Lester J. Dickinson
Encyclopedia
Lester Jesse Dickinson (October 29, 1873 June 4, 1968) was a Republican United States Representative and Senator
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 Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

. He was, in the words of Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...

, "a big, friendly, white-thatched Iowa lawyer." In early 1936 he dreamed of winning the presidency. However, the only race he would enter that year would be for his own seat in the Senate, and he would lose it.

Personal background

Dickinson was born on a farm near Derby, Iowa
Derby, Iowa
Derby is a city in Lucas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 131 at the 2000 census.Lester Dickinson was born in Derby.-Geography:Derby is located at ....

 in Lucas County
Lucas County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 8,898 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,238 housing units, of which 3,689 were occupied.-2000 census:...

, to Levi and Willimine Morton Dickinson. When he was five, his family moved to another farm outside Danbury, Iowa
Danbury, Iowa
Danbury is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 384 at the 2000 census. Danbury has two churches, St. Mary's Catholic Church and the United Methodist Church...

, in Woodbury County
Woodbury County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 102,172 in the county, with a population density of . There were 41,454 housing units, of which 39,052 were occupied.-2000 census:...

. As a boy, he worked on is father's farm, peddled milk from the dairy, practiced orations behind
the barn, and clerked in a hardware store. He graduated from Danbury High School in 1892, Cornell College
Cornell College
Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally called the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by Reverend Samuel M. Fellows...

 in (Mount Vernon, Iowa
Mount Vernon, Iowa
Mount Vernon is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, adjacent to the city of Lisbon. The city's population was 3,390 when the 2000 census figures were released, but that number was later revised to 3,808 because the Census Bureau had incorrectly reported that 418 residents of a Cornell...

) in 1898, and from University of Iowa College of Law
University of Iowa College of Law
The University of Iowa College of Law is one of the eleven professional graduate schools at the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. Founded in 1865, it is the oldest law school in continuous operation west of the Mississippi River. The law school was ranked as the 27th best law school...

 at Iowa City in 1899. He was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...

 in 1899 and commenced practice in Algona, Iowa
Algona, Iowa
Algona is a city in and the county seat of Kossuth County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,741 at the 2000 census. Ambrose A. Call State Park is located two miles southwest of the city.-History:...

, Kossuth County
Kossuth County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 15,543 in the county, with a population density of . There were 7,486 housing units, of which 6,697 were occupied.-2000 census:...

 in the north-central part of the state. He was a second lieutenant in the 52nd Infantry, Iowa National Guard
Iowa National Guard
The Iowa National Guard consists of the:*Iowa Army National Guard and the*Iowa Air National Guard-External links:* compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History*...

, from 1900 to 1902 and was city clerk of Algona from 1900 to 1904. He was County Attorney for Kossuth County from 1909 to 1913.

In 1910, he made an unsuccessful run for the Republican nomination for a seat in the Iowa House of Representatives
Iowa House of Representatives
The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 100 members of the House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 29,750 for each constituency...

.

He married Myrtle Call, daughter of Ambrose A. Call, one of the founders of Algona, in 1901.

According to Time, he did not "drink, smoke, [or] take part in sports or society."

U.S. Representative

In 1918, Dickinson ran for Congress, challenging incumbent Frank P. Woods
Frank P. Woods
Frank Plowman Woods was a five-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 10th congressional district, in north-central Iowa. He reached a House leadership position after only two terms...

 in the Republican primary for the seat in Iowa's 10th congressional district
Iowa's 10th congressional district
Iowa's 10th congressional district existed from 1883 to 1933, when Iowa sent eleven congressmen to the United States House of Representatives. The district, known as "The Big Tenth," covered large areas of north-central Iowa.-Makeup:...

 in north-central Iowa (made up of Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Emmet, Greene, Hamilton, Humboldt, Hancock, Kossuth, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Winnebago, and Webster counties). Woods was then Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee
National Republican Congressional Committee
The National Republican Congressional Committee is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives....

, but had voted against the 1917 declaration of war
Declaration of war by the United States
A declaration of war is a formal declaration issued by a national government indicating that a state of war exists between that nation and another. For the United States, Article One, Section Eight of the Constitution says "Congress shall have power to ... declare War"...

 on the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...

