Silas H. Strawn
Encyclopedia
Silas Hardy Strawn was a prominent Chicago
lawyer
and one of the name partners at the law firm
of Winston & Strawn. He was also the president of the United States Chamber of Commerce
during the early years of the Great Depression
, in which capacity he supported the policies of Herbert Hoover
and was a noted opponent of Franklin D. Roosevelt
's New Deal
.
. He graduated from Ottawa High School in 1885 and spent the next two years as a teacher
. In 1887, he studied law in the Ottawa law firm Bull & Strawn. He was admitted to the bar
of Illinois in May 1889. He established his own law practice in LaSalle County, Illinois.
Strawn relocated to Chicago
in September 1891, taking a position with Weigley, Buckley & Gray. In 1892, he joined Winston & Meagher and became a partner
at the firm on September 1, 1894.
On June 22, 1897, he married Margaret Stewart of Binghamton, New York
; their marriage would produce two daughters, Margaret and Katherine Stewart.
In 1902, Meagher retired and the firm was renamed Winston, Strawn & Shaw. (It would later be known as Winston, Payne & Strawn; then as Winston, Payne, Strawn & Shaw; until finally becoming simply Winston & Strawn.) Strawn would ultimately practice law with the firm for 52 years, serving as managing partner for 40 years.
A member of the prestigious Glen View Club
, Strawn served as president of the United States Golf Association
in the 1910s.
In 1913, Strawn was elected president of the Chicago Bar Association
, and upon the outbreak of World War I
, arranged for members of the association to take over without charge cases left unfinished by lawyers who volunteered to serve in the army. Strawn served as president of the Illinois State Bar Association
, 1921-22.
U.S. President Calvin Coolidge
named Strawn as one of two American delegates to the Special Conference on American Relations with China, held in Beijing
on October 26, 1925. Strawn was also chairman of the Chinese Extraterritoriality Commission.
In 1927, Strawn was elected president of the American Bar Association
. During his time as president, he pushed for higher standards in legal education, including college study before admission to law school
and a full three years of legal training before being eligible for admission to the bar.
As president of the United States Chamber of Commerce
, in 1931, Strawn spoke out in favor of President Herbert Hoover
's response to the Great Depression
, arguing that it was up to business, not government, to solve the world's economic problems. He also strenuously opposed the extension of unemployment benefits to the unemployed. "If this country ever votes the dole," Strawn said, "we’ve hit the toboggan as a nation." Strawn spoke out loudly against the Securities Act of 1933
and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
, stating in Congressional testimony: "I believe there is an abundant market for securities, if the Securities Act did not prevent their issue and distribution." He also opposed the introduction of social security
, arguing that it was one of many "attempts to Sovietize America."
In 1934, as former president of the chamber, and a leader of its conservative wing, Strawn called on Roosevelt to "stop experimenting", stop encouraging Congress to pass "hysterical legislation", and return to a policy of balanced budgets. Soon, however, Roosevelt had convinced the Chamber of Commerce to participate in his recovery effort and Strawn was appointed head of the Chambermen's efforts.
Strawn was chairman of the Board of Directors
of Montgomery Ward
for a number of years. He also served as a trustee
of Northwestern University
from 1930 to his death in 1946.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and one of the name partners at the law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
of Winston & Strawn. He was also the president of the United States Chamber of Commerce
United States Chamber of Commerce
The United States Chamber of Commerce is an American lobbying group representing the interests of many businesses and trade associations. It is not an agency of the United States government....
during the early years of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, in which capacity he supported the policies of 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...
and was a noted opponent of 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...
's 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...
.
Biography
Strawn was born on December 15, 1866, on the family farm near Ottawa, IllinoisOttawa, Illinois
Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 18,786...
. He graduated from Ottawa High School in 1885 and spent the next two years as a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. In 1887, he studied law in the Ottawa law firm Bull & Strawn. He was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
of Illinois in May 1889. He established his own law practice in LaSalle County, Illinois.
