Beck Jordan, Grangeville James A. McClure, Payette Larry Craig, Midvale |
Seat 2 William John Mcconnell, Moscow Fred Thomas Dubois, Blackfoot Henry Heitfeld, Lewiston Weldon Brinton Heyburn, Wallace Kirtland Irving Perky, Boise James Henry Brady, Pocatello John Frost Nugent, Boise Frank Robert Gooding, Gooding John Thomas, Gooding James Pinckney Pope, Boise David Worth Clark, Pocatello Glen Hearst Taylor, Pocatello Herman Welker, Payette Frank Forrester Church, Boise Steven Darwin Symms, Caldwell Dirk Kempthorne, Boise Mike Crapo, Idaho Falls |
Seat 1
George Laird Shoup, born in Kittanning, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, June 15, 1836; attended the public schools of Freeport and Slate Lick; moved with his father to Illinois in June 1852; engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock raising near Galesburg, Illinois, until 1858; moved to Colorado in 1859; engaged in mining and mercantile pursuits until 1861; during the Civil War enlisted in Captain Backus' independent company of scouts in September 1861 and soon thereafter was commissioned a second lieutenant; was ordered to Fort Union, New Mexico, in 1862; continued scouting duty on the Canadian, Pecos, and Red rivers until 1863; during this time was promoted to first lieutenant; ordered to the Arkansas River; had been assigned in 1862 to the Second Regiment, Colorado Volunteer Infantry, but retained on duty in the Cavalry service; assigned to the First Regiment, Colorado Volunteer Cavalry, in May 1863; member of the convention to prepare a constitution for the proposed State of Colorado in 1864; returned to active duty in the Army; commissioned colonel of the Third Regiment, Colorado Volunteer Cavalry, in September 1864 and mustered out in Denver; engaged in mercantile pursuits in Virginia City, Montana, in 1866; county commissioner in 1868 and 1869; superintendent of schools of Lemhi County in 1871; member of the Territorial House of Representa- tives in 1874; a member of the Territorial Council in 1878; delegate to the Republican National convention at Chicago in 1880; member of the Republican National committee 1880-1884 and 1888-1892; United States commissioner for Idaho at the World's Cotton Centennial Exposition in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1884 and 1885; Governor of Idaho Territory in 1889; upon the admission of Idaho as a State into the Union was elected its first Governor, October 1, 1890, but resigned in December of that year, having been elected Senator; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1890; reelected in 1895 and served from December 18, 1890, to March 3, 1901; was the caucus nominee of his party, who were in the minority, for reelection; died in Boise, Idaho, December 21, 1904; interment in the Masonic cemetery.
Fred Thomas Dubois, born in Palestine, Crawford County, Illinois, May 29, 1851; attended the public schools, and was graduated from Yale College in 1872; secretary of the Board of railway and Warehouse Commissioners of Illinois in 1875 and 1876; moved to Idaho Territory in 1880 and engaged in business; United States marshal of Idaho from August 25, 1882, until September 1, 1886; elected as a Republican Delegate from the Territory of Idaho to the Fiftieth and Fifty-first congresses and served from March 4, 1887, to July 3, 1890, having assisted in securing the admission of the Territory of Idaho to the Union on that date; delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1888 and chairman of the first delegation from the new State to the Republican National Convention at Minneapolis in 1892; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1891, to March 3, 1897; unsuccessful Silver Republican candidate for reelection to the United States Senate in 1896; chairman of the Republican delegation from Idaho to the Republican National Convention at St. Louis in 1896; chairman of the Republican National Convention at St. Louis in 1896, but left the convention and the party when the single gold standard was supported; elected as a Silver Republican to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1901, to March 3, 1907; shortly after his election to the Senate as a Republican he became a Democrat and served as a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1904, 1908, and 1912; after retirement from Congress took up his residence in Washington, D.C., retaining Blackfoot, Idaho, as his legal residence; appointed civilian member of the Board of Ordinance and Fortifications 1918-1920; appointed by President Coolidge on July 15, 1924, as a Democratic member of the International Joint Commission created to prevent disputes regarding the use of the boundary waters between the United States and Canada, and served until his death in Washington, D.C., February 14, 1930; interment in Grove City Cemetery, Blackfoot, Idaho.
