Robert G. Simmons
Encyclopedia
Robert Glenmore Simmons (December 25, 1891 – December 27, 1969) was a Nebraska
Republican
politician.
Simmons was born on December 25, 1891 near Scottsbluff, Nebraska
. He attended Hastings College
from 1909 to 1911 and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
in 1915. He was admitted to the bar in 1915 and set up practice in Gering, Nebraska
. He was elected prosecuting attorney of Scotts Bluff County
in 1916. During the first World War
, on October 15, 1917, he enlisted in the army. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Service on March 12, 1918 and was discharged on January 14, 1919.
He was elected as a Republican
to the 68th through 72nd congresses (March 4, 1923 - March 3, 1933) to represent Nebraska's 6th district. When Nebraska lost a district, he ran and lost in the preceding new district in 1932. He ran for the U.S. Senate in 1934 against Edward R. Burke
and in 1936 against George W. Norris, losing both times. He resumed practicing law in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was elected chief justice of Nebraska in 1938. He was also a deputy judge in the administrative tribunal of the International Labour Organization
in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1955. While serving as Chief Justice, along with the chief justices of New Jersey, Arthur T. Vanderbilt
, and Missouri, Laurance M. Hyde
, he co-founded the Conference of Chief Justices
in 1949. He retired in January 1963 after 24 years as the chief justice of Nebraska.
He returned to private law in Lincoln, Nebraska. He died in Lincoln on December 27, 1969 and is interred in Fairview Cemetery, Scottsbluff.
He was a Congregationalist
, a member of the American Bar Association
, a member of the Order of the Coif
, a member of the American Legion
, a Freemason and a Shriner
.
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician.
Simmons was born on December 25, 1891 near Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Scottsbluff is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 15,039 at the 2010 census. Scottsbluff is the largest city in the Nebraska Panhandle, and the 13th largest city in Nebraska....
. He attended Hastings College
Hastings College
Hastings College is a private, undergraduate, four-year, residential liberal arts college in Hastings, Nebraska, USA.- History :The college was founded in 1882 by a group of men and women seeking to establish a Presbyterian college dedicated to high academic and cultural standards...
from 1909 to 1911 and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a public research university located in the city of Lincoln in the U.S. state of Nebraska...
in 1915. He was admitted to the bar in 1915 and set up practice in Gering, Nebraska
Gering, Nebraska
Gering is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Scottsbluff, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,751 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Scotts Bluff County....
. He was elected prosecuting attorney of Scotts Bluff County
Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska
-National protected area:* North Platte National Wildlife Refuge* Scotts Bluff National Monument-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 36,951 people, 14,887 households, and 10,167 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 16,119...
in 1916. During the first World War
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...
, on October 15, 1917, he enlisted in the army. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Service on March 12, 1918 and was discharged on January 14, 1919.
He was elected as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to the 68th through 72nd congresses (March 4, 1923 - March 3, 1933) to represent Nebraska's 6th district. When Nebraska lost a district, he ran and lost in the preceding new district in 1932. He ran for the U.S. Senate in 1934 against Edward R. Burke
Edward R. Burke
Edward Raymond Burke was a Nebraska Democratic Party politician.Burke moved to Sparta, Wisconsin with his parents and then Beloit, Wisconsin where he went to Beloit College. Burke graduated in 1906, moved to Chadron, Nebraska where he taught school until 1908. He graduated from Harvard Law...
and in 1936 against George W. Norris, losing both times. He resumed practicing law in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was elected chief justice of Nebraska in 1938. He was also a deputy judge in the administrative tribunal of the International Labour Organization
International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1955. While serving as Chief Justice, along with the chief justices of New Jersey, Arthur T. Vanderbilt
Arthur T. Vanderbilt
Arthur T. Vanderbilt was Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1948 to 1957. He also was a noted attorney, legal educator and nationally known proponent of court modernization.-Biography:...
, and Missouri, Laurance M. Hyde
Laurance M. Hyde
Laurance Mastick Hyde was a chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court. He was a Republican.Hyde was born in Princeton, Missouri and served in the U.S. Army during World War I...
, he co-founded the Conference of Chief Justices
Conference of Chief Justices
The Conference of Chief Justices was created in 1949 after the need for an organization composed of the states and territories top jurists was amply discussed at the American Bar Association and other juridical organizations. The first meeting, organized by the Council of State Governments and...
in 1949. He retired in January 1963 after 24 years as the chief justice of Nebraska.
He returned to private law in Lincoln, Nebraska. He died in Lincoln on December 27, 1969 and is interred in Fairview Cemetery, Scottsbluff.
He was a Congregationalist
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
, a member of the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
, a member of the Order of the Coif
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. A student at an American law school who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top 10 percent of his or her class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the...
, a member of the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
, a Freemason and a Shriner
Shriners
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, also commonly known as Shriners and abbreviated A.A.O.N.M.S., established in 1870, is an appendant body to Freemasonry, based in the United States...
.