George William Norris
Encyclopedia
George William Norris was a U.S.
politician from the state of Nebraska
and a leader of progressive
and liberal
causes in Congress. He served five terms in the United States House of Representatives
as a Republican
from 1903 until 1913 and five terms in the United States Senate
from 1913 until 1943, four terms as a Republican and the final term as an Independent
.
Norris was born in 1861 in York Township
, Sandusky County
, Ohio
and was the eleventh child of poor, uneducated, farmers of Scots-Irish and Pennsylvania Dutch
descent. He graduated from Baldwin University and earned his LL.B. degree in 1883 at the law school of Valparaiso University
. He moved to Beaver City, Nebraska
to practice law. In 1889 he married Pluma Lashley; the couple had three daughters before her 1901 death. Norris then married Ellie Leonard in 1903; they had no children.
in 1900, where he became active in local politics. In 1902, running as a Republican, he was elected to the House of Representatives
for Nebraska's 5th congressional district
. In that election, he was supported by the railroads; however, in 1906 he broke with them, supporting Theodore Roosevelt
's plans to regulate rates for the benefit of shippers, such as the merchants who lived in his district. A prominent insurgent after 1908, he led the revolt against Speaker Joseph G. Cannon in 1910. By a vote of 191 to 156, the House created a new system in which seniority would automatically move members ahead, even against the wishes of the leadership.
In January 1911, he helped create The National Progressive Republican League and was its vice president. He originally supported Robert M. La Follette, Sr.
for the 1912 nomination, but then switched to Roosevelt. However, he refused to bolt the convention and join Roosevelt's Progressive Party
and instead ran for the Senate
as a Republican. As a leading Progressive Republican, Norris supported the direct election of senators
. He also promoted the conversion of all state legislatures to the unicameral system
. This was implemented in 1934 in the Nebraska Legislature
; however, all other states have retained a two-house system.
Norris supported some of Wilson's programs but became a firm isolationist
, fearing that bankers were manipulating the country into war. In the face of enormous pressure from the media and the administration, Norris was one of only six senators to vote against the declaration of war on Germany
in 1917.
Looking at the war in Europe he said, "Many instances of cruelty and inhumanity can be found on both sides." Norris believed that the government wanted to take part in this war only because the wealthy had already aided British financially in the war. He told Congress that the only people who would benefit from the war were "munition manufacturers, stockbrokers, and bond dealers," adding that "war brings no prosperity to the great mass of common and patriotic citizens.... War brings prosperity to the stock gambler on Wall Street–to those who are already in possession of more wealth than can be realized or enjoyed."
He joined the "irreconcilables" who vehemently opposed and defeated the Treaty of Versailles
and the League of Nations
in 1919.
Seniority brought him the chairmanship of the Agriculture and Forestry
and the Judiciary
committees. Norris was a leader of the Farm Bloc, advocated the rights of labor, sponsored the ("Lame Duck") Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution
, and proposed to abolish the Electoral College. He failed on these issues in the 1920s, but did block Henry Ford's
proposals to modernize the Tennessee Valley
, insisting that it be a project the government should handle. Although a nominal Republican (which was essential to his seniority), he routinely attacked and voted against the Republican administrations of Harding
, Coolidge
, and Hoover
. Norris supported Democrats Al Smith
in 1928 and Franklin D. Roosevelt
in 1932. Republicans regulars called him one of the "sons of the wild jackass."
In 1932, along with Fiorello H. La Guardia, then a U.S. Representative from New York, Norris secured passage of the Norris-La Guardia Act. This outlawed the practice of requiring prospective employees not to join a labor union as a condition of employment (the so-called yellow-dog contract
) and greatly limited the use of court injunction
s against strikes.
A staunch supporter of President Roosevelt's New Deal programs
, Norris sponsored the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933
. In appreciation, the TVA Norris Dam and a new planned city in Tennessee
were named after him. Norris was also the prime Senate mover behind the Rural Electrification Act
that brought electrical service to underserved and unserved rural areas across the United States. It is also a testament to Norris' belief in "public power" that there have been no privately owned electric utilities operating in Nebraska since the late 1940s.
