Wellington D. Rankin | |
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| United States Attorney for the District of Montana | |
| In office 1926–1934 | |
| President | Calvin Coolidge Herbert Hoover Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Associate Justice of theMontana Supreme Court | |
| In office 1924–1925 | |
| Preceded by | Charles H. Cooper |
| Succeeded by | John A. Matthews |
| Attorney General of Montana | |
| In office January 3, 1921 – August 30, 1924 | |
| Preceded by | Sam C. Ford |
| Succeeded by | L. A. Foot |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wellington Duncan Rankin (1884-09-16)September 16, 1884 |
| Died | June 4, 1966(1966-06-04) (aged 81) |
| Party | Republican |
| Relations | Jeannette Rankin (sister) Edna Rankin McKinnon (sister) |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Wellington D. Rankin (September 16, 1884 – June 4, 1966) was aRepublican public official from the state ofMontana.[1][2]
He was born Wellington Duncan Rankin on September 16, 1884 inMissoula, Montana, the son of John and Olive (née Pickering) Rankin. He grew up in a political family, with several of his relatives holding public office. He attendedHarvard University, earning his bachelor's degree in 1905, andHarvard Law School, graduating in 1909.[3] He was aRhodes Scholar.
An attorney by profession, he served in theUnited States Army duringWorld War I. He was electedMontana Attorney General in 1920, and unsuccessfully stood for the Republican Senate nomination in1924. A few days after losing the Senate primary, Rankin was appointed to fill a vacancy as an associate justice of theMontana Supreme Court, a position he held until the end of 1925. He resigned that post to accept an appointment from PresidentCalvin Coolidge asU.S. Attorney for the District of Montana (i.e. the entire state). Rankin was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for governor in 1928, but continued as U.S. Attorney; he was re-appointed to that post by PresidentHerbert Hoover in 1930 and served until 1934.[4] He returned to practicing law until 1942, when he ran for the U.S. Senate against liberal incumbent DemocratJames Edward Murray. He lost to Murray by a vote of 83,673 to 82,461.[5] In 1952, he ran for the House seat being vacated byMike Mansfield, losing to DemocratLee Metcalf by a vote of 55,679 to 54,086 (50.3%-48.9%).[6]
Wellington Rankin's older sister,Jeannette Rankin, was the first woman ever elected to theUnited States Congress. She was electedU.S. Representative in 1916 and again in 1940. A lifelong pacifist, she was one of 50 House members (total of 56 in both chambers) who opposed the war declaration of 1917, and she was the only member of Congress to vote against declaring war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Her vote against the United States enteringWorld War II was highly unpopular, and resulted in her retirement.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Montana 1928 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Thomas Larson | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromMontana (Class 2) 1942 | Succeeded by Tom J. Davis |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Attorney General of Montana 1921–1924 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
