Claude Kitchin | |
|---|---|
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| House Minority Leader | |
| In office 1921–1923 | |
| Preceded by | Champ Clark |
| Succeeded by | Finis Garrett |
| Leader of theHouse Democratic Caucus | |
| In office March 4, 1921 – March 4, 1923 | |
| Preceded by | Champ Clark |
| Succeeded by | Finis J. Garrett |
| House Majority Leader | |
| In office 1915–1919 | |
| Preceded by | Oscar W. Underwood |
| Succeeded by | Frank W. Mondell |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNorth Carolina's2nd district | |
| In office March 4, 1901 – May 31, 1923 | |
| Preceded by | George H. White |
| Succeeded by | John H. Kerr |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1869-03-24)March 24, 1869 |
| Died | May 31, 1923(1923-05-31) (aged 54) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Wake Forest College |
Claude Kitchin (March 24, 1869 – May 31, 1923) was an American politician who served as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives from thestate ofNorth Carolina from 1901 until his death in 1923. A lifelong member of theDemocratic Party, he was electedHouse majority leader for the64th and65th congresses (1915–1919), and minority leader during the67th Congress (1921–1923).
AsWorld War I shifted thefederal government's focus to foreign policy, Kitchin became increasingly alarmed by the prospect of U.S. becoming a combatant. He opposed the President Wilson's preparedness movement and in April 1917 spoke strongly against a declaration of war against Germany.
He was born in 1869, nearScotland Neck, inHalifax County, North Carolina in 1869, the third of 11 children born toWilliam H. and Maria Arrington Kitchin. He attendedVine Hill Academy inScotland Neck, North Carolina.[1]
Kitchen attendedWake Forest College, graduating in 1888. Afterward, he read law and served as assistant registrar of deeds in the county. He was admitted to the bar in September 1890.
During the 1890s, Kitchin helped mobilize theRed Shirts, armed groups of militant white supremacists who rode through rural communities dissuading blacks from voting. These groups functioned as an arm of state'sDemocratic Party, and it was his effectiveness during the run-up to the 1896 and 1898 elections that gave rise to his congressional career.
In 1898, Kitchin helped lead theWilmington insurrection of 1898, a violent coup d'état by a group of white supremacists. At a November 1 rally inLaurinburg, Kitchin was cheered by a crowd of several thousand whites when he proclaimed, "We cannot outnumber the negroes...And so we must either outcheat, outcount or outshoot them." He announced that any black constable attempting to arrest a white man would be lynched.[2] On the day after the election, white citizens of Wilmington expelled opposition black and white political leaders from the city, destroyed the property and businesses of black citizens built up since the Civil War, including the only black newspaper in the city, and killed an estimated 60 to more than 300 people.[3]
Kitchin was first elected to Congress fromNorth Carolina's 2nd district in1900. He was re-elected 11 times, serving until his death.
In Congress, he served on theHouse Ways and Means Committee, chairing the Committee from 1915 to 1919. From 1915 to 1919 he was Housemajority leader; from this position he opposed theWilson administration's "Preparedness" crusade, seeking unsuccessfully to hold down the growth in size of the army and navy.
He was among the few members of Congress who voted against theU.S. declaration of war onGermany in April 1917 (approved 373–50 by the House and 82–6 by theSenate). Afterward, he fully supported the war effort, though he remained a critic of some of the administration's war policies, especially regarding taxation policies. He championed an "excess profits" tax that was steeply progressive over a policy of sellingLiberty Bonds that shifted the financial burden of the war onto future generations.
He married Kate Mills in 1890; they had ten children. His brotherWilliam Walton Kitchin wasgovernor of North Carolina from 1909 to 1913.
After giving an impassioned speech in March 1920 he suffered a severe stroke, from which he never fully recovered. During the winter of 1922–23 he contracted influenza and pneumonia, and, died from complications on May 31, 1923. He is buried in Scotland Neck, North Carolina at the Trinity Episcopal Cemetery.
Media related toClaude Kitchin at Wikimedia Commons| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNorth Carolina's 2nd congressional district 1901–1923 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Oscar W. Underwood Alabama | House Majority Leader 1915–1919 | Succeeded by Frank W. Mondell Connecticut |
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