William Edgar Borah, born on a farm near Fairfield, Wayne County, Illinois, June 29, 1865; attended the common schools of Wayne County and Southern Illinois Academy at Enfield; was graduated from the University of Kansas at Lawrence in 1889; studied law; was admitted to the bar in September 1890 and commenced practice in Lyons, Kansas; moved to Boise, Idaho in 1891 and devoted his time exclusively to the practice of his profession; unsuccessful candidate on the Silver Republican ticket for election in 1896 to the Fifty-fifth Congress; unsuccessful candidate for nomination as United States Senator in 1903; member of the Republican National Committee 1908-1912; delegate to the Republican National Convention at Chicago in 1912 that nominated Taft and Sherman; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1907; reelected in 1913, 1918, 1924, 1930, and again in 1936; died in Washington, D.C., January 19, 1940; funeral services were held in the Chamber of the United States Senate; interment in Morris Hill Cemetery, Boise, Idaho.
John Thomas, born on a farm In Phillips County, Kansas, January 4, 1874; attended the rural schools, the high school in Phillipsburg, Kansas, and the Central Normal College at Great Bend, Kansas; taught school, serving as superintendent of schools of Phillips County, Kansas, 1898-1903; served as register of land office at Colby, Kansas, 1906-1909; moved to Gooding, Idaho, in 1909; engaged in banking and livestock business; mayor of Gooding, 1917-1919; chairman of the Republican State central committee of Idaho 1922-1924; member of the Republican National Committee 1925-1933; appointed and subsequently elected as a Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Frank R. Gooding and served from June 30, 1928, to March 3, 1933; unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932; resumed former business pursuits; again appointed and subsequently elected to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of William E. Borah; reelected in 1942, and served from January 27, 1940, until his death in Washington, D.C., November 10, 1945; interment in Elmwood Cemetery Gooding, Idaho.
Charles Clinton Gossett, born in Pricetown, Highland County, Ohio, September 2, 1888; attended the public schools at Pricetown, Highland County, Ohio; moved to Cunningham, Washington in 1907, to Ontario, Oregon in 1910, and to Nampa, Canyon County, Idaho, in 1922 and engaged in agricultural pursuits and in the livestock, feed, and shipping businesses; member of the State house of representatives 1933-1937; delegate to several State conventions; Lieutenant Governor 1937-1939 and 1941-1943; served as Governor of Idaho from January 1945 until his resignation on November 16, 1945; appointed as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John Thomas and served from November 17, 1945, to January 3, 1947; unsuccessful candidate for nomination to fill the vacancy in 1946; resumed his former business pursuits until his death in Boise, Idaho, September 20, 1974; interment in Kohlerlawn Cemetery, Nampa, Idaho.
Henry Clarence Dworshak, born in Duluth, Minnesota, August 29, 1894; attended the public schools; worked at the printing trade 1909-1918; during the First World War served overseas as a sergeant in the Fourth Antiaircraft Machine Gun Battalion in 1918 and 1919; manager of printers' supply business in Duluth, Minnesota, 1920-1924; editor and publisher of the Burley Bulletin in Burley, Idaho, 1924-1944; elected as a Republican to the Seventy-sixth and to the three succeeding congresses and served from January 3, 1939, to November 5, 1946, when he resigned; elected to the United States Senate on November 5, 1946, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John Thomas and served from January 3, 1947, to January 3, 1949; unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1948; appointed to the United States Senate and subsequently elected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Bert H. Miller and served from October 14, 1949, to January 3, 1955; reelected in 1954 and again in 1960 and served until his death in Washington, D.C., July 23, 1962; interment in Arlington National Cemetery, Fort Myer, Virginia.
