William R. Green
Encyclopedia
William Raymond Green was a longtime Republican U.S. Representative
from Iowa's 9th congressional district
, and chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, until he resigned to accept appointment as an associate judge on the United States Court of Claims
.
Born in Colchester, Connecticut
, Green attended the public schools in Malden, Illinois
, and Princeton High School
in Princeton, Illinois
. He was graduated from Oberlin College
at Oberlin, Ohio
, in 1879. Rather than graduating from a law school, he studied law with the firm McCoy and Pratt. He was admitted to the bar
in 1882 and commenced practice in Dow City, Iowa
. Two years later, he moved his office to Audubon, Iowa
. He served as judge of the district court in the fifteenth judicial district of Iowa from 1894 until 1911, when he resigned to run in a special election for Congress. In 1911, Representative Walter I. Smith
of Iowa's 9th congressional district resigned, forcing a special election for his permanent replacement. Green ran as a Republican
, and was sworn in on June 5, 1911 as a member of the Sixty-second Congress
.
Green was reelected eight times, serving in the Sixty-third Congress
and to the seven succeeding Congresses. He served as chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means
from the Sixty-eighth
through the Seventieth
Congresses.
Green was considered a moderate Republican who worked well as Ways and Means Committee chair with President Calvin Coolidge's
Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew W. Mellon
. Mellon's primary legislative objectives during Green's tenure involved tax reductions.
Green resigned from Congress after his eighth re-election, when President Calvin Coolidge
nominated him on February 20, 1928 as a judge of the United States Court of Claims
. In all, Green served in Congress from June 5, 1911, to March 31, 1928. His seat was filled through a special election that coincided with the 1928 primary election, in which Republican Earl W. Vincent
was elected. Green was the third consecutive Representative of Iowa's ninth congressional district who resigned in the middle of their term to accept appointment to the federal bench.
At the time of his judicial appointment, Green was over 71 years old. He served twelve years as a judge with the Court of Claims from April 1, 1928, until May 29, 1940, when he resigned. He was later recalled and served until June 1942.
Green retired from active pursuits and resided at Bellport, New York
, until his death there on June 11, 1947. He was interred in Rock Creek Cemetery
in Washington, D.C.
Green belonged to the Cosmos Club
, the Elks
, the Knights of Pythias
, and the Masons
.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Iowa's 9th congressional district
Iowa's 9th congressional district
Iowa’s 9th congressional district existed from 1873 to 1943. The district was configured four times, first as part of a nine-district plan, then twice in eleven-district plans, then again in a nine-district plan...
, and chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, until he resigned to accept appointment as an associate judge on the United States Court of Claims
United States Court of Claims
The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855 as the Court of Claims, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims , and abolished in 1982....
.
Born in Colchester, Connecticut
Colchester, Connecticut
Colchester is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 14,551 at the 2000 census. In 2005 it was ranked 57th on the "100 Best Places to Live" in all of the United States, conducted by CNN...
, Green attended the public schools in Malden, Illinois
Malden, Illinois
Malden is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 343 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Malden is located at ....
, and Princeton High School
Princeton High School (Illinois)
Princeton High School is a high school located at 103 S. Euclid Ave in Princeton, Illinois. It is the oldest township high school in Illinois. It generally has an attendance of 600 or more students.- History :...
in Princeton, Illinois
Princeton, Illinois
Princeton is a city in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,501 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bureau County.Princeton is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. He was graduated from Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
at Oberlin, Ohio
Oberlin, Ohio
Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, to the south and west of Cleveland. Oberlin is perhaps best known for being the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students...
, in 1879. Rather than graduating from a law school, he studied law with the firm McCoy and Pratt. 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...
in 1882 and commenced practice in Dow City, Iowa
Dow City, Iowa
Dow City is a city in Crawford County, Iowa, United States, along the Boyer River. The population was 503 at the 2000 census. The name is that of one of its founders.- History :The community was founded in 1869 by Simon E...
. Two years later, he moved his office to Audubon, Iowa
Audubon, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 2,176 in the city, with a population density of . There were 1,106 housing units, of which 961 were occupied....
. He served as judge of the district court in the fifteenth judicial district of Iowa from 1894 until 1911, when he resigned to run in a special election for Congress. In 1911, Representative Walter I. Smith
Walter I. Smith
Walter Inglewood Smith was a Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 9th congressional district, and a federal appellate judge with U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit....
of Iowa's 9th congressional district resigned, forcing a special election for his permanent replacement. Green ran 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...
, and was sworn in on June 5, 1911 as a member of the Sixty-second Congress
62nd United States Congress
- House of Representatives :* Democratic : 230 * Republican : 162* Socialist : 1* Independent : 1TOTAL members: 394-Senate:* President: James S...
.
Green was reelected eight times, serving in the Sixty-third Congress
63rd United States Congress
- House of Representatives:*Democratic : 291 *Republican : 134*Progressive : 9*Independent : 1TOTAL members: 435-Senate:*President of the Senate: Thomas R. Marshall*President pro tempore: James P. Clarke-Senate:...
and to the seven succeeding Congresses. He served as chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means
United States House Committee on Ways and Means
The Committee of Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committees unless they apply for a waiver from their party's congressional leadership...
from the Sixty-eighth
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...
through the Seventieth
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...
Congresses.
Green was considered a moderate Republican who worked well as Ways and Means Committee chair with President Calvin Coolidge's
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...
Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew W. Mellon
Andrew W. Mellon
Andrew William Mellon was an American banker, industrialist, philanthropist, art collector and Secretary of the Treasury from March 4, 1921 until February 12, 1932.-Early life:...
. Mellon's primary legislative objectives during Green's tenure involved tax reductions.
Green resigned from Congress after his eighth re-election, when 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...
nominated him on February 20, 1928 as a judge of the United States Court of Claims
United States Court of Claims
The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855 as the Court of Claims, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims , and abolished in 1982....
. In all, Green served in Congress from June 5, 1911, to March 31, 1928. His seat was filled through a special election that coincided with the 1928 primary election, in which Republican Earl W. Vincent
Earl W. Vincent
Earl W. Vincent was a Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 9th congressional district, for less than one year. On June 4, 1928, he won the special election held to succeed William R...
was elected. Green was the third consecutive Representative of Iowa's ninth congressional district who resigned in the middle of their term to accept appointment to the federal bench.
At the time of his judicial appointment, Green was over 71 years old. He served twelve years as a judge with the Court of Claims from April 1, 1928, until May 29, 1940, when he resigned. He was later recalled and served until June 1942.
Green retired from active pursuits and resided at Bellport, New York
Bellport, New York
Bellport is a village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 2,363 at the 2000 census. The village is named after the Bell family, early settlers of the area. The public education system in Bellport makes up the South Country Central School District consisting of six...
, until his death there on June 11, 1947. He was interred in Rock Creek Cemetery
Rock Creek Cemetery
Rock Creek Cemetery — also Rock Creek Church Yard and Cemetery — is an cemetery with a natural rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE in Washington, D.C.'s Michigan Park neighborhood, near Washington's Petworth neighborhood...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Green belonged to the Cosmos Club
Cosmos Club
The Cosmos Club is a private social club in Washington, D.C., founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878. In addition to Powell, original members included Clarence Edward Dutton, Henry Smith Pritchett, William Harkness, and John Shaw Billings. Among its stated goals is "The advancement of its members in...
, the Elks
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order and social club founded in 1868...
, the Knights of Pythias
Knights of Pythias
The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded at Washington, DC, on 19 February 1864.The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded by Justus H. Rathbone, who had been...
, and the Masons
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
.