Philip Hart
Encyclopedia
Philip Aloysius Hart (December 10, 1912 December 26, 1976) was a Democratic
United States Senator
from Michigan
from 1959 until 1976. He was nicknamed the Conscience of the Senate.
, and attended Waldron Academy
and West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys
, also known as West Catholic. He graduated from Georgetown University
in 1934 and from the University of Michigan Law School
in 1937. He was admitted to the Michigan bar
in 1938 and practiced law in Detroit. During the Second World War, he served in the U.S. Army from 1941 until discharged in 1946 as a lieutenant colonel of Infantry. He was wounded during the D-Day
assault on Utah Beach
in Normandy, France.
After the war, he was the Michigan Corporation Securities Commissioner from 1949 until his resignation in 1951. He was the State director of the Office of Price Stabilization, 1951–1952, and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, 1952–1953. He was legal advisor to the Governor of Michigan, 1953–1954, and the 49th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
, 1955–1959 under G. Mennen "Soapy" Williams
.
Philip Hart was married to Jane "Janey" Hart, the daughter of Walter Briggs, one-time owner of the Detroit Tigers
, and noted philanthropist. Jane was an airplane and helicopter pilot, (of Mercury 13
fame) and together they had eight children. In 1959 Janey Hart appeared as a guest challenger on the TV panel show "To Tell The Truth".
by a 54% to 46% margin. He was reelected by overwhelming margins in 1964 and 1970. There had been a call from conservatives in Michigan to recall
Hart from office due to his stand on gun control and busing, with bumper stickers reading "Recall cures Hart attacks." The recall effort never got off the ground, because the United States Constitution
does not authorize the recall of federal officials.
Hart remained in office until his death. He had decided not to run for reelection to a fourth term in 1976. That year, the Senate voted to name its new Senate office building
after him: The Hart Senate Office Building
. It would have been the first federal government building named after someone still living. The vote was 99 to 0, with Hart abstaining. Hart died of cancer a few days later, just before his term would have expired and he would have retired. Donald W. Riegle, Jr.
, who had just been elected to the seat for the next term, was named to fill Hart's seat for the remaining days of the congressional session.
, was officially dedicated and named for Senator Hart in 1987.
Other buildings named after Hart include the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center in Battle Creek, Michigan
; the Philip A. Hart Plaza along the Detroit International Riverfront
; and the Hart-Kennedy House in Lansing
, the headquarters of the Michigan Democratic Party
.
The Philip Hart Memorial Scholarship at Lake Superior State University
in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
is a full scholarship established to carry on the ideals and goals of the Senator.
The moot court
room at Georgetown University Law Center
is named in his honor.
Hart is interred in St. Anne's Catholic Cemetery on Mackinac Island
.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
United States 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 Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
from 1959 until 1976. He was nicknamed the Conscience of the Senate.
Early years
He was born in Bryn Mawr, PennsylvaniaBryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr from Welsh for "big hill") is a census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue and the border with Delaware County...
, and attended Waldron Academy
Waldron Mercy Academy
Waldron Mercy Academy is a K-8 Catholic private elementary school, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, located in Merion Station, Pennsylvania, USA...
and West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys
West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys
West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys open it doors in 1916 and was located on 49th between Chestnut and Market Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, also known as West Catholic. He graduated from 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...
in 1934 and from the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
in 1937. He was admitted to the Michigan bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1938 and practiced law in Detroit. During the Second World War, he served in the U.S. Army from 1941 until discharged in 1946 as a lieutenant colonel of Infantry. He was wounded during the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
assault on Utah Beach
Utah Beach
Utah Beach was the code name for the right flank, or westernmost, of the Allied landing beaches during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, as part of Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944...
in Normandy, France.
After the war, he was the Michigan Corporation Securities Commissioner from 1949 until his resignation in 1951. He was the State director of the Office of Price Stabilization, 1951–1952, and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, 1952–1953. He was legal advisor to the Governor of Michigan, 1953–1954, and the 49th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
The Lieutenant Governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor, and one of four great offices of state...