Bert Henry Miller, born in St. George, Washington County, Utah, December 15, 1879; was graduated from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, in 1901 and from Cumberland University Law School, Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1902; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice of law in St. Anthony, Idaho, in 1903; prosecuting attorney of Fremont County, Idaho, 1912-1914; was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for congress In 1914; elected attorney general of Idaho in 1932 and reelected in 1934; unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1936; served for two months in 1938 as Idaho's labor commissioner; unsuccessful Democratic candidate for election in 1938 to the Seventy-sixth Congress; attorney in the Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor, at Seattle, Washington, in 1939 and 1940; again attorney general of Idaho 1940-1944; elected a justice of the State supreme court in 1944 for a six-year term; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1948 for the term commencing January 3, 1949, and served until his death in Washington, D.C., October 8, 1949; interment in Morris Hill Cemetery, Boise, Idaho.
Leonard Beck Jordan, born in Mount Pleasant, Sanpete County, Utah, May 15, 1899; educated in the public schools of Enterprise, Oregon; enlisted in the United States Army during World War I; graduated from the University of Oregon in business administration, 1923; farmer, rancher, businessman, and economic adviser; director of Circle C Ranch and of the Jordan Motor Company; resident of Grangeville, Idaho, 1941-1951; member of State legislature in 1947; Governor of Idaho, 1951-1955; chairman of the International Joint Commission, 1955-1957; member of the International Development Advisory Board, 1958-1959; appointed as a Republican to the United States Senate August 6, 1962, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Henry C. Dworshak, elected November 6, 1962, for the remainder of term, ending January 3, 1967; reelected November 8, 1966, for term ending January 3, 1973. Retired to Boise, Idaho. Died in Boise, June 30, 1983.
James Albertus McClure, born in Payette, Payette County, Idaho, December 27, 1924; attended the public schools of Payette, Idaho; United States Navy, 1942-1946; University of Idaho College of Law, J. D., 1950; admitted to the bar in 1950 and commenced practice in Payette, Idaho; prosecuting attorney of Payette County, Idaho 1950-1956; city attorney of Payette, Idaho, 1953-1966; member of the State senate, 1961-1966; member of the Payette County Central Committee for fifteen years; temporary chairman of the 1962 Idaho State Republican Convention; delegate, National Republican Convention, 1964: elected as a Republican to the Ninetieth, Ninety-first, and Ninety-second congresses (January 3, 1967-January 3, 1973). Elected to United States Senate November 6, 1972; reelected 1978, 1984.
Larry E. Craig, born in Council, Idaho, July 20, 1945; attended Midvale public schools; graduated, University of Idaho; student body president, University of Idaho, 1968-69; graduate work in economics and the politics of the developing nations, George Washington University, 1970; national vice president, future Farmers of America, 1966-67; State senator, Payette and Washington Counties, three terms; chairman, senate commerce and labor committee; member: National Foundation for Defense Analysis; Idaho State Republican Executive Committee 1976-78; president, Young Republican League of Idaho, 1976-77; chairman, Republican Central Committee, Washington County, 1971-72; board member, National Rifle Association; policy chairman, Republican Study Committee, 1990; farmer-rancher, Midvale area, for ten years; elected to the Ninety-seventh Congress, November 4, 1980; reelected to each succeeding Congress; elected to the U.S. Senate, November 1990.
Seat 2
William John McConnell, born in Commerce, Oakland County, Michigan, September 18, 1839; pursued an academic course; moved to California in 1860 and engaged in mining, in the cattle business, merchandising, and banking; resided in Oregon in 1862 and 1863 and taught school in Yamhill County; moved to Idaho in 1863; deputy United States marshal 1865-1867; returned to Oregon and was engaged in the cattle business five years; member of the Oregon State senate in 1882 and served as president; delegate to the Republican National Convention at Chicago in 1884; returned to Idaho in 1886; member of the constitutional convention of Idaho in 1890; upon the admission of Idaho as a State into the Union was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate and served from December 18, 1890, to March 3, 1891; was not a candidate for renomination; Governor of Idaho 1892-1896; ap- pointed Indian inspector by President McKinley on July 8, 1897, and served until July 5, 1901; appointed by President Taft an inspector in the Immigration Service on August 3, 1909, with station at Moscow, Latah County, Idaho, and served until his death in that city on March 30, 1925; interment in Moscow Cemetery.
