Sam Hobbs
Encyclopedia
Samuel Francis Hobbs was a U.S. Representative
from Alabama
.
Born in Selma, Alabama
, Hobbs attended the public schools, Callaway's Preparatory School, Marion (Alabama) Military Institute, and Vanderbilt University
at Nashville, Tennessee
, graduating from the law department of the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa in 1908. He was admitted to the bar
in 1908 and commenced practice in Selma. He was appointed judge of the fourth judicial circuit of Alabama in 1921.
Hobbs was elected to the same office in 1923 and served until his resignation in 1926. He then resumed the practice of law. He served as chairman of the Muscle Shoals Commission in 1931 and of the Alabama National Recovery Administration Committee in 1933.
Hobbs was elected as a Democrat
to the Seventy-fourth
and to the seven succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1951). Throughout his congressional service, Hobbs was closely allied with J. Edgar Hoover
, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI). Hobbs was advised by Hoover aide Alexander Holtzoff
, who called himself "Hobbs's brain trust." In 1941, at the behest of Hoover, Hobbs introduced a bill that would have legalized wiretapping by the FBI, or any other government agency, if it was suspected that a felony
was occurring. The bill was supported by Attorney General Robert H. Jackson
, and seemed likely to pass, until Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) chairman James Lawrence Fly
testified against the bill to Congress, and it did not pass. The conflict was much discussed in the national news. Hobbs also passed a bill that would have deported labour leader Harry Bridges
. The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court where the deportation order was canceled. Hobbs was one of the managers appointed by the House of Representatives in 1936 to conduct the impeachment proceedings against Halsted L. Ritter
, judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
.
Sam Hobbs successfully introduced The Hobbs Act, which criminalized at least three distinct forms of criminal conduct: robbery, extortion by force, fear or threat, and extortion under color of law. The Hobbs Act, codified in , is frequently used today in federal prosecutions.
Hobbs did not seek renomination in 1950, but returned to Selma, Alabama
and reestablished his law practice. He died in Selma in 1952 and was interred in Live Oak Cemetery.
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 Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
Born in Selma, Alabama
Selma, Alabama
Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....
, Hobbs attended the public schools, Callaway's Preparatory School, Marion (Alabama) Military Institute, and Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
at Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, graduating from the law department of the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa in 1908. 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 1908 and commenced practice in Selma. He was appointed judge of the fourth judicial circuit of Alabama in 1921.
Hobbs was elected to the same office in 1923 and served until his resignation in 1926. He then resumed the practice of law. He served as chairman of the Muscle Shoals Commission in 1931 and of the Alabama National Recovery Administration Committee in 1933.
Hobbs was elected as a Democrat
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...
to the Seventy-fourth
74th United States Congress
-House:Also 2 Delegates, 3 Resident Commissioners-Senate:*President of the Senate: John N. Garner *President pro tempore: Key Pittman -Majority leadership:*Majority leader: Joseph T. Robinson...
and to the seven succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1951). Throughout his congressional service, Hobbs was closely allied with J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI). Hobbs was advised by Hoover aide Alexander Holtzoff
Alexander Holtzoff
Alexander Holtzoff was a United States federal judge.Born in New York, New York, Holtzoff received an A.B. from Columbia University in 1908, an M.A. from Columbia University in 1909, and an LL.B. from Columbia Law School in 1911...
, who called himself "Hobbs's brain trust." In 1941, at the behest of Hoover, Hobbs introduced a bill that would have legalized wiretapping by the FBI, or any other government agency, if it was suspected that a felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
was occurring. The bill was supported by Attorney General Robert H. Jackson
Robert H. Jackson
Robert Houghwout Jackson was United States Attorney General and an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court . He was also the chief United States prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials...
, and seemed likely to pass, until Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) chairman James Lawrence Fly
James Lawrence Fly
James Lawrence Fly was an influential American lawyer, famous as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and, later, director of the American Civil Liberties Union...
testified against the bill to Congress, and it did not pass. The conflict was much discussed in the national news. Hobbs also passed a bill that would have deported labour leader Harry Bridges
Harry Bridges
Harry Bridges was an Australian-American union leader, in the International Longshore and Warehouse Union , a longshore and warehouse workers' union on the West Coast, Hawaii and Alaska which he helped form and led for over 40 years...
. The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court where the deportation order was canceled. Hobbs was one of the managers appointed by the House of Representatives in 1936 to conduct the impeachment proceedings against Halsted L. Ritter
Halsted L. Ritter
Halsted Lockwood Ritter was an American lawyer and judge. He served in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida but was impeached and removed from office, only the fourth official to be removed.-Early life and education:Ritter was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1868...
, judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida is the federal United States district court with jurisdiction over the southern part of the state of Florida....
.
Sam Hobbs successfully introduced The Hobbs Act, which criminalized at least three distinct forms of criminal conduct: robbery, extortion by force, fear or threat, and extortion under color of law. The Hobbs Act, codified in , is frequently used today in federal prosecutions.
Hobbs did not seek renomination in 1950, but returned to Selma, Alabama
Selma, Alabama
Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....
and reestablished his law practice. He died in Selma in 1952 and was interred in Live Oak Cemetery.