Asbury Francis Lever
Encyclopedia
Asbury Francis Lever was a member of the United States House of Representatives
from South Carolina
.
with honors in 1895. He taught school for two years.
He moved to Washington, D.C.
as the private secretary to Representative J. William Stokes
from 1897 to 1901. He graduated from the Law Department of Georgetown University
, Washington, D.C.
, in 1899 and was admitted to the bar in South Carolina the same year but did not practice.
He married Lucile Scurry Butler in 1911. They had two children.
in 1901. He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-seventh Congress
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of J. William Stokes was reelected to the Fifty-eighth and to the eight succeeding Congresses and served from November 5, 1901, until August 1, 1919.
Lever was the chairman of the House Committee on Education from 1911 to 1913 (Sixty-second Congress
) and Committee on Agriculture (Sixty-third
through Sixty-fifth Congresses
). His major legislative achievements were in the area of state and federal efforts in agricultural and rural life. Major bills were the Smith-Lever Act of 1914
that established the Cooperative Extension Service
, the Cotton Futures Act
of 1914, the Cotton Warehouse Act of 1916, Federal Farm Loan Act
of 1916 that created the Farm Credit Administration
, and the Food and Fuel Control Act
of 1917 that created a Food Administration and a Fuel Administration for World War I
.
He resigned from Congress to become a member of the Federal Farm Loan Board, in which capacity he served until 1922. He briefly ran for the Democratic nomination for Governor of South Carolina
in 1930, but sickness ended his campaign.
from 1913 to 1940. He was elected president of the First Carolinas Joint Stock Land Bank at Columbia
, South Carolina, in 1922 and was a field representative of Federal Farm Board. He was a director of the public relations administration of the Farm Credit Administration
until his death.
He died on April 28, 1940, at “Seven Oaks,” in Lexington County, South Carolina. He is interred at College Hill (Woodlawn) Cemetery, on campus of Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina
, Clemson, South Carolina
.
is a legacy to Lever. This helped transform rural America. The Liberty Ship
was named after Lever. Lever Hall, a high-rise dormitory on the Clemson University campus, is named after Asbury Lever.
The Clemson University Library has the papers of Frank Lever.
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 South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
Early life
Frank Lever was born near Springhill, Lexington County, South Carolina on January 5, 1875. He was the son of a farmer, Asbury Francis Washington Lever, and Mary Elvira Derrick. He attended the county schools and graduated from Newberry CollegeNewberry College
Newberry College is a liberal-arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located on a historic campus in Newberry, South Carolina.The college has 1,025 students and a 19:1 student-teacher ratio...
with honors in 1895. He taught school for two years.
He moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
as the private secretary to Representative J. William Stokes
J. William Stokes
James William Stokes was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina.Born near Orangeburg, South Carolina, Stokes attended the common schools and was graduated from Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, in 1876. He taught school for 12 years.He was graduated in medicine from Vanderbilt...
from 1897 to 1901. He graduated from the Law Department of Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in 1899 and was admitted to the bar in South Carolina the same year but did not practice.
He married Lucile Scurry Butler in 1911. They had two children.
Political career
He was a delegate to the Democratic State conventions in 1896 and 1900. He was elected a member of the South Carolina House of RepresentativesSouth Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the upper house being the South Carolina Senate. It consists of 124 Representatives elected to two year terms at the same time as US Congressional elections...
in 1901. He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-seventh Congress
57th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:*Democratic: 151*Republican: 200 *Populist: 5*Silver : 1TOTAL members: 357-Leadership:-Senate:* President: Theodore Roosevelt , until September 14, 1901, vacant thereafter....
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of J. William Stokes was reelected to the Fifty-eighth and to the eight succeeding Congresses and served from November 5, 1901, until August 1, 1919.
Lever was the chairman of the House Committee on Education from 1911 to 1913 (Sixty-second Congress
62nd United States Congress
- House of Representatives :* Democratic : 230 * Republican : 162* Socialist : 1* Independent : 1TOTAL members: 394-Senate:* President: James S...