Henry Heitfeld, born in St. Louis, Missouri, January 12, 1859; attended public and private schools; moved with his parents to Seneca, Kansas, in 1870, to Pomeroy, Washington, in 1882, and Lewiston, Idaho, in 1882; engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock raising; member of the State senate 1894-1897; delegate to several State conventions between the years 1894 and 1906; elected as a Populist to the United States Senate January 28, 1897, and served from March 4, 1897, to March 3, 1903; was not a candidate for reelection in 1902; unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Idaho in 1904; mayor of Lewiston 1905- 1909;register of the United States land office at Lewiston 1914-1922; engaged in fruit growing in Lewiston, Idaho; member of the board of county Commissioners 1930-1936, serving two terms as chairman; retired in 1938 and resided in Spokane, Washington, until his death in that city on October 21, 1938; interment in Normal Hill Cemetery, Lewiston, Idaho.
Weldon Brinton Heyburn, born near Chadds Ford, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, May 23, 1852; attended the public schools, Maplewood Institute, Concordville, Pennsylvania, and the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1876 and commenced practice in Media, Pennsylvania, moved to Shoshone County, Idaho, in the winter of 1883 and continued the practice of law in Wallace; was a member of the convention that framed the constitution of the State of Idaho in 1889; delegate to the Republican National Convention at Chicago in 1888, at Minneapolis in 1892, at Philadelphia in 1900, and at Chicago in 1904; National committeeman for Idaho 1904- 1908; unsuccessful Republican candidate for election in 1898 to the Fifty-sixth Congress; elected in 1903 as a Republican to the United States Senate; reelected in 1908 and served from March 4, 1903, until his death in Washington, D.C., October 17, 1912; interment in Lafayette Cemetery, near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.
Kirtland Irving Perky, born in Smithville, Wayne County, Ohio, February 8, 1867; attended the public schools and was graduated from Ohio Northern University at Ada in 1888; studied law at the University of Iowa, Iowa, City; was admitted to the bar in 1890 and commenced practice in Wahoo, Saunders County, Nebraska; moved to Albion, Idaho, in 1894; district judge of the fourth judicial district of the State of Idaho in 1901; moved to Boise, Idaho, and continued the practice of law; appointed as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Weldon B. Heyburn and served from November 18, 1912, to February 5, 1913, when a successor was elected and qualified; resumed the practice of law in Boise; delegate to the Democratic National Convention at St. Louis in 1916, which nominated Woodrow Wilson for the Presidency for a second term; moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1923, and continued the practice of law until his death there on January 9, 1939; interment in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale, California.
James Henry Brady, born in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, June 12, 1862; moved with his parents to Johnson County, Kansas in 1865; attended the public schools and Leavenworth Normal College; taught school, edited a newspaper in Enterprise, Kansas; engaged in the real-estate business at Abilene, Kansas; moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1890 and became interested in the development of water power and in irrigation projects; delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1900 and 1908; chairman of the Republican State central committee 1904-1908; president of the Trans-Mississippi Commercial Congress; vice president of the National Irrigation Congress 1904-1906; Governor of Idaho 1909- 1911; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate on January 24, 1913, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Weldon B. Heyburn; reelected in 1914, and served from February 6, 1913, until his death in Washington, D.C., January 13, 1918; remains were cremated and ashes deposited in the James H. Brady Memorial Chapel in Mountain View Cemetery, Pocatello, Bannock County, Idaho.
