Norris Cotton
Encyclopedia
Norris H. Cotton was an American Republican politician from the state of New Hampshire
.
Norris Cotton was born on a farm in Warren, New Hampshire
. He was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy
in New Hampshire and Wesleyan University
in Connecticut
. While in college, he served as a clerk to the New Hampshire state senate and as a member of the New Hampshire state house of representatives in 1923 as one of the youngest legislators in history. He became a lawyer
after attending The George Washington University Law School
and practiced law in Lebanon, New Hampshire
. He was elected to the state house of representatives again in 1943. He served as majority leader that year and as speaker during 1945.
In 1946 he was elected to the United States House of Representatives
from New Hampshire for the first time. He served until 1954 when he ran for a seat in the United States Senate
from New Hampshire in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles W. Tobey
. He was elected to a full term in 1956, reelected twice and served in the Senate until 1975.
One of his most controversial votes came when he was the only Senator from New England to vote against the Civil Rights Act of 1964
. However, Cotton would vote for later civil rights acts such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968
. He was a prominent leader of his party in the Senate, chairing the Senate Republican Conference from 1973 to 1975. He did not run for reelection in 1974. Three days before his final term ran out Cotton resigned to allow the governor to appoint Louis C. Wyman
.
He was reappointed to the Senate in August 1975 after the election of his successor was contested
. The closest Senate election in history, it went through two recounts at the state level, followed by protracted debate on the Senate floor, until both candidates agreed to a special election. Cotton served as a temporary senator until the September 1975 special election, the result of which was not challenged. Cotton returned to Lebanon, New Hampshire
, where he died at age 88 from natural causes.
The comprehensive cancer center
at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
in Lebanon is named for Senator Cotton.
The federal building in Manchester, New Hampshire
, also bears his name.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
.
Norris Cotton was born on a farm in Warren, New Hampshire
Warren, New Hampshire
Warren is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 904 at the 2010 census. Warren includes the village of Glencliff....
. He was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
in New Hampshire and Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. While in college, he served as a clerk to the New Hampshire state senate and as a member of the New Hampshire state house of representatives in 1923 as one of the youngest legislators in history. He became a 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...
after attending The George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School, commonly referred to as GW Law, is the law school of The George Washington University. It was founded in 1825 and is the oldest law school in Washington, D.C. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a charter member of the...
and practiced law in Lebanon, New Hampshire
Lebanon, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,568 people, 5,500 households, and 3,178 families residing in the city. The population density was 311.4 people per square mile . There were 5,707 housing units at an average density of 141.4 per square mile...
. He was elected to the state house of representatives again in 1943. He served as majority leader that year and as speaker during 1945.
In 1946 he was elected to 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...
from New Hampshire for the first time. He served until 1954 when he ran for a seat 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 New Hampshire in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles W. Tobey
Charles W. Tobey
Charles William Tobey was an American politician, who was a Governor of New Hampshire and a United States senator, was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, the son of William Tobey, an accountant, and Ellen Hall Parker Tobey. His father had moved to Massachusetts from Maine in the 1860s. Charles Tobey...
. He was elected to a full term in 1956, reelected twice and served in the Senate until 1975.
One of his most controversial votes came when he was the only Senator from New England to vote against the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including racial segregation...
. However, Cotton would vote for later civil rights acts such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968
Civil Rights Act of 1968
On April 11, 1968 U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968. Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 is commonly known as the Fair Housing Act, or as CRA '68, and was meant as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964...
. He was a prominent leader of his party in the Senate, chairing the Senate Republican Conference from 1973 to 1975. He did not run for reelection in 1974. Three days before his final term ran out Cotton resigned to allow the governor to appoint Louis C. Wyman
Louis C. Wyman
Louis Crosby Wyman was a U.S. Representative and, for four days, a Senator from New Hampshire.-Early career:...
.
He was reappointed to the Senate in August 1975 after the election of his successor was contested
United States Senate election in New Hampshire, 1974
The 1974 United States Senate Election in New Hampshire was held on November 5, 1974. It resulted in the longest election contest in United States history.-Campaign:Incumbent Senator Norris Cotton announced he would not seek reelection....
. The closest Senate election in history, it went through two recounts at the state level, followed by protracted debate on the Senate floor, until both candidates agreed to a special election. Cotton served as a temporary senator until the September 1975 special election, the result of which was not challenged. Cotton returned to Lebanon, New Hampshire
Lebanon, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,568 people, 5,500 households, and 3,178 families residing in the city. The population density was 311.4 people per square mile . There were 5,707 housing units at an average density of 141.4 per square mile...
, where he died at age 88 from natural causes.
The comprehensive cancer center
Norris Cotton Cancer Center
Norris Cotton Cancer Center is a comprehensive cancer center as designated by the National Cancer Institute, with administrative offices located within the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire....
at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is New Hampshire's only academic medical center and is headquartered on a campus in the heart of the Upper Connecticut River Valley, in Lebanon, New Hampshire....
in Lebanon is named for Senator Cotton.
The federal building in Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
, also bears his name.
External links
- U.S. Senate Historical Office, "Closest Election in Senate History", retrieved November 15, 2006.