Robert H. Clancy
Encyclopedia
Robert Henry Clancy was a politician from the U.S. state
of Michigan
.
Clancy was born in Detroit, Michigan
, where he attended the public schools. He graduated from the literary department of the University of Michigan
at Ann Arbor
in 1907 and he later studied law there for one year. He worked as a reporter on Detroit newspapers for four years before serving as secretary to Congressman Frank E. Doremus from 1911 to 1913. He then served as secretary to Assistant United States Secretary of Commerce
Edwin F. Sweet
from 1913 to 1917. During World War I
, he was manager of the War Trade Board at Detroit, chief inspector of purchases in Michigan for the Medical Corps of the War Department, and recruiting officer of the aviation division in Detroit. He was United States customs appraiser for Michigan from 1917 to 1922. During Prohibition
he was arrested along with the mayor of Detroit and the Wayne County sheriff at the Deutches Hall while consuming alcohol.
In 1922, Clancy was elected as a Democrat
from Michigan's 1st congressional district
to the 68th Congress
, serving from March 4, 1923 to March 3, 1925. He was defeated by Republican
John B. Sosnowski
in the 1924 election. After leaving Congress, he engaged in the real-estate business until the next election. In the 1926 election, he switched parties and ran as a Republican, defeating the incumbent Sosnowski in the primary, and going on to defeat Democratic candidate William M. Donnelly
in the general election for a seat in the 70th Congress
. In 1928 and 1930, Clancy again defeated Sosnowski in the Republican primary and Donnelly in the general election to be re-elected to the 71st
and 72nd
Congresses, serving from March 4, 1927 to March 3, 1933.
In 1932, Clancy was a candidate in the Fourteenth Congressional District in Michigan, due to redistricting after the 1930 Census
. Clancy lost to Democrat Carl M. Weideman
, after which he was engaged in an executive capacity with a manufacturing company until his retirement in 1948. He died in Detroit and is interred there in Mount Olivet Cemetery.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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"....
.
Clancy was born in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, where he attended the public schools. He graduated from the literary department of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
in 1907 and he later studied law there for one year. He worked as a reporter on Detroit newspapers for four years before serving as secretary to Congressman Frank E. Doremus from 1911 to 1913. He then served as secretary to Assistant United States Secretary of Commerce
United States Secretary of Commerce
The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce"...
Edwin F. Sweet
Edwin F. Sweet
Edwin Forrest Sweet was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Sweet was born in Dansville, New York and attended the common schools and Dansville Seminary. He graduated from the literary department of Yale College in 1871, where he was a member of Skull and Bones. After graduation, Sweet...
from 1913 to 1917. During 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 was manager of the War Trade Board at Detroit, chief inspector of purchases in Michigan for the Medical Corps of the War Department, and recruiting officer of the aviation division in Detroit. He was United States customs appraiser for Michigan from 1917 to 1922. During Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
he was arrested along with the mayor of Detroit and the Wayne County sheriff at the Deutches Hall while consuming alcohol.
In 1922, Clancy was elected as a Democrat
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...
from Michigan's 1st congressional district
Michigan's 1st congressional district
Michigan's 1st congressional district is a United States Congressional district containing the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan as well as part of the Lower Peninsula. Currently the district is represented by Republican Dan Benishek.-Geography:...
to the 68th Congress
68th United States Congress
The Sixty-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1923 to March 4, 1925, during the last months of...
, serving from March 4, 1923 to March 3, 1925. He was defeated by 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...
John B. Sosnowski
John B. Sosnowski
John Bartholomew Sosnowski was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Sosnowski was born in a Polish family in Detroit, Michigan and attended the parochial and Army schools. During the Spanish-American War he enlisted as a private in the Seventh Regiment, United States Cavalry, and served...
in the 1924 election. After leaving Congress, he engaged in the real-estate business until the next election. In the 1926 election, he switched parties and ran as a Republican, defeating the incumbent Sosnowski in the primary, and going on to defeat Democratic candidate William M. Donnelly
William M. Donnelly
William M. Donnelly was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Donnelly, of Detroit, Michigan, was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate from Michigan's 1st congressional district in a contest for a seat in the U.S. House in three consecutive elections. He lost all three to Republican...
in the general election for a seat in the 70th Congress
70th United States Congress
The Seventieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1927 to March 3, 1929, during the last two years of...
. In 1928 and 1930, Clancy again defeated Sosnowski in the Republican primary and Donnelly in the general election to be re-elected to the 71st
71st United States Congress
The Seventy-first United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1929 to March 4, 1931, during the first two years...
and 72nd
72nd United States Congress
The Seventy-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1931 to March 4, 1933, during the last two years...
Congresses, serving from March 4, 1927 to March 3, 1933.
In 1932, Clancy was a candidate in the Fourteenth Congressional District in Michigan, due to redistricting after the 1930 Census
United States Census, 1930
The Fifteenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during the 1920 Census.-Census questions:The 1930 Census...
. Clancy lost to Democrat Carl M. Weideman
Carl M. Weideman
Carl May Weideman was a naval officer, politician and jurist from the U.S. state of Michigan....
, after which he was engaged in an executive capacity with a manufacturing company until his retirement in 1948. He died in Detroit and is interred there in Mount Olivet Cemetery.