E. Harold Cluett | |
|---|---|
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's29th district | |
| In office January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1943 | |
| Preceded by | William D. Thomas |
| Succeeded by | Dean P. Taylor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1874-07-13)July 13, 1874 |
| Died | February 4, 1954(1954-02-04) (aged 79) |
| Resting place | Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, New York |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Robertson Gorham (m. 1899–1943, her death) Catharine Haven ReQua (m. 1946–1954, his death) |
| Children | 6 |
| Education | Williams College Christ Church, Oxford |
| Occupation | Business executive |
Ernest Harold Cluett (July 13, 1874 – February 4, 1954) was an American businessman and politician fromTroy, New York. ARepublican, he was most notable for his service as aUnited States representative from 1937 to 1943.
Cluett was a native of Troy, and was educated atThe Albany Academy,Williams College, andChrist Church, Oxford. He then joined his family's business, clothing manufacturersCluett Peabody & Company. Cluett served successively as the company's treasurer, vice president, and chairman of the board. In addition to his business career, Cluett was active in government and civic causes, including promoting improvements to thePort of Albany–Rensselaer andHudson River. He was a candidate for presidential elector in 1912, and was an elector in 1916. In 1934, he was an unsuccessful candidate for theUnited States Senate.
In 1936, Cluett was a successful candidate for the U.S. House. He was reelected twice and served from 1937 to 1943. During his congressional service, Cluett secured federal approval for the waterways improvements he had long supported, as well as new post office buildings for Troy and several nearby towns. In addition, he obtained passage of measures forflood control and soil erosion control in upstate New York.
After leaving Congress, Cluett lived in retirement in Troy and inPalm Beach, Florida. He died in Troy on February 4, 1954. Cluett was buried atOakwood Cemetery in Troy.
Ernest Harold Cluett was born inTroy, New York on July 13, 1874, a son of George Bywater Cluett and Amanda (Rockwell) Cluett.[1] He attended the public schools and graduated fromThe Albany Academy in 1892.[2] In 1896, he received hisBachelor of Arts degree fromWilliams College, where he was a member of Delta Psi (St. Anthony Hall).[1] Cluett also studied in England atChrist Church, Oxford.[3]
From 1900 to 1916, Cluett served as treasurer ofCluett Peabody & Company, his family's clothing manufacturing company.[4] He became a company vice president in 1916, and served until 1929.[4] From 1929 to 1937, Cluett served as Cluett, Peabody's chairman of the board of directors.[4]
DuringWorld War I, Cluett was head of the employment division of the federal government'sWatervliet Arsenal.[1] He also traveled to France in 1918 on a special mission for theY.M.C.A., and was a member of the Y.M.C.A.'s National War Work Council.[1] In addition, he served as vice chairman of theRensselaer County chapter of theAmerican Red Cross.[4]
From 1917 to 1918, Cluett was president of the Troy Chamber of Commerce.[1] He was also a longtime director of the National City Bank of Troy.[1] In addition, he was a trustee of Troy's Central Y.M.C.A,Samaritan Hospital, andVanderheyden Hall.[4] Cluett was active in theNavy League as a member of the advisory board for the league's Troy section.[5]
ARepublican, in 1912, Cluett was a candidate for presidential elector; he was pledged to incumbentWilliam Howard Taft, but New York was carried by theDemocratic nominee,Woodrow Wilson.[1] In 1916, he was again a candidate for elector; Cluett was pledged toCharles Evans Hughes, who carried New York in the general election, and he cast his ballot for the Republican ticket of Hughes andCharles W. Fairbanks.[1] He was a longtime member of the Rensselaer County Republican Committee's steering committee, and served as chairman of Troy's planning commission.[4]
In 1917, Cluett was a delegate to the annual convention of the Atlantic Deeper Waterways Association.[6] In 1924, he was a delegate to the National Rivers and Harbors Congress that advocated for commercial improvements to America's waterways.[7]
In 1934, Cluett was an unsuccessful candidate for election to theUnited States Senate.[1] He was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives in 1936, and was reelected in 1938 and 1940.[4] Cluett served in the75th,76th and77th United States Congresses, January 3, 1937 to January 3, 1943.[4] He was not a candidate for reelection in 1942.[4] During his U.S. House service, Cluett was most prominent as a member of theCommittee on Post Office and Post Roads.[4]
As a congressman, Cluett was credited with passage of a federal flood control program for Rensselaer,Washington, andWarren Counties, as well as a soil erosion control program forSaratoga County.[4] Cluett also secured passage of the law that preserved the sites of theAmerican Revolution'sBattles of Saratoga as theSaratoga National Historical Park.[4] In addition, he obtained navigation and shipping improvements to thePort of Albany–Rensselaer andHudson River, and new post office buildings in Troy and several other nearby communities.[4] DuringWorld War II, he supported American involvement in the conflict, including voting for theLend-Lease Program, and advocating for greater support from theUnited States Navy to commercial shipping.[4]
In retirement, Cluett resided in Troy andPalm Beach, Florida.[4] He died in Troy on February 5, 1954.[4] Cluett was buried atOakwood Cemetery in Troy.[4]
In October 1899, Cluett married Margaret Robertson Gorham (1877–1943) ofBuffalo, New York.[8] They were the parents of three sons and three daughters—John, William, Gorham, Margaret (Mrs. Page Chapman), Ann ("Nancy") (Mrs. Nelson M. Burroughs), and Jean.[9]
Cluett married Catharine Haven ReQua in 1946; she was the widow of diplomatStewart Johnson.[10]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican Nominee forU.S. Senate from New York (Class 3) 1934 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 29th congressional district 1937–1943 | Succeeded by |
