Samuel M. Shortridge | |
|---|---|
 Portraitc. 1921–1933 | |
| United States Senator fromCalifornia | |
| In office March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1933 | |
| Preceded by | James D. Phelan |
| Succeeded by | William G. McAdoo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1861-08-03)August 3, 1861 |
| Died | January 15, 1952(1952-01-15) (aged 90) |
| Resting place | Oak Hill Memorial Park,San Jose, California, US[1] |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
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| Relatives | Clara S. Foltz (sister) Charles M. Shortridge (brother) |
Samuel Morgan Shortridge (August 3, 1861 – January 15, 1952) was aRepublicanSenator fromCalifornia.
Shortridge was born inMount Pleasant, Iowa and moved to California as a child with his family, who settled inSan Jose in 1875. He attended school until 1879 and became a teacher inNapa County for four years after. He came toSan Francisco in 1883 to practice law.[2]
Shortridge came to prominence as a Republican orator and leading member of theBar Association of San Francisco.[2] He acted asAbe Ruef's attorney during theSan Francisco graft trials.[3]
Shortridge was apresidential elector in1888,1900, and1908.[4] He lost the1914 U.S. Senate Republican primary to veteran congressmanJoseph R. Knowland, who was defeated in the general election byJames D. Phelan. Shortridge was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1920, ridingWarren G. Harding's post World War I "Return to Normalcy" campaign. Defeating Phelan and strong candidates from theProhibition Party andSocialist Party of America, Shortridge won the general election with 49% of the vote. He was reelected in 1926 with 63% of the vote over Democrat John B. Elliott. He served two full terms before being defeated in a primary in 1932.
Shortridge became a prominent voice for racist anti-Japanese forces in California, declaring that a child of Japanese immigrants would regard "himself or herself as a native of Japan. His heart, his affections go out to the native land of the parent.".[5] Shortridge's claims in 1924 were remarkably similar to some of the justifications made for Japanese internment during World War II.[6] Even some senators who wanted to favor northern and western European immigrants found Shortridge's anti-Japanese position unnecessary.[7]
Shortridge served as a special attorney for theJustice Department inWashington, D.C. from 1939 to 1943.
His sister,Clara S. Foltz, became the first female lawyer in California in 1878, and the first female deputy district attorney in the U.S. in 1910. She helped him campaign for the Senate.
His brotherCharles M. Shortridge (1858–1918) was the owner of the San Jose newspaper TheDaily Mercury and purchasedThe San Francisco Call in 1895.[8][9]
He was a member of theBohemian Club. (Varied Types by Edward F. O'Day)
He died inAtherton, California.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee for U.S. Senator fromCalifornia (Class 3) 1920,1926 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 3) from California 1921–1933 | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