) and Committee on Agriculture (Sixty-third
63rd United States Congress
- House of Representatives:*Democratic : 291 *Republican : 134*Progressive : 9*Independent : 1TOTAL members: 435-Senate:*President of the Senate: Thomas R. Marshall*President pro tempore: James P. Clarke-Senate:...
through Sixty-fifth Congresses
65th United States Congress
The Sixty-fifth 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, 1917 to March 4, 1919, during the fourth and fifth...
). His major legislative achievements were in the area of state and federal efforts in agricultural and rural life. Major bills were the Smith-Lever Act of 1914
Smith-Lever Act of 1914
The Smith–Lever Act of 1914 is a United States federal law that established a system of cooperative extension services, connected to the land-grant universities, in order to inform people about current developments in agriculture, home economics, and related subjects. The Smith–Lever Act of 1914 is...
that established the Cooperative Extension Service
Cooperative extension service
The Cooperative Extension Service, also known as the Extension Service of the USDA, is a non-formal educational program implemented in the United States designed to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. The service is provided by the state's designated land-grant...
, the Cotton Futures Act
Cotton Futures Act
The Cotton Futures Act of 1914 authorized the United States Department of Agriculture to establish physical standards as a means of determining color grade, staple length and strength, and other qualities and properties for cotton...
of 1914, the Cotton Warehouse Act of 1916, Federal Farm Loan Act
Federal Farm Loan Act
The Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916 was a United States federal law aimed at increasing credit to rural, family farmers. It did so by creating a federal farm loan board, twelve regional farm loan banks and tens of farm loan associations...
of 1916 that created the Farm Credit Administration
Farm Credit Administration
The Farm Credit Administration is an independent agency of the Executive Branch of the United States Government. It regulates and examines the banks, associations, and related entities of the Farm Credit System, a network of borrower-owned financial institutions that provide credit to farmers,...
, and the Food and Fuel Control Act
Food and Fuel Control Act
The Food and Fuel Control Act, , also called the Lever Act or the Lever Food Act was a World War I era US law that among other things created the United States Food Administration and the Federal Fuel Administration.-Legislative history:...
of 1917 that created a Food Administration and a Fuel Administration for World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
He resigned from Congress to become a member of the Federal Farm Loan Board, in which capacity he served until 1922. He briefly ran for the Democratic nomination for Governor of South Carolina
Governor of South Carolina
The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio...
in 1930, but sickness ended his campaign.
Later life
He was a Chair of the Board of Trustees of Newberry College and Life Trustee of Clemson CollegeClemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
from 1913 to 1940. He was elected president of the First Carolinas Joint Stock Land Bank at Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, South Carolina, in 1922 and was a field representative of Federal Farm Board. He was a director of the public relations administration of the Farm Credit Administration
Farm Credit Administration
The Farm Credit Administration is an independent agency of the Executive Branch of the United States Government. It regulates and examines the banks, associations, and related entities of the Farm Credit System, a network of borrower-owned financial institutions that provide credit to farmers,...
until his death.
He died on April 28, 1940, at “Seven Oaks,” in Lexington County, South Carolina. He is interred at College Hill (Woodlawn) Cemetery, on campus of Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
, Clemson, South Carolina
Clemson, South Carolina
Clemson is a college town located in Pickens County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 11,939 at the 2000 census and center of an urban cluster with a total population of 42,199...
.
Legacy
The Cooperative Extension ServiceCooperative extension service
The Cooperative Extension Service, also known as the Extension Service of the USDA, is a non-formal educational program implemented in the United States designed to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. The service is provided by the state's designated land-grant...
is a legacy to Lever. This helped transform rural America. The Liberty Ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
was named after Lever. Lever Hall, a high-rise dormitory on the Clemson University campus, is named after Asbury Lever.
The Clemson University Library has the papers of Frank Lever.