Norris believed in the wisdom of the common people and in the progress of civilization. "To get good government and to retain it, it is necessary that a liberty-loving, educated, intelligent people should be ever watchful, to carefully guard and protect their rights and liberties," Norris said in a 1934 speech titled, "The Model Legislature." The people were capable of being the government, he said, affirming his populist/progressive credentials.
Norris left the GOP in 1936 (since seniority in the minority party was useless, and the Democrats offered him chairmanships) and was re-elected to the Senate
as an Independent
with some Democratic Party support in 1936. Norris won with 43.8% of the vote, against Republican former congressman Robert G. Simmons
(who came in second) and Democratic former congressman Terry Carpenter
(who came in a distant third).
Norris opposed Roosevelt's plan to pack the Supreme Court
, and railed against corrupt patronage. In late 1937 when Norris saw the famous photograph "Bloody Saturday
" (showing a burned Chinese baby crying in a bombed-out train station), he shifted his stance on isolationism and non-interventionism
. Siding against Japanese violence in China, he called the Japanese "disgraceful, ignoble, barbarous, and cruel, even beyond the power of language to describe."
Unable to secure Democratic support in the state in 1942, he was defeated by Republican Kenneth S. Wherry
.
's Profiles in Courage
.
The principal north-south road through downtown McCook, Nebraska is named George Norris Avenue. Norris's house
in McCook is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
, and is operated as a museum by the Nebraska State Historical Society.
George W. Norris Middle school in Omaha, Nebraska, the George W. Norris K - 12 school system near Firth, Nebraska
, and George W. Norris Elementary School in Millard Public Schools stand as a memorial to the late Senator.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician from the state of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
and a leader of progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
and liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
causes in Congress. He served five terms in the United States 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...
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...
from 1903 until 1913 and five terms 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 1913 until 1943, four terms as a Republican and the final term as an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
.
Norris was born in 1861 in York Township
York Township, Sandusky County, Ohio
York Township is one of the twelve townships of Sandusky County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, 2,512 people lived in the township.-Geography:Located in the southeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...
, Sandusky County
Sandusky County, Ohio
Sandusky County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,944. Its county seat is Fremont and it is named for a native word meaning "water" ....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and was the eleventh child of poor, uneducated, farmers of Scots-Irish and Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
descent. He graduated from Baldwin University and earned his LL.B. degree in 1883 at the law school of Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University, known colloquially as Valpo, is a regionally accredited private university located in the city of Valparaiso in the U.S. state of Indiana. Founded in 1859, it consists of five undergraduate colleges, a graduate school, a nursing school and a law school...
. He moved to Beaver City, Nebraska
Beaver City, Nebraska
Beaver City is a city in Furnas County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 641 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Furnas County.-Geography:Beaver City is located at ....
to practice law. In 1889 he married Pluma Lashley; the couple had three daughters before her 1901 death. Norris then married Ellie Leonard in 1903; they had no children.
Political career
Norris relocated to the larger town of McCookMcCook, Nebraska
McCook is a city in Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,994 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Red Willow County...
in 1900, where he became active in local politics. In 1902, running as a Republican, he was elected 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...
for Nebraska's 5th congressional district
Nebraska's 5th congressional district
Nebraska's 5th congressional district is an obsolete district. It was created after the 1890 census and abolished after the 1940 census.-References:*...
. In that election, he was supported by the railroads; however, in 1906 he broke with them, supporting Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
's plans to regulate rates for the benefit of shippers, such as the merchants who lived in his district. A prominent insurgent after 1908, he led the revolt against Speaker Joseph G. Cannon in 1910. By a vote of 191 to 156, the House created a new system in which seniority would automatically move members ahead, even against the wishes of the leadership.
In January 1911, he helped create The National Progressive Republican League and was its vice president. He originally supported Robert M. La Follette, Sr.
Robert M. La Follette, Sr.
