Frank Moss
Encyclopedia
Frank Edward Moss was a Democratic
United States Senator
from Utah
. He represented Utah in the United States Senate
from 1959 until 1977.
Moss chaired the Consumer Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee where he sponsored a measure requiring detailed labeling on cigarette
packages noting the health hazards of smoking and banning tobacco advertising
on radio
and television
. He also sponsored the Consumer Product Warranty and Guarantee Act (Magnuson-Moss Act), the Toy Safety Act, the Product Safety Act, and the Poison Prevention Packaging Act.
in 1933, and from the George Washington University Law School in 1937.
to Utah Supreme Court
Chief Justice James H. Wolfe in 1939. Moss was elected a judge
of Salt Lake City's Municipal Court in 1940. He was on the Judge Advocate General
's staff of the U.S. Army Air Corps in England
during World War II
. After the war Moss was reelected a Salt Lake City judge. In 1950 he was elected Salt Lake County Attorney
was reelected in 1954.
He ran unsuccessfully in 1956 for the Democratic nomination
for Governor of Utah. In 1958, Moss ran for the U.S. Senate
against two-term incumbent
Arthur V. Watkins
, a close ally of both the Eisenhower administration and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (see also Mormon
), and also against J. Bracken Lee
, a non-Mormon and former two-term Utah governor
(1949–57), who was running as an independent after losing to Watkins in the Republican primary
. The Republican vote was split
in the general election, largely over local dissatisfaction with Watkins' having chaired the committee that censured Senator Joseph McCarthy
, and Moss won election with less than 40 percent of the vote.
Moss was elected to a second term in 1964, defeating Brigham Young University
President Ernest L. Wilkinson
. He was elected to a third term in 1970 defeating four-term Congressman
Laurence Burton. He gained national prominence with regard to environmental
, consumer, and health care
issues. Moss became an expert on water issues and wrote The Water Crisis in 1967. He worked to secure additional national park
s for Utah and started important investigations into the care of the elderly in nursing and retirement homes, and into physicians' abuses of the federal
Medicaid
program. In 1974, Moss joined Senator Frank Church
D-Idaho to sponsor the first legislation to provide federal funding for hospice care programs. The bill did not have widespread support and was not brought to a vote. Congress finally included a Hospice benefit in Medicare
in 1982.
He was also Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences from 1973 to 1977.
Moss ran for a fourth term unsuccessfully in 1976 against Orrin Hatch
, afterwards returning to the practice of law
in Washington, D.C.
and Salt Lake City. To date, Moss is the last Democrat to represent Utah in the U.S. Senate.
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...
United States Senator
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 Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. He represented Utah in the United States Senate
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 1959 until 1977.
Moss chaired the Consumer Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee where he sponsored a measure requiring detailed labeling on cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
packages noting the health hazards of smoking and banning tobacco advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
on radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. He also sponsored the Consumer Product Warranty and Guarantee Act (Magnuson-Moss Act), the Toy Safety Act, the Product Safety Act, and the Poison Prevention Packaging Act.
Early life, marriage, and descendants
Moss was the youngest of seven children of James and Maude Nixon Moss. He married Phyllis Hart on June 20, 1934 who died February 6, 2007. They had four children, Marilyn Moss Armstrong, Frank Edward Moss, Jr., Brian Hart Moss and Gordon James Moss, who later gave Frank and Phyllis 14 grandchildren.Education
Moss graduated from Salt Lake City's Granite High School in 1929, from the University of UtahUniversity of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
in 1933, and from the George Washington University Law School in 1937.
Career
Moss worked on the legal staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 1937 to 1939. He became a law clerkLaw clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
to Utah Supreme Court
Utah Supreme Court
The Utah Supreme Court is the supreme court of the state of Utah, USA. It has final authority of interpretation of the Utah Constitution. The Utah Supreme Court is composed of five members: a chief justice, an associate chief justice, and three justices. All justices are appointed by the governor...
Chief Justice James H. Wolfe in 1939. Moss was elected a judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
of Salt Lake City's Municipal Court in 1940. He was on the Judge Advocate General
Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Army
The Judge Advocate General's Corps of the United States Army is composed of Army officers who are also lawyers and who provide legal services to the Army at all levels of command. The Judge Advocate General's Legal Service includes judge advocates, warrant officers, paralegal noncommissioned...
's staff of the U.S. Army Air Corps in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war Moss was reelected a Salt Lake City judge. In 1950 he was elected Salt Lake County Attorney
State's Attorney
In the United States, the State's Attorney is, most commonly, an elected official who represents the State in criminal prosecutions and is often the chief law enforcement officer of their respective county, circuit...
was reelected in 1954.
He ran unsuccessfully in 1956 for the Democratic nomination
Nomination
Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to an office, or the bestowing of an honor or award.In the context of elections for public office, a candidate who has been selected by a political party is normally said to be the nominee of that party...
for Governor of Utah. In 1958, Moss ran for the U.S. Senate
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...
against two-term incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Arthur V. Watkins
Arthur Vivian Watkins
Arthur Vivian Watkins was a Republican U.S. Senator from 1947 to 1959. He was influential as a proponent of terminating federal recognition of American Indian tribes.-Biography:...
, a close ally of both the Eisenhower administration and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (see also Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
), and also against J. Bracken Lee
J. Bracken Lee
Joseph Bracken Lee was a political figure in the state of Utah, United States. A Republican, he served two terms as the ninth Governor of Utah , six two-year terms as mayor of Price, Utah , and three terms as the 27th mayor of Salt Lake City ., Lee is the most recent Governor of Utah who was not a...
, a non-Mormon and former two-term Utah governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
(1949–57), who was running as an independent after losing to Watkins in the Republican primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
. The Republican vote was split
Split vote
A split vote is normally used synonymously with "deadlocked", "hung", or "evenly split" vote. It indicates a vote in which no decision can be made, as neither side has the majority....
in the general election, largely over local dissatisfaction with Watkins' having chaired the committee that censured Senator Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
, and Moss won election with less than 40 percent of the vote.
Moss was elected to a second term in 1964, defeating Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
President Ernest L. Wilkinson
Ernest L. Wilkinson
Ernest Leroy Wilkinson was an American academic administrator and prominent figure in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was president of Brigham Young University from 1951 to 1971 and also oversaw the entire LDS Church Educational System. Prior to this, Wilkinson was a lawyer...
. He was elected to a third term in 1970 defeating four-term Congressman
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...
Laurence Burton. He gained national prominence with regard to environmental
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, consumer, and health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
issues. Moss became an expert on water issues and wrote The Water Crisis in 1967. He worked to secure additional national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s for Utah and started important investigations into the care of the elderly in nursing and retirement homes, and into physicians' abuses of the federal
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
Medicaid
Medicaid
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
program. In 1974, Moss joined Senator Frank Church
Frank Church
Frank Forrester Church III was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Idaho from 1957 to 1981....
D-Idaho to sponsor the first legislation to provide federal funding for hospice care programs. The bill did not have widespread support and was not brought to a vote. Congress finally included a Hospice benefit in Medicare
Medicare (United States)
Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
in 1982.
He was also Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences from 1973 to 1977.
Moss ran for a fourth term unsuccessfully in 1976 against Orrin Hatch
Orrin Hatch
Orrin Grant Hatch is the senior United States Senator for Utah and is a member of the Republican Party. Hatch served as the chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1993 to 2005...
, afterwards returning to the practice of law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
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....
and Salt Lake City. To date, Moss is the last Democrat to represent Utah in the U.S. Senate.