Edward P. Costigan
Encyclopedia
Edward Prentiss Costigan (July 1, 1874 January 17, 1939) was a Democratic Party politician
who represented Colorado
in the United States Senate
from 1931 until 1937. He was a founding member of the Progressive Party
in Colorado in 1912.
in 1874. He graduated from Harvard University
in 1899.
, where he had gotten his first position as a lawyer.
Costigan was a founding member of the Progressive Party
in Colorado in 1912, but lost the election for governor. President Woodrow Wilson
appointed Costigan as a member of the United States Tariff Commission in 1917.
He was elected to the United States Senate
as a Democrat in 1930. Oscar L. Chapman
managed his campaign.
and New York Democratic Senator Robert F. Wagner
sponsored a federal anti-lynching
law in 1934. In 1935 Senate leaders tried to persuade President Franklin D. Roosevelt
to support the Costigan-Wagner Bill. Roosevelt was concerned about a provision of the bill that called for the punishment of sheriffs who failed to protect their prisoners from lynch mobs. He believed that he would lose the support of the white voters in the South by approving this, and lose the 1936 presidential election.
The Costigan-Wagner Bill received support from many members of Congress but the Southern block managed to defeat it in the Senate. The national debate that took place over the issue again brought renewed attention to the crime of lynching. By the mid-1939s, the rate of the crime had finally dropped, mostly below 20 annually.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who represented Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from 1931 until 1937. He was a founding member of the Progressive Party
Progressive Party (United States, 1912)
The Progressive Party of 1912 was an American political party. It was formed after a split in the Republican Party between President William Howard Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt....
in Colorado in 1912.
Early life and education
Edward Prentiss Costigan was born in King William County, VirginiaKing William County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,146 people, 4,846 households, and 3,784 families residing in the county. The population density was 48 people per square mile . There were 5,189 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
in 1874. He graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1899.
Career
The following year, he moved to Denver, ColoradoDenver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, where he had gotten his first position as a lawyer.
Costigan was a founding member of the Progressive Party
Progressive Party (United States, 1912)
The Progressive Party of 1912 was an American political party. It was formed after a split in the Republican Party between President William Howard Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt....
in Colorado in 1912, but lost the election for governor. President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
appointed Costigan as a member of the United States Tariff Commission in 1917.
He was elected to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
as a Democrat in 1930. Oscar L. Chapman
Oscar L. Chapman
Oscar Littleton Chapman was the United States Secretary of the Interior during thelast three years of the Truman administration....
managed his campaign.
Costigan-Wagner Bill
Colorado Democratic Senator Edward P. CostiganEdward P. Costigan
Edward Prentiss Costigan was a Democratic Party politician who represented Colorado in the United States Senate from 1931 until 1937. He was a founding member of the Progressive Party in Colorado in 1912....
and New York Democratic Senator Robert F. Wagner
Robert F. Wagner
Robert Ferdinand Wagner I was an American politician. He was a Democratic U.S. Senator from New York from 1927 to 1949.-Origin and early life:...
sponsored a federal anti-lynching
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
law in 1934. In 1935 Senate leaders tried to persuade President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
to support the Costigan-Wagner Bill. Roosevelt was concerned about a provision of the bill that called for the punishment of sheriffs who failed to protect their prisoners from lynch mobs. He believed that he would lose the support of the white voters in the South by approving this, and lose the 1936 presidential election.
The Costigan-Wagner Bill received support from many members of Congress but the Southern block managed to defeat it in the Senate. The national debate that took place over the issue again brought renewed attention to the crime of lynching. By the mid-1939s, the rate of the crime had finally dropped, mostly below 20 annually.