John Frost Nugent, born in La Grande, Union County, Oregon, June 28, 1868; attended the public schools; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1898 and commenced practice in Silver City, Idaho; prosecuting attorney of Owyhee County, Idaho, 1899-1906; chairman of the Democratic State central committee 1908-1912; appointed and subsequently elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of James H. Brady and served from January 22, 1918, until his resignation, effective January 14, 1921; unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1920 to the United States Senate; appointed by President Wilson a member of the Federal Trade Commission in 1920 and served from January 15, 1921, to September 25, 1927; delegate to the Democratic National Convention at San Francisco in 1920; unsuccessful candidate for election in 1926 to the United States Senate; resumed the practice of his profession in Washington, D.C.; died in Silver Spring, Maryland, September 18, 1931; interment in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
Frank Robert Gooding, born in Tiverton, England, September 16, 1859; immigrated in 1867 to the United States with his parents, who settled on a farm near Paw Paw, Michigan; attended the common schools; moved to Shasta, California, in 1877 and engaged in farming and mining; moved to Idaho in 1881 and settled in Ketchum, where he worked as a mail carrier, and subsequently engaged in the firewood and coal business; in 1888 settled near the present site of Gooding, which is named for him; engaged in farming and stock raising; member of the State senate 1900-1904; chairman of the Republican State central committee in 1902; Governor of Idaho 1905-1909; unsuccessful candidate for election in 1918 to the United States Senate; elected as a Republican in 1920 to the United states Senate for the term commencing March 4, 1921; was subsequently appointed to the Senate on January 8, 1921, to become effective January 15, 1921, to fill the vacancy in the term ending March 3, 1921, caused by the resignation of John F. Nugent; reelected in 1926, and served from January 15, 1921, until his death in Gooding, Idaho, June 24, 1928; interment in Elmwood Cemetery.
James Pinckney Pope, born on a farm near Jonesboro, Jackson Parish, Louisiana, March 31, 1884; attended the common schools; was graduated from Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, Ruston, Louisiana, in 1906 and from the law department of the University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, in 1909; was admitted to the bar In 1909 and commenced practice in Boise, Idaho;deputy collector of internal revenue in 1916; served as city attorney of Boise in 1916 and 1917; assistant attorney general of Idaho in 1918 and 1919; member of the board of education of Boise, 1924-1929; served as mayor of Boise from April 1929 until February 15, 1933, when he resigned, having been elected to Congress; delegate to every Idaho Democratic State convention from 1914 to 1930; delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1924, 1928, 1932, and 1936; chairman of the Democratic State central committee 1920-1922; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1933, to January 3, 1939; unsuccessful candidate for re-nomination in 1938; appointed a director of the Tennessee Valley Authority by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 12, 1939, and served until his resignation May 18, 1951; associated with law firm In Knoxville, Tennessee; member of the board of directors, Federal Savings & Loan Association, Knoxville, Tennessee; moved to Alexandria, Virginia, in 1963, where he resided until his death there on January 23, 1966; interment in Lynhurst Cemetery, Knoxville, Tennessee.
David Worth Clark, born in Idaho Falls, Bonneville County, Idaho, April 2, 1902; attended the public schools; was graduated from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, in 1922 and from the law department of Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1925; was admitted to the bar in 1925 and com- commenced practice in Pocatello, Idaho; assistant attorney general of Idaho 1933-1935; elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-fourth and Seventy-fifth congresses (January 3, 1935-January 3, 1939); did not seek renomination in 1938 to the Seventy-sixth congress, having become a candidate for United States Senator; elected to the United States Senate in 1938 and served from January 3, 1939, to January 3, 1945; unsuccessful candidate for renomination in '1944; resumed the practice of law in Boise, Idaho, and Washington, D.C.; moved to Los Angeles, California, in November, 1954; and financial interests in radio stations in Van Nuys, California, San Francisco, California, Honolulu, and a bank in Las Vegas, Nevada; died in Los Angles, California, June 19, 1955; interment in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California.
