Frank L. Greene
Encyclopedia
Frank Lester Greene was a United States Representative and Senator
from Vermont
. Born in St. Albans, Vermont
, he attended the public schools and was employed by the Central Vermont Railway Co. in various capacities from 1883 to 1891. He served in the Vermont National Guard from 1888 to 1900, rising from private to captain; during the Spanish-American War
he recruited an infantry company, serving as captain. He was muster
ed out and commissioned colonel on the staff of the Governor
. From 1891 to 1912 he was reporter and later editor of the St. Albans Daily Messenger, and was president of the Vermont Press Association, 1904-1905. He was a member of the commission to prepare and propose amendments to the Vermont Constitution in 1908.
Greene was elected as a Republican
to the House of Representatives
in the Sixty-second Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of David J. Foster
, and was reelected to the Sixty-third and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from July 30, 1912, until March 4, 1923. He was regent
of the Smithsonian Institution
from 1917 to 1923.
On the evening of February 16, 1924, Senator Greene was walking near an alley on Capitol Hill with his wife when a stray bullet from a prohibition enforcement officer struck Greene in the head. Prohibition agents were in an alley off of Pennsylvania Avenue about to make a move on several men who were selling whiskey from a still inside their car. The bootleggers caught on to the raid and began to run, followed by the agents who were firing shots. Greene and his wife just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The bootleggers were eventually caught and the agents’ tactics questioned. The Senator would remain in critical condition for several weeks. Greene died six years later from related complications.
In 1922 he was elected to the U.S. Senate. Greene was reelected in 1928 and served from March 4, 1923, until his death in St. Albans in 1930. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Enrolled Bills (Sixty-ninth through Seventy-first Congresses). His remains were interred in Greenwood Cemetery.
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 Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. Born in St. Albans, Vermont
St. Albans, Vermont
Places named St. Albans, Vermont:*St. Albans , Vermont, town in Franklin County, Vermont, established in 1763**St. Albans Raid, 1864*St. Albans , Vermont, city in Franklin County, Vermont, established in 1902...
, he attended the public schools and was employed by the Central Vermont Railway Co. in various capacities from 1883 to 1891. He served in the Vermont National Guard from 1888 to 1900, rising from private to captain; during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
he recruited an infantry company, serving as captain. He was muster
Muster
Muster may refer to:* Muster , a process or event for the of accounting for members in a military unit* Muster , the rounding-up of livestock* Muster , a competitive skills event held between fire departments...
ed out and commissioned colonel on the staff of the Governor
Governor of Vermont
The Governor of Vermont is the governor of the U.S. state of Vermont. The governor is elected in even numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years; Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every two years, instead of every four...
. From 1891 to 1912 he was reporter and later editor of the St. Albans Daily Messenger, and was president of the Vermont Press Association, 1904-1905. He was a member of the commission to prepare and propose amendments to the Vermont Constitution in 1908.
Greene 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 House of Representatives
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...
in the Sixty-second Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of David J. Foster
David J. Foster
David Johnson Foster was a U.S. Representative from Vermont.Born in Barnet, Vermont, Foster attended the public schools of his native city and was graduated from the St...
, and was reelected to the Sixty-third and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from July 30, 1912, until March 4, 1923. He was regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
from 1917 to 1923.
On the evening of February 16, 1924, Senator Greene was walking near an alley on Capitol Hill with his wife when a stray bullet from a prohibition enforcement officer struck Greene in the head. Prohibition agents were in an alley off of Pennsylvania Avenue about to make a move on several men who were selling whiskey from a still inside their car. The bootleggers caught on to the raid and began to run, followed by the agents who were firing shots. Greene and his wife just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The bootleggers were eventually caught and the agents’ tactics questioned. The Senator would remain in critical condition for several weeks. Greene died six years later from related complications.
In 1922 he was elected to the U.S. Senate. Greene was reelected in 1928 and served from March 4, 1923, until his death in St. Albans in 1930. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Enrolled Bills (Sixty-ninth through Seventy-first Congresses). His remains were interred in Greenwood Cemetery.