Thaddeus H. Caraway
Encyclopedia
Thaddeus Horatius Caraway (October 17, 1871 – November 6, 1931) was a Democratic Party
politician from Arkansas
who represented the state first in the U.S. House of Representatives (1913-1921) and then in the U.S. Senate (1921-1931).
Caraway was born on a farm near Springhill, Stoddard County, Missouri
, the youngest of three children. His father, Tolbert Caraway, was a country doctor and Confederate
veteran; his mother was Mary Ellen Caraway. When he was 6 months old, his father was assassinated in a feud, leaving his family impoverished. He worked as a farmhand from age 7, then later as a railroad section hand, a farm tenant, and as a share-cropper. He studied at night and attended the common schools as a boy.
In 1883 he moved with his parents to Clay County, Arkansas
; in 1896 he graduated from Dickson College
in Tennessee
, and taught in country schools until 1899. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1900, beginning practice in Osceola, Arkansas
; later that year he moved to Lake City, Arkansas
, and in 1901 he moved again, to Jonesboro
. Each time he continued his practice. In 1902, he married Hattie Wyatt
, whom he had met at Dickson College. Together they had three children, Robert Easley, Forrest, and Paul Wyatt
.
From 1908 to 1912 Caraway served as the prosecuting attorney for the state's second judicial circuit. He was elected to Congress in 1912 from the Arkansas's 1st congressional district
, taking office as a representative in 1913 and serving until 1921. Rather than seek renomination in 1920, he chose to run for the Senate as a Wilson
Democrat, and won; he was reelected in 1926. That same year, he purchased Riversdale at Riverdale Park, Maryland
.
In Congress, Caraway was a progressive and a reformer. He was a vocal critic of the Harding
administration and the Teapot Dome scandal
and he chaired a worked for laws requiring disclosure of activities by lobbyists. He co-authored the McNary–Haugen Farm Relief Bill which would have provided price supports for farm products, although it was vetoed by President Calvin Coolidge
. He supported American entrance into the League of Nations
, bonuses
for World War I
veterans, as well as the Eighteenth
(Prohibition), Nineteenth
(Women's Suffrage), and Twentieth
(Lame Duck) amendments.On May 15, 1921 he introduced a bill to prohibit the enlistment of Africian-Americans in the US Army and US Navy.
He served until his death, which was due to a blood clot in his coronary artery; he died in Little Rock
on November 6, 1931, and lay in state in the Arkansas State Capitol
on November 8. He is buried in Jonesboro. His widow, Hattie Caraway
, was appointed to fill his seat by Governor Harvey Parnell
, and was later elected to fill out his term, becoming the first woman elected to the Senate and only the second to ever serve as a senator.
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...
politician from Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
who represented the state first in the U.S. House of Representatives (1913-1921) and then in the U.S. Senate (1921-1931).
Caraway was born on a farm near Springhill, Stoddard County, Missouri
Stoddard County, Missouri
Stoddard County is a county located in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the population was 29,705. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 29,537. The county seat is Bloomfield while the largest city in the county is Dexter...
, the youngest of three children. His father, Tolbert Caraway, was a country doctor and Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
veteran; his mother was Mary Ellen Caraway. When he was 6 months old, his father was assassinated in a feud, leaving his family impoverished. He worked as a farmhand from age 7, then later as a railroad section hand, a farm tenant, and as a share-cropper. He studied at night and attended the common schools as a boy.
In 1883 he moved with his parents to Clay County, Arkansas
Clay County, Arkansas
Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 16,083. The county has two county seats, Corning and Piggott...
; in 1896 he graduated from Dickson College
Dickson College
Dickson College is a two-year secondary college located in the Canberra suburb of Dickson, Australian Capital Territory. It was created in 1976 when Dickson High School closed....
in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and taught in country schools until 1899. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1900, beginning practice in Osceola, Arkansas
Osceola, Arkansas
-Notable natives & residents:* Bill Alexander, U.S. Representative from First Congressional District, 1969–1993* David Barrett, New York Jets cornerback* Maurice Carthon, former NFL and USFL player and NFL assistant coach...
