A former staff member of Senator Guy Gillette (1879-1973), Stewart McClure, once described the Iowa senator as "one of the best looking men who ever served in this body." Allen Drury, in his A Senate Journal, described Gillette as "a nice fellow ... impressively handsome with a friendly twinkle in his eye." Today, Gillette is remembered as much for his dignified appearance as for his independent spirit. As a Democratic member of Congress, he supported most of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal legislation, but outwardly opposed the president's plan to reorganize the Supreme Court. A staunch isolationist at the onset of the Second World War, Gillette ultimately developed strong internationalist tendencies and was actively involved in the creation of the United Nations charter. Among his principal interests in the Senate were foreign relations and agriculture.