Robert Marion "Fighting Bob" La Follette, Sr. , was an American Republican politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, was the Governor of Wisconsin, and was also a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin...
for the 1912 nomination, but then switched to Roosevelt. However, he refused to bolt the convention and join Roosevelt's Progressive Party
Progressive Party (United States, 1912)
The Progressive Party of 1912 was an American political party. It was formed after a split in the Republican Party between President William Howard Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt....
and instead ran for the 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...
as a Republican. As a leading Progressive Republican, Norris supported the direct election of senators
Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established direct election of United States Senators by popular vote. The amendment supersedes Article I, § 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by state legislatures...
. He also promoted the conversion of all state legislatures to the unicameral system
Unicameralism
In government, unicameralism is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a unicameral parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house...
. This was implemented in 1934 in the Nebraska Legislature
Nebraska Legislature
The Nebraska Legislature is the supreme legislative body of the State of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County....
; however, all other states have retained a two-house system.
Norris supported some of Wilson's programs but became a firm isolationist
Isolationism
Isolationism is the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by...
, fearing that bankers were manipulating the country into war. In the face of enormous pressure from the media and the administration, Norris was one of only six senators to vote against the declaration of war on Germany
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
in 1917.
Looking at the war in Europe he said, "Many instances of cruelty and inhumanity can be found on both sides." Norris believed that the government wanted to take part in this war only because the wealthy had already aided British financially in the war. He told Congress that the only people who would benefit from the war were "munition manufacturers, stockbrokers, and bond dealers," adding that "war brings no prosperity to the great mass of common and patriotic citizens.... War brings prosperity to the stock gambler on Wall Street–to those who are already in possession of more wealth than can be realized or enjoyed."
He joined the "irreconcilables" who vehemently opposed and defeated the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
and the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
in 1919.
Seniority brought him the chairmanship of the Agriculture and Forestry
United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
The Committee of Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of all matters relating to the nation's agriculture industry, farming programs, forestry and logging, and legislation relating to nutrition and...
and the Judiciary
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary is a standing committee of the United States Senate, of the United States Congress. The Judiciary Committee, with 18 members, is charged with conducting hearings prior to the Senate votes on confirmation of federal judges nominated by the...
committees. Norris was a leader of the Farm Bloc, advocated the rights of labor, sponsored the ("Lame Duck") Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution establishes the beginning and ending of the terms of the elected federal offices. It also deals with scenarios in which there is no President-elect...
, and proposed to abolish the Electoral College. He failed on these issues in the 1920s, but did block Henry Ford's
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
proposals to modernize the Tennessee Valley
Tennessee Valley
The Tennessee Valley is the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and is largely within the U.S. state of Tennessee. It stretches from southwest Kentucky to northwest Georgia and from northeast Mississippi to the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina...
, insisting that it be a project the government should handle. Although a nominal Republican (which was essential to his seniority), he routinely attacked and voted against the Republican administrations of Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
, 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...
, and 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...
. Norris supported Democrats Al Smith
Al Smith
Alfred Emanuel Smith. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American statesman who was elected the 42nd Governor of New York three times, and was the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928...
in 1928 and 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...
in 1932. Republicans regulars called him one of the "sons of the wild jackass."
In 1932, along with Fiorello H. La Guardia, then a U.S. Representative from New York, Norris secured passage of the Norris-La Guardia Act. This outlawed the practice of requiring prospective employees not to join a labor union as a condition of employment (the so-called yellow-dog contract
Yellow-dog contract
A yellow-dog contract is an agreement between an employer and an employee in which the employee agrees, as a condition of employment, not to be a member of a labor union...
) and greatly limited the use of court injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
s against strikes.
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...
, Norris sponsored the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
. In appreciation, the TVA Norris Dam and a new planned city in Tennessee
Norris, Tennessee
Norris is a city in Anderson County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 1,446 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
were named after him. Norris was also the prime Senate mover behind the Rural Electrification Act
Rural Electrification Act
The Rural Electrification Act of 1936 provided federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve rural areas of the United States....
that brought electrical service to underserved and unserved rural areas across the United States. It is also a testament to Norris' belief in "public power" that there have been no privately owned electric utilities operating in Nebraska since the late 1940s.