; later that year he moved to Lake City, Arkansas
Lake City, Arkansas
Lake City is a town in Craighead County, Arkansas in the United States, along the St. Francis River. The population is 2,082 according to the 2010 census. It is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and in 1901 he moved again, to Jonesboro
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state...
. Each time he continued his practice. In 1902, he married Hattie Wyatt
Hattie Caraway
Hattie Ophelia Wyatt Caraway was the first woman elected to serve as a United States Senator. Senator Caraway represented Arkansas.-Biography:...
, whom he had met at Dickson College. Together they had three children, Robert Easley, Forrest, and Paul Wyatt
Paul Caraway
Paul Wyatt Caraway was a United States Army Lieutenant General and the 3rd High Commissioner of the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands. He was the son of two influential Arkansas Senators, Hattie Caraway and Thaddeus Caraway. Caraway graduated from the United States Military...
.
From 1908 to 1912 Caraway served as the prosecuting attorney for the state's second judicial circuit. He was elected to Congress in 1912 from the Arkansas's 1st congressional district
Arkansas's 1st congressional district
Arkansas's 1st congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in northeastern Arkansas that elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives...
, taking office as a representative in 1913 and serving until 1921. Rather than seek renomination in 1920, he chose to run for the Senate as a Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
Democrat, and won; he was reelected in 1926. That same year, he purchased Riversdale at Riverdale Park, Maryland
Riverdale Park, Maryland
Riverdale Park is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Riverdale Park is located at ....
.
In Congress, Caraway was a progressive and a reformer. He was a vocal critic of the 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...
administration and the Teapot Dome scandal
Teapot Dome scandal
The Teapot Dome Scandal was a bribery incident that took place in the United States in 1922–23, during the administration of President Warren G. Harding. Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome and two other locations to private oil companies at low...
and he chaired a worked for laws requiring disclosure of activities by lobbyists. He co-authored the McNary–Haugen Farm Relief Bill which would have provided price supports for farm products, although it was vetoed by President Calvin 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...
. He supported American entrance into 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...
, bonuses
World War Adjusted Compensation Act
The World War Adjusted Compensation Act, or Bonus Act, was a United States federal law passed on May 19, 1924, that granted a benefit to veterans of American military service in World War I.-Provisions:...
for World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veterans, as well as the Eighteenth
Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Eighteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution established Prohibition in the United States. The separate Volstead Act set down methods of enforcing the Eighteenth Amendment, and defined which "intoxicating liquors" were prohibited, and which were excluded from prohibition...
(Prohibition), Nineteenth
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920....
(Women's Suffrage), and Twentieth
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...
(Lame Duck) amendments.On May 15, 1921 he introduced a bill to prohibit the enlistment of Africian-Americans in the US Army and US Navy.
He served until his death, which was due to a blood clot in his coronary artery; he died in Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
on November 6, 1931, and lay in state in the Arkansas State Capitol
Arkansas State Capitol
The Arkansas State Capitol Building, located in Little Rock, is the main house of government of the state of Arkansas.-History:In 1899, the St. Louis architect George R. Mann visited the governor of Arkansas Daniel W. Jones, and presented his drawings of his winning competition design for the...
on November 8. He is buried in Jonesboro. His widow, Hattie Caraway
Hattie Caraway
Hattie Ophelia Wyatt Caraway was the first woman elected to serve as a United States Senator. Senator Caraway represented Arkansas.-Biography:...
, was appointed to fill his seat by Governor Harvey Parnell
Harvey Parnell
Harvey Parnell was the 29th Governor of Arkansas from 1928 to 1933.Harvey Parnell was born in Orlando in Cleveland County, Arkansas. Parnell attended public schools and graduated from Warren High School in Warren, Arkansas...
, and was later elected to fill out his term, becoming the first woman elected to the Senate and only the second to ever serve as a senator.