Strawn relocated to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in September 1891, taking a position with Weigley, Buckley & Gray. In 1892, he joined Winston & Meagher and became a partner
Partner (business rank)
A partner in a law firm, accounting firm, consulting firm, or financial firm is a highly ranked position. Originally, these businesses were set up as legal partnerships in which the partners were entitled to a share of the profits of the enterprise. The name has remained even though many of these...
at the firm on September 1, 1894.
On June 22, 1897, he married Margaret Stewart of Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
; their marriage would produce two daughters, Margaret and Katherine Stewart.
In 1902, Meagher retired and the firm was renamed Winston, Strawn & Shaw. (It would later be known as Winston, Payne & Strawn; then as Winston, Payne, Strawn & Shaw; until finally becoming simply Winston & Strawn.) Strawn would ultimately practice law with the firm for 52 years, serving as managing partner for 40 years.
A member of the prestigious Glen View Club
Glen View Club
The Glen View Club is a private country club in Golf, Illinois, a suburb just north of Chicago. It is thought to be one the Midwest's most prestigious golf and country clubs and counts among its 300 members some of the Chicago area's most prominent businesspeople.-History:The club was founded on...
, Strawn served as president of the United States Golf Association
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
in the 1910s.
In 1913, Strawn was elected president of the Chicago Bar Association
Chicago Bar Association
Founded in 1874, the Chicago Bar Association is a voluntary bar association with over 20,000 members. Like other bar associations, it concerns itself with professional ethics, networking among members, and continuing legal education. It is located adjacent to the John Marshall Law School in the...
, and upon the outbreak of 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...
, arranged for members of the association to take over without charge cases left unfinished by lawyers who volunteered to serve in the army. Strawn served as president of the Illinois State Bar Association
Illinois State Bar Association
The Illinois State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the country. Approximately 30,000 lawyers are members of the ISBA. Unlike some state bar associations, in which membership is mandatory, ISBA membership is not required of lawyers licensed to practice in...
, 1921-22.
U.S. 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...
named Strawn as one of two American delegates to the Special Conference on American Relations with China, held in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
on October 26, 1925. Strawn was also chairman of the Chinese Extraterritoriality Commission.
In 1927, Strawn was elected president 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...
. During his time as president, he pushed for higher standards in legal education, including college study before admission to law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
and a full three years of legal training before being eligible for admission to the bar.
As president of the United States Chamber of Commerce
United States Chamber of Commerce
The United States Chamber of Commerce is an American lobbying group representing the interests of many businesses and trade associations. It is not an agency of the United States government....
, in 1931, Strawn spoke out in favor of President 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...
's response to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, arguing that it was up to business, not government, to solve the world's economic problems. He also strenuously opposed the extension of unemployment benefits to the unemployed. "If this country ever votes the dole," Strawn said, "we’ve hit the toboggan as a nation." Strawn spoke out loudly against the Securities Act of 1933
Securities Act of 1933
Congress enacted the Securities Act of 1933 , in the aftermath of the stock market crash of 1929 and during the ensuing Great Depression...
and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 , , codified at et seq., is a law governing the secondary trading of securities in the United States of America. It was a sweeping piece of legislation...
, stating in Congressional testimony: "I believe there is an abundant market for securities, if the Securities Act did not prevent their issue and distribution." He also opposed the introduction of social security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
, arguing that it was one of many "attempts to Sovietize America."
In 1934, as former president of the chamber, and a leader of its conservative wing, Strawn called on Roosevelt to "stop experimenting", stop encouraging Congress to pass "hysterical legislation", and return to a policy of balanced budgets. Soon, however, Roosevelt had convinced the Chamber of Commerce to participate in his recovery effort and Strawn was appointed head of the Chambermen's efforts.
Strawn was chairman of the Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
for a number of years. He also served as a trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
of Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
from 1930 to his death in 1946.