Norris believed in the wisdom of the common people and in the progress of civilization. "To get good government and to retain it, it is necessary that a liberty-loving, educated, intelligent people should be ever watchful, to carefully guard and protect their rights and liberties," Norris said in a 1934 speech titled, "The Model Legislature." The people were capable of being the government, he said, affirming his populist/progressive credentials.
Norris left the GOP in 1936 (since seniority in the minority party was useless, and the Democrats offered him chairmanships) and was re-elected to the 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...
as an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
with some Democratic Party support in 1936. Norris won with 43.8% of the vote, against Republican former congressman Robert G. Simmons
Robert G. Simmons
Robert Glenmore Simmons was a Nebraska Republican politician.Simmons was born on December 25, 1891 near Scottsbluff, Nebraska. He attended Hastings College from 1909 to 1911 and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1915. He was admitted to the bar in 1915 and set up practice in Gering, Nebraska...
(who came in second) and Democratic former congressman Terry Carpenter
Terry Carpenter
Terry McGovern Carpenter was a Nebraska politician. Though he changed his party five times, he was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives and later served 22 years in the Nebraska Legislature. He also unsuccessfully ran for the Senate, Governor and Lieutenant...
(who came in a distant third).
Norris opposed Roosevelt's plan to pack the Supreme Court
Judiciary Reorganization Bill of 1937
The Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937, frequently called the court-packing plan, was a legislative initiative proposed by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt to add more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. Roosevelt's purpose was to obtain favorable rulings regarding New Deal legislation that...
, and railed against corrupt patronage. In late 1937 when Norris saw the famous photograph "Bloody Saturday
Bloody Saturday (photograph)
Bloody Saturday is the name of a black-and-white photograph that was published widely in September–October 1937 and in less than a month had been seen by more than 136 million viewers. Depicting a Chinese baby crying within the bombed-out ruins of Shanghai South Railway Station, the photograph...
" (showing a burned Chinese baby crying in a bombed-out train station), he shifted his stance on isolationism and non-interventionism
United States non-interventionism
Non-interventionism, the diplomatic policy whereby a nation seeks to avoid alliances with other nations in order to avoid being drawn into wars not related to direct territorial self-defense, has had a long history in the United States...
. Siding against Japanese violence in China, he called the Japanese "disgraceful, ignoble, barbarous, and cruel, even beyond the power of language to describe."
Unable to secure Democratic support in the state in 1942, he was defeated by Republican Kenneth S. Wherry
Kenneth S. Wherry
Kenneth Spicer Wherry was a Republican United States Senator from Nebraska.-Early life:He was born in Liberty, Gage County, Nebraska. He graduated from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi, in 1914...
.
Memorials
Norris is one of eight senators profiled in John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's Profiles in Courage
Profiles in Courage
Profiles in Courage is a 1955 Pulitzer Prize-winning biography describing acts of bravery and integrity by eight United States Senators throughout the Senate's history. The book profiles senators who crossed party lines and/or defied the public opinion of their constituents to do what they felt was...
.
The principal north-south road through downtown McCook, Nebraska is named George Norris Avenue. Norris's house
George W. Norris House
Senator George William Norris House, also known as George W. Norris House, is a house built in 1899 in McCook, Nebraska. It was a home of U.S. Senator George W...
in McCook is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, and is operated as a museum by the Nebraska State Historical Society.
George W. Norris Middle school in Omaha, Nebraska, the George W. Norris K - 12 school system near Firth, Nebraska
Firth, Nebraska
Firth is a village in Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 564 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Firth is located at ....
, and George W. Norris Elementary School in Millard Public Schools stand as a memorial to the late Senator.
External links
- Senator George Norris State Historic Site operated by the Nebraska State Historical SocietyNebraska State Historical SocietyThe Nebraska State Historical Society is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information .....
- George W. Norris: U.S. Legislator from Nebraska -a learning resource