, 1955–1959 under G. Mennen "Soapy" Williams
G. Mennen Williams
Gerhard Mennen "Soapy" Williams, , was a politician from the US state of Michigan. An heir to a personal grooming products fortune, he was known as "Soapy," and wore a trademark green bow tie with white polka dots....
.
Philip Hart was married to Jane "Janey" Hart, the daughter of Walter Briggs, one-time owner of the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, and noted philanthropist. Jane was an airplane and helicopter pilot, (of Mercury 13
Mercury 13
Mercury 13 refers to thirteen American women who, as part of a privately funded program, underwent some of the same physiological screening tests as the astronauts selected by NASA on April 9, 1959 for Project Mercury...
fame) and together they had eight children. In 1959 Janey Hart appeared as a guest challenger on the TV panel show "To Tell The Truth".
Career in the Senate
He was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1958, defeating one-term incumbent Republican Charles E. PotterCharles E. Potter
Charles Edward Potter was a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan.-Early Life:...
by a 54% to 46% margin. He was reelected by overwhelming margins in 1964 and 1970. There had been a call from conservatives in Michigan to recall
Recall election
A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended...
Hart from office due to his stand on gun control and busing, with bumper stickers reading "Recall cures Hart attacks." The recall effort never got off the ground, because the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
does not authorize the recall of federal officials.
Hart remained in office until his death. He had decided not to run for reelection to a fourth term in 1976. That year, the Senate voted to name its new Senate office building
Congressional office buildings
The congressional office buildings are the office buildings used by the United States Congress to augment the limited space in the United States Capitol. The congressional office buildings are part of the Capitol Complex are thus under the authority of the Architect of the Capitol and protected by...
after him: The Hart Senate Office Building
Hart Senate Office Building
The Hart Senate Office Building, the third U.S. Senate office building, was built in the 1970s. First occupied in November 1982, the Hart Building is the largest of the Senate office buildings. It is named for Philip A. Hart, who served 18 years as a senator from Michigan.-Design and...
. It would have been the first federal government building named after someone still living. The vote was 99 to 0, with Hart abstaining. Hart died of cancer a few days later, just before his term would have expired and he would have retired. Donald W. Riegle, Jr.
Donald W. Riegle, Jr.
Donald Wayne Riegle Jr. is an American politician from Michigan, who served for five terms as a Representative and for three terms as a Senator.-Early life:...
, who had just been elected to the seat for the next term, was named to fill Hart's seat for the remaining days of the congressional session.
Honors
The third of the United States Senate office buildings, the Hart Senate Office BuildingHart Senate Office Building
The Hart Senate Office Building, the third U.S. Senate office building, was built in the 1970s. First occupied in November 1982, the Hart Building is the largest of the Senate office buildings. It is named for Philip A. Hart, who served 18 years as a senator from Michigan.-Design and...
, was officially dedicated and named for Senator Hart in 1987.
Other buildings named after Hart include the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center in Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
; the Philip A. Hart Plaza along the Detroit International Riverfront
Detroit International Riverfront
The Detroit International Riverfront is an area of Detroit, Michigan that borders the Detroit River. The International Riverfront area extends from the Ambassador Bridge in the west to Belle Isle in the east, extending a total of 5½-miles and encompassing a multitude of parks, restaurants, retail...
; and the Hart-Kennedy House in Lansing
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
, the headquarters of the Michigan Democratic Party
Michigan Democratic Party
The Michigan Democratic Party is the state-level party of the United States Democratic Party in Michigan. It is based in Lansing. Mark Brewer is the current Party Chair.-Current officeholders:...
.
The Philip Hart Memorial Scholarship at Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University is a small public university in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It is Michigan's smallest public university with an enrollment around 3,000 students. Due to its proximity to the border, notably the twin city of Sault Ste...
in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
is a full scholarship established to carry on the ideals and goals of the Senator.
The moot court
Moot court
A moot court is an extracurricular activity at many law schools in which participants take part in simulated court proceedings, usually to include drafting briefs and participating in oral argument. The term derives from Anglo Saxon times, when a moot was a gathering of prominent men in a...
room at Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
is named in his honor.
Hart is interred in St. Anne's Catholic Cemetery on Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
.
Further reading
- O’Brien, Michael. Philip Hart: The Conscience of the Senate. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1995. ISBN 978-0870134074