Sinclair Weeks | |
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| 13thUnited States Secretary of Commerce | |
| In office January 21, 1953 – November 10, 1958 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Charles W. Sawyer |
| Succeeded by | Lewis Strauss (acting) |
| United States Senator fromMassachusetts | |
| In office February 8, 1944 – December 19, 1944 | |
| Appointed by | Leverett Saltonstall |
| Preceded by | Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Leverett Saltonstall |
| Chair of theMassachusetts Republican Party | |
| In office 1936–1938 | |
| Preceded by | Vernon Marr |
| Succeeded by | Carroll Meins |
| Mayor of Newton | |
| In office 1930–1935 | |
| Preceded by | Edwin Childs |
| Succeeded by | Edwin Childs |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Sinclair Weeks (1893-06-15)June 15, 1893 |
| Died | February 7, 1972(1972-02-07) (aged 78) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Relatives | John Weeks (father) |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Unit | Army National Guard |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Charles Sinclair Weeks (June 15, 1893 – February 7, 1972), better known asSinclair Weeks, was an American politician who served as a United States Senator fromMassachusetts in 1944 and asUnited States Secretary of Commerce from 1953 until 1958, during PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower's administration.
Born inWest Newton, Massachusetts, Weeks was the second child ofJohn Wingate Weeks, who was a United States congressman and Secretary of War, and Martha Aroline Sinclair. His older sister was Katherine Weeks, wife of John Washington Davidge. Weeks graduated fromHarvard College, served on theU.S.-Mexico border with theU.S. National Guard in 1916, and served inWorld War I. He was a businessman in various industries, including theFirst National Bank of Boston, the United Carr Fastener Corporation and as President ofReed & Barton of Taunton Massachusetts.
He served asmayor ofNewton, Massachusetts from 1930 to 1935. He was aUnited States senator fromMassachusetts from February 8, 1944, when he was appointed by GovernorLeverett Saltonstall following the resignation ofHenry C. Lodge Jr., who went to serve inWorld War II, until December 19, 1944, when a new senator was elected. Weeks did not run in that election. Weeks was a member of theUnited States Republican Party and served as the member of aRepublican National Committee from 1941 to 1953. He was the treasurer of the party from 1940 to 1944. Weeks was the president of theAmerican Enterprise Association from 1946 to 1950.
President Dwight Eisenhower appointed him theUnited States Secretary of Commerce from January 21, 1953, until November 10, 1958. Among the signature initiatives of the Eisenhower administration with which Weeks was involved was the Interstate Highway system of 1956. As Secretary of Commerce, he was charged with securing funding for the project.
In the 1960s, Weeks worked with his friend and Republican colleague New Hampshire GovernorSherman Adams and others to ensure that Interstate 93 did not destroy the fragile environment ofFranconia Notch State Park through which the Interstate was intended to run. As a result, Interstate 93 is transformed into the unique eight-mile long scenic Franconia Notch State Parkway before reverting to a major US Interstate. He died on February 7, 1972, at age 78, inConcord, Massachusetts. He is buried in Summer Street Cemetery inLancaster, New Hampshire.
Weeks married the former Beatrice Lee Dowse of Newton MA on December 4, 1915. She was the daughter of William Bradford Homer Dowse, Esq., President of Reed & Barton Silversmiths and granddaughter of Henry Gooding Reed, co-founder of Reed & Barton Silversmiths (1824 - 2015), They had three sons and three daughters, Frances Lee Weeks Hallowell Lawrence, John Wingate Weeks III, Martha Sinclair Weeks Sherrill, Sinclair Weeks Jr, William D. Weeks and Beatrice Weeks Bast. His wife died July 10, 1945, in Lancaster NH. Weeks married Jane Tompkins Rankin of Nashville TN on January 3, 1948. In 1968 he married Alice Requa Palmer Low of San Francisco, CA - widow of AdmiralFrancis S. Low. He had no children by his second or third wives.
In 1941, he and his sister Katherine Weeks Davidge had given their father's summer estate on Mt. Prospect in Lancaster to the State of New Hampshire to be a State Park. They intended the historic Arts & Crafts-style 1913 Lodge and 1912 Observation Tower on the summit to educate the public about sustainable forestry management. TodayWeeks State Park, with its historic 1910 NH Scenic Byway road to the top, Lodge and Tower, attracts thousands of visitors annually to enjoy a panoramic 360-degree view of the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Green Mountains of Vermont.
Due to the illness of his second wife, in 1958 Weeks retired to his farm inLancaster, New Hampshire.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Vernon Marr | Chair of theMassachusetts Republican Party 1936–1938 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Massachusetts 1944 Served alongside:David I. Walsh | Succeeded by |
| Non-profit organization positions | ||
| Preceded by John O'Leary | President of theAmerican Enterprise Association 1946–1950 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of Commerce 1953–1958 | Succeeded by |
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| Class 2 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
