Adolph J. Sabath | |
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| 35th Dean of the United States House of Representatives | |
| In office April 1, 1934 – November 6, 1952 | |
| Preceded by | Edward W. Pou |
| Succeeded by | Robert L. Doughton |
| Chair of theHouse Rules Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1949 – November 6, 1952 | |
| Speaker | Sam Rayburn |
| Preceded by | Leo E. Allen |
| Succeeded by | Leo E. Allen |
| In office January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1947 | |
| Speaker | Joseph W. Byrns Sr. William B. Bankhead Sam Rayburn |
| Preceded by | John J. O'Connor |
| Succeeded by | Leo E. Allen |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois | |
| In office March 4, 1907 – November 6, 1952 | |
| Preceded by | Anthony Michalek |
| Succeeded by | James Bowler |
| Constituency | 5th district (1907–49) 7th district (1949–52) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Adolph Joachim Sabath (1866-04-04)April 4, 1866 |
| Died | November 6, 1952(1952-11-06) (aged 86) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Home Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Chicago College of Law |
| Profession | Business (real estate),lawyer |
Adolph Joachim Sabath (April 4, 1866 – November 6, 1952) was an American politician who served as a member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Chicago, Illinois, from 1907 until his death in 1952. From 1934 onward, he served as thedean of the United States House of Representatives. At the time of his death, he had thelongest uninterrupted service in the history of the House, a distinction he retained untilJohn Dingell surpassed him on August 9, 2013.
Born inZáboří,Austrian Empire (now theCzech Republic) into a Jewish family,[1] he immigrated to America at age 15, became active in real estate, and received his LL.B. degree in 1891 from the Chicago College of Law (nowChicago-Kent College of Law). He served in local offices including justice of the peace (1895–1897) and police magistrate (1897–1906) until election to Congress from the Jewish and Czech West Side in 1907. He was active in state and national Democratic party affairs, attending many conventions. In 1911, he received much positive attention in the Czech community in Chicago for his fundraising efforts in the search forElsie Paroubek,[2] and paid for the child's funeral when her body was discovered.[3]
Elected in1906, Sabath was a leading opponent of immigration restrictions andprohibition. In the 1920s he denounced the prohibition factions, theAnti-Saloon League "and their allied forces and co-workers, theKu Klux Klan fanatics." Every year from 1925 to 1933, he consistently submitted bills in the House of Representatives, to amend theEighteenth Amendment and theVolstead Act to allow commerce in beer and wine. In 1929, he came to the defense of his large immigrant constituency by countering claims that they were responsible for the surge in criminal activity during the 1920s. "Thebootlegging and gang killings...are not the by-product but the direct product of the Volstead Act, and the supporters of this crime breeding legislation must claim the new cult of American criminals entirely as their own."[4]
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As a leading Democrat he chaired the powerfulHouse Rules Committee after 1937. He was an ineffective chairman, with a small weak staff, who proved unable to lead his committee, was frequently at odds with the House leadership, and was inclined to write the President little letters "informing" on House SpeakersWilliam B. Bankhead andSam Rayburn.[5]
Beginning on April 1, 1934, he was theDean (longest-serving member) of the House and he served as Dean for 18 years, 7 months, and 5 days: the longest time any person had served as Dean untilJohn Dingell passed him on August 8, 2013.
Sabath was an avidNew Dealer and aninterventionist who strongly supported war againstNazi Germany. It was Sabath who nominated a teenage (laterAdmiral)Hyman G. Rickover to theUnited States Naval Academy. Sabath was also aZionist who supported the recognition ofIsrael and requested the lifting of the American embargo imposed on both sides during the1948 Palestine war.[6]
He died of pancreatic cancer on November 6, 1952, and was buried atForest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois, near Chicago.[7]
Media related toAdolph J. Sabath at Wikimedia Commons| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 5th congressional district March 4, 1907 – January 3, 1949 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 7th congressional district January 3, 1949 – November 6, 1952 | Succeeded by |
Chairs of theU.S. House Committee on Rules (1880–present) | ||
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