Norris Cotton | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cotton in 1965 | |
| United States Senator fromNew Hampshire | |
| In office August 8, 1975 – September 18, 1975 | |
| Appointed by | Meldrim Thomson Jr. |
| Preceded by | Louis C. Wyman |
| Succeeded by | John A. Durkin |
| In office November 8, 1954 – December 31, 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Robert W. Upton |
| Succeeded by | Louis C. Wyman |
| Chair of theSenate Republican Conference | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975 | |
| Preceded by | Margaret Chase Smith |
| Succeeded by | Carl Curtis |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Hampshire's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1947 – November 7, 1954 | |
| Preceded by | Sherman Adams |
| Succeeded by | Perkins Bass |
| Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | |
| In office 1945–1947 | |
| Preceded by | Sherman Adams |
| Succeeded by | J. Walker Wiggin |
| Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | |
| In office 1923–1923 | |
| In office 1943–1947 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1900-05-11)May 11, 1900 Warren, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Died | February 24, 1989(1989-02-24) (aged 88) Lebanon, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Wesleyan University George Washington University Law School |
| Occupation |
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Norris Henry Cotton (May 11, 1900 – February 24, 1989) was an American politician from the state ofNew Hampshire. A member of theRepublican Party, he served as aU.S. representative and subsequently as aU.S. senator.[1]
Cotton was born on a farm inWarren, New Hampshire, and was educated atPhillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire andWesleyan University inConnecticut. He was the son of Henry Lang and Elizabeth (née Moses) Cotton. While in college, he served as a clerk to the New Hampshire State Senate. He also served as a member of theNew Hampshire House of Representatives in 1923 as one of the youngest legislators in history. He became alawyer after attendingGeorge Washington University Law School and practiced law inLebanon, New Hampshire.
Cotton was elected to theNew Hampshire House of Representatives again in 1943, and served as majority leader that year and as Speaker from 1945 to 1947.
In 1946, Cotton was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives fromNew Hampshire's 2nd congressional district for the first time. He served until 1954, when he ran for a seat in theUnited States Senate from New Hampshire in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of incumbent SenatorCharles W. Tobey. He was elected to a full term in 1956, reelected twice and served in the Senate until 1975.
Cotton voted in favor of theCivil Rights Acts of 1957,[2]1960,[3] and1968,[4] as well as the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,[5] theVoting Rights Act of 1965,[6] and the confirmation ofThurgood Marshall to theU.S. Supreme Court,[7] but against theCivil Rights Act of 1964 and theImmigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Cotton was the only New England senator do so.[8] Cotton was one of thirteen Republican senators to vote in favor of Medicare.[9] He was a prominent leader of his party in the Senate, chairing theSenate Republican Conference from 1973 to 1975. He did not run for reelection in 1974. Three days before his final term ran out, Cotton resigned to allow the governor to appointLouis C. Wyman.
Cotton returned to the Senate in August 1975 after theelection of his successor was contested. The closest Senate election in history, it went through two recounts at the state level, followed by protracted debate on the Senate floor, until both candidates agreed to aspecial election.[10] Cotton served as a temporary senator until the September 1975 special election, the result of which was not challenged; Cotton returned toLebanon, New Hampshire. Cotton was the last senator to return to the senate via appointment for 43 years until Arizona's former SenatorJon Kyl wasappointed byGovernorDoug Ducey in 2018 following thedeath of SenatorJohn McCain.
Cotton died on February 24, 1989, in Lebanon, aged 88.[1] He isinterred at School Street Cemetery in Lebanon.
TheNorris Cotton Cancer Center atDartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon is named for him, and a federal building inManchester also bears his name.[11] There is aNew Hampshire historical marker (number 231) in Warren, unveiled in 2012, which says that his rise from humble beginnings "embodied an American way of life."[12]
He had a daughter, Mary Martha Ballou, on February 15, 1925. He married Ruth Isaacs on May 11, 1927. They had no children. Ruth died in 1978 and he married his housekeeper, Eleanor Coolidge Brown, in 1980.[1]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Speaker of theNew Hampshire House of Representatives 1945–1947 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew Hampshire's 2nd congressional district 1947 – 1954 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee for U.S. Senator fromNew Hampshire (Class 3) 1954,1956,1962,1968 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Republican Conference 1973–1975 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 3) from New Hampshire November 8, 1954 – December 31, 1974 Served alongside:Styles Bridges,Maurice J. Murphy, Jr.,Thomas J. McIntyre | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 3) from New Hampshire August 8, 1975 – September 18, 1975 Served alongside:Thomas J. McIntyre | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Commerce Committee 1963–1975 | Succeeded by |
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| Class 3 | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