Glen Hearst Taylor, born in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, April 12, 1904; moved to a homestead near Kooskia, Idaho, 1906; attended the public schools of Idaho; joined a dramatic stock company In 1919; owner and manager of various entertainment enterprises, 1926-1944; unsuccessful Democratic candidate for election to the United States Senate In 1940 and 1942; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1944 for the term commencing January 3, 1945, and ending January 3, 1951; unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1950; in 1948 was defeated as a Progressive for election as Vice President of the United States; unsuccessful Democratic candidate for election to the United States Senate in 1954 and for the nomination in 1956; president of Coryell Construction Company 1950-1952; and of Taylor Toppers, Inc., of Millbrae, California, since 1957. Died April 28, 1984, in Burlingame, California; interment in a San Francisco area cemetery.
Herman Welker, born in Cambridge, Washington County, Idaho, December 11, 1906; was graduated from Weiser High School and from the law school of the University of Idaho at Moscow in 1929; was admitted to the bar In 1929; while still in college was appointed prosecuting attorney of Washington County, Idaho, was reelected twice, and held that position until 1935; moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1935 and practiced law until 1943; during World War II served as an enlisted man in the United States Air Corps in 1943 and 1944; returned to Payette, Idaho, and practiced law 1944-1950; also interested in farming and livestock raising in Idaho; member of the State senate from Payette County, Idaho, 1948-1950; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1950 and served from January 3, 1951, to January 3, 1957; unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1956; engaged in the practice of law and farming; died in the National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, October 30, 1957; interment in Arlington National Cemetery, Fort Myer, Virginia.
Frank Forrester Church, III, born in Boise, Ada County, Idaho, July 25, 1924; attended the public schools; was graduated from Stanford (California) University in 1947 and from Stanford Law School in 1950; enlisted as a private in the army on December 7, 1942; commissioned an Infantry officer in 1944 and assigned to the Military Intelligence; served in India, Burma, and China and was discharged July 22, 1946; was admitted to the bar in 1950 and commenced the practice of law in Boise, Idaho; State chairman, Young Democrats of Idaho, 1952-1954; selected as temporary chairman and keynoter of the Democratic National Convention and also elected Chairman of Idaho delegation in 1960; United States delegate to the Twenty-first General Assembly of the United Nations; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1956 for the term commencing January 3, 1957; reelected in 1962, and again in 1968 for the term ending January 3, 1975. Defeated in bid for reelection in 1980. Practiced law in Washington, D.C. Died April 7, 1984, in Bethesda, Maryland; buried in Morris Hill Cemetery, Boise, Idaho.
Steven Darwin Symms, born in Nampa, Idaho, April 23, 1938; attended public schools in Caldwell, Idaho; was graduated from University of Idaho with a B.S. in Horticulture 1960; served with the United States Marine Corps 1960-1963; returned to Idaho and managed the family fruit ranch in Sunnyslope; elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1972; reelected in 1974, 1976, and 1978; elected to United States Senate in 1980; reelected 1986.
Dirk Kempthorne, born in San Diego, California, October 29, 1951; was graduated from the University of Idaho in 1975 with a Political Science degree; student body president his junior year at the University of Idaho; the Idaho public affairs manager for the FMC Corporation, campaign manager for the 1982 gubernatorial campaign; executive vice president of the Idaho Home Builders Association, and executive assistant to the director of the Idaho Department of Lands; selected as Outstanding Young Idahoan by the Idaho Jaycees in 1988; named by the Idaho Statesman as the Citizen of the Year" in 1988; elected mayor of Boise in 1985 and reelected without opposition in 1989; member of the Executive Committee of the Republican Steering Committee; member of the National Republican Senatorial committee, member of the Committee on Committees; the Environment and Public Works committee, the Armed Services Committee, and the Small Business Committee; elected to United States Senate in 1992.
Michael D. Crapo, born in Idaho Falls, Idaho on May 20, 1951 attended Idaho Falls public schools; graduated from Brigham Young University with a B.A. in Political Science and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1977; attorney; elected to United States House of Representatives in 1992; elected to United States Senate in 1998.
Number 17 Revised May 1993
Number 28 Added Sep 2000
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