, creating a great political liability in 1918. After defeating Woods in the primary, Dickinson defeated the Democratic nominee (as did every Republican nominee
United States Congressional Delegations from Iowa
These are tables of congressional delegations from Iowa to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:...

 in every general election race during the existence of that district, from 1882 to 1931).

Dickinson became the House's "leader of that body's first, historic Farm Bloc." He was a strong advocate for the McNary-Haugen Farm Relief Bill
McNary-Haugen Farm Relief Bill
The McNary-Haugen Farm Relief Act, which never became law, was a highly controversial plan in the 1920s to subsidize American agriculture by raising the domestic prices of farm products. The plan was for the government to buy the wheat, and either store it or export it at a loss. It was...

, an effort to maintain pre-war price levels by increasing federal purchases of farm products for sales overseas. He was re-elected in 1920, 1922, 1924, 1926, and 1928, serving in the House from March 4, 1919-March 3, 1931. Dickinson's cousin, Fred Dickinson Letts, was a U.S. Representative from Iowa's 2nd congressional district
Iowa's 2nd congressional district
Iowa's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that generally covers most of the southeastern part of the state including Iowa City and Cedar Rapids.The district is currently represented by Democrat Dave Loebsack....

 for the last six of those years (from March 1925 to March 1931).

Dickinson was a dark horse
Dark horse
Dark horse is a term used to describe a little-known person or thing that emerges to prominence, especially in a competition of some sort.-Origin:The term began as horse racing parlance...

 candidate for the Republican nomination for vice president in 1924. But after President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...

 sent the convention a message that he would accept a different Iowan—Judge and former Senator William Squire Kenyon
William Squire Kenyon
William Squire Kenyon was a Republican U.S. Senator from Iowa, and a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.-Background:...

—as his running mate, Dickinson's name disappeared from the discussions and voting, and on the third ballot the convention settled on Charles G. Dawes
Charles G. Dawes
Charles Gates Dawes was an American banker and politician who was the 30th Vice President of the United States . For his work on the Dawes Plan for World War I reparations he was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served in the First World War, was U.S...

.

U.S. Senator

Democratic U.S. Senator Daniel F. Steck
Daniel F. Steck
Daniel Frederic Steck , was the only Iowa Democrat in the United States Senate between the American Civil War and the Great Depression. He was sworn in as Senator only after an extraordinary election challenge, in which his apparent defeat at the polls by a Progressive Party ally running as a...

's seat was up in 1930. Steck, the first Democratic senator from Iowa since the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, had reached the Senate with the assistance of many conservative Republican voters (who refused to support the 1924 Republican primary victor, Smith W. Brookhart
Smith W. Brookhart
Smith Wildman Brookhart , was twice elected as a Republican to represent Iowa in the United States Senate. He was considered an "insurgent" within the Republican Party; his criticisms of the Harding and Coolidge Administrations and of business interests alienated others within the Republican...

, because of his anti-business, pro-labor views) and an unprecedented vote by the Senate in 1926 to overturn its original choice to seat Brookhart in 1925. Thus, Steck's "election" was viewed as an anomaly, and several Republicans fought for the chance to run for his seat in 1930. Running as a supporter of the controversial Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act
Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act
The Tariff Act of 1930, otherwise known as the Smoot–Hawley Tariff was an act, sponsored by United States Senator Reed Smoot and Representative Willis C. Hawley, and signed into law on June 17, 1930, that raised U.S. tariffs on over 20,000 imported goods to record levels.The overall level tariffs...

, Dickinson defeated sitting Iowa Governor John Hammill
John Hammill
John Hammill served three terms as the 24th Governor of Iowa from 1925 to 1931.-Biography:Hammill was born in Linden, Wisconsin. He earned a law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1897, and practiced law in Britt, Iowa. After serving as a county attorney from 1902 to 1908, he was...

 and two others in the Republican primary, and easily defeated Steck in the general election.

In 1932, he was chosen to deliver the keynote speech at the 1932 Republican National Convention
1932 Republican National Convention
The 1932 Republican National Convention was held at Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois, from June 14 to June 16, 1932. It renominated President Herbert Hoover and Vice President Charles Curtis for their respective positions....

