Carl Curtis | |
|---|---|
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| United States Senator fromNebraska | |
| In office January 1, 1955 – January 3, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Hazel Abel |
| Succeeded by | J. James Exon |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNebraska | |
| In office January 3, 1939 – December 31, 1954 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Binderup |
| Succeeded by | Phil Weaver |
| Constituency | 4th district (1939–1943) 1st district (1943–1954) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Carl Thomas Curtis (1905-03-15)March 15, 1905 Minden, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | January 24, 2000(2000-01-24) (aged 94) Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Nebraska Wesleyan University |
Carl Thomas Curtis (March 15, 1905 – January 24, 2000) was an American attorney and politician from theU.S. state ofNebraska. He served as aRepublican in theUnited States House of Representatives (1939–1954) and later theUnited States Senate (1955–1979). He remains the second longest-servingSenator fromNebraska.
Curtis was born on his family's farm inKearney County, Nebraska, near the county seat ofMinden. He attended public schools and later attendedNebraska Wesleyan University,[1] where he was a member ofTheta Chi.[2] He studied law on his own, passed the bar exam, and began practicing; he served as the county attorney ofKearney County, Nebraska, from 1931 to 1934.[1]
Curtis was elected to the House of Representatives in 1938 on an anti-New Deal platform. He served from 1939 until 1954, being reelected every two years.[3] He ran for the Senate fromNebraska in1954 and won; subsequently, incumbentHazel Abel resigned, and Curtis was appointed to the seat on January 1, 1955, getting a two-day jump on seniority. Curtis thus became the last of six Senators to serve during the fifteenth Senate term forNebraska's Class 2 seat, from January 3, 1949, to January 3, 1955. He was reelectedthreemoretimes to six-year terms, serving from 1955 to 1979.
Curtis voted in favor of theCivil Rights Acts of 1957,[4]1960,[5]1964,[6] and1968,[7] as well as the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,[8] theVoting Rights Act of 1965,[9] and the confirmation ofThurgood Marshall to theU.S. Supreme Court.[10] Curtis was loyal to the Republican Party, particularly supporting itsanti-communist stances and fiscalconservatism, which included opposition to social programs such as the New Deal and theGreat Society.
During the 1963 investigation of bribery allegations against Democratic Party organizerRobert Baker, Curtis supposedly leaked a secret memorandum to advance his own positions.[11]
A close ally of bothBarry Goldwater andRichard Nixon, Curtis served as floor leader during the1964 Republican National Convention, when Goldwater won the nomination.
During the early 1970s, Curtis supported PresidentRichard Nixon'sVietnam War escalation policy, and remained loyal to him throughout theWatergate Scandal. On August 6, 1974, two days beforeNixon resigned, he implored Congress not to panic. He warned that the United States would become like a "banana republic" if Nixon was ousted in favor of Vice President Ford, who in turn would then select someone to fill the vice presidential slot. He said "this would mean both Ford and the new Vice President would be men who hadn't been elected to their high office, but merely nominated by a President under procedures for filling the vice presidency when it is vacant."[12]
Curtis served as chairman of theSenate Republican Conference from 1975 to 1979.[13]
Following his retirement, Curtis moved toLincoln, Nebraska, where he practiced law, served as an officer of the conservative lobby theAmerican Freedom Coalition, and gave occasional interviews to the media.
Curtis died in Lincoln on January 24, 2000, and is interred at Minden Cemetery in Minden, his longtime hometown. Following his death, he was praised on the floor byStrom Thurmond, a contemporary who had also been first elected to the Senate in 1954.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNebraska's 4th congressional district 1939–1943 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNebraska's 1st congressional district 1943–1954 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromNebraska (Class 2) 1954,1960,1966,1972 | Succeeded by |
| New office | Chair of the Senate Republican Steering Committee 1974–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Republican Conference 1975–1979 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Nebraska 1955–1979 Served alongside:Roman Hruska,Edward Zorinsky | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Space Committee 1971–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Agriculture Committee 1973–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Most senior living U.S. representative (Sitting or Former) 1998–2000 | Succeeded by |
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| Class 2 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
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