, where fellow Iowa native Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...

 was re-nominated for his failed re-election bid.

Once 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...

 replaced Hoover in 1933, Dickinson distinguished himself by coming out early and often against the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...

. In a 1934 speech, he argued that the only beneficiaries of the new Agricultural Adjustment Act
Agricultural Adjustment Act
The Agricultural Adjustment Act was a United States federal law of the New Deal era which restricted agricultural production by paying farmers subsidies not to plant part of their land and to kill off excess livestock...

 were the "brain trusters" behind the new programs, sneering that, "taken from their dismal classrooms, chicken farms, editorial rooms and law offices, they now loiter behind mahogany desks solving problems of the world." Time commented in 1936 that he "demands 'sane, honest industrial and agricultural programs' and a return 'to the ideas of our New England forefathers.'"

Interest in the Presidency

In May 1936, Time reported that Dickinson was interested in the chance to run against President Roosevelt, speculating that "the buzzing in his large, well-shaped head" was the question, "'If Warren Harding could get the Republican Presidential nomination in 1920, why can't I get it in 1936?'" It explained:

Like Harding, he would personify a return to normalcy
Normalcy
"A return to normalcy" was United States presidential candidate Warren G. Harding’s campaign promise in the election of 1920...

 after a hectic Democratic regime. For dark horse
Dark horse
Dark horse is a term used to describe a little-known person or thing that emerges to prominence, especially in a competition of some sort.-Origin:The term began as horse racing parlance...

 Dickinson, oldtime Harding supporters have been quietly conducting the same kind of preconvention campaign that Harry Daugherty put on for his Dark Horse in 1920—unobtrusively making friends, taking care not to offend leading candidates, building up a man on whom irreconcilably opposed factions could unite after a convention deadlock.

In the 1936 Republican National Convention
1936 Republican National Convention
The 1936 Republican National Convention was held in Cleveland, Ohio at the Public Auditorium, from June 9 to June 12, 1936. It nominated Governor Alfred Landon of Kansas for President and Frank Knox of Illinois for Vice-President....

, there was no deadlock, so Dickinson's aspiration to play in 1936 the role that Harding played in 1920 never came to pass. Instead, Kansas Governor Alfred Landon was the only viable candidate, and was nominated on the first ballot.

1936 re-election loss

Meanwhile, in his race for re-election, Dickinson faced a strong primary challenge from a crowded field of other Republicans that included Brookhart. While Dickinson did not receive a majority of the vote, he won with a percentage great enough to automatically advance to the general election. His Democratic opponent was sitting Iowa Governor Clyde Herring. Herring defeated Dickinson by fewer than 36,000 votes. Dickinson had served in the Senate from March 4, 1931, to January 3, 1937.

1938 Senate election loss

After 1936, Iowans' support for Roosevelt and the New Deal noticeably faded, and a bitter split developed in the Iowa Democratic Party between New Dealers and independent-minded Democrats such as incumbent U.S. Senator Guy Gillette. In this setting, Dickinson ran for Gillette's seat. However, his experience in the 1938 election was much like his 1936 election experience. After a strong battle in the Republican primary (in which he defeated U.S. Representative Lloyd Thurston
Lloyd Thurston
Lloyd Thurston was a seven-term Republican U.S. Representative from southern Iowa. First elected in 1924, he served until 1938, when he unsuccessfully sought election to the U.S. Senate. By his final term, he had served on three of the most powerful House committees.Born in Osceola, Iowa, Thurston...

), Dickinson again lost in the general election, this time by fewer than 3,000 votes.

Private practice in Des Moines

After leaving the Senate, Dickinson initially returned to Algona.

In June 1939, he joined a Des Moines firm that his son, L. Call Dickinson, had started in 1936. The former senator's involvement bolstered the young firm's reputation, and it became one of the leading business law firms in Des Moines and the state. Known informally for decades as "the Dickinson firm," it is currently known as Dickinson, Mackaman, Tyler & Hagen, P.C..

Dickinson died on June 4, 1968, and is interred in Algona Cemetery.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK