Frederick H. Gillett | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| United States Senator fromMassachusetts | |
| In office March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1931 | |
| Preceded by | David I. Walsh |
| Succeeded by | Marcus A. Coolidge |
| 37thSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
| In office December 5, 1923 – March 3, 1925 | |
| Preceded by | Champ Clark |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas Longworth |
| In office May 19, 1919 – December 3, 1923 | |
| Preceded by | multi-ballot election |
| Succeeded by | vacancy resolved |
| Leader of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office May 19, 1919 – March 3, 1925 | |
| Preceded by | James Robert Mann |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas Longworth |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's2nd district | |
| In office March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1925 | |
| Preceded by | Elijah A. Morse |
| Succeeded by | George B. Churchill |
| Member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office 1890–1891 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Frederick Huntington Gillett (1851-10-16)October 16, 1851 Westfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | July 31, 1935(1935-07-31) (aged 83) Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Resting place | Pine Hill Cemetery, Westfield, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Christine Rice Hoar |
| Education | Amherst College (BA) Harvard University (LLB) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Frederick Huntington Gillett (/dʒɪˈlɛt/; October 16, 1851 – July 31, 1935) was anAmerican politician who served as the 42ndSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1919 to 1925 and as aU.S. Senator fromMassachusetts from 1925 to 1931. A Republican, Gillett first began his career in politics when he served in theMassachusetts House of Representatives from 1890 to 1891, and would go on to serve in the House from 1893 to 1925. In 1924, at age 73, he became the oldest individual elected to a first term in the U.S. Senate, a record that he would hold untilPeter Welch's victory in the2022 United States Senate election in Vermont at age 75.
Frederick H. Gillett was born inWestfield, Massachusetts, to Edward Bates Gillett (1817–1899) and Lucy Fowler Gillett (1830–1916). He graduated fromAmherst College, where he was a member of theAlpha Delta Phi fraternity, in 1874 andHarvard Law School in 1877. He entered the practice of law inSpringfield in 1877.[1]
Gillett was the AssistantAttorney General of Massachusetts from 1879 to 1882. For two one-year terms he was a member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives. He was elected to theFifty-third United States Congress in 1892.[2]
ARepublican, Gillett served in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1893 to 1925.[3] On January 24, 1914, he introduced legislation to initiate the adoption of anAnti-Polygamy Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.[4]
Republicans gained a net total of 24 seats in the1918 elections, increasing the size of their majority in the House. Gillett was nominated by the Republican caucus forSpeaker of the House in the upcoming66th United States Congress.[5] On May 19, 1919, Congress convened, and he waselected speaker, defeating the Democratic incumbentChamp Clark 228–172.[6] Gillett was expected to exercise less control than his predecessor, since he was characterized by one reporter as someone who did not drink coffee in the morning "for fear it would keep him awake all day".[7] He was reelected as speaker in 1921 and again in 1923.
In 1923, votes cast by theProgressive wing of the GOP resulted in multiple ballots as no Speaker candidate gained a majority. On the ninth ballot, after the Republican leadership agreed to Progressive procedural reforms, Gillet was eventually elected. This was the only time in the 20th century that the House failed to elect a Speaker during the first roll call,[8] and the 14th time in history that election of the Speaker required multiple ballots. The previous occurrence was in 1859 for the36th Congress, which electedWilliam Pennington after 44 ballots.[9] The next occurrence was a century laterin 2023 for the118th Congress,[10] which electedKevin McCarthy after 15 ballots.[11]
Gillett decided to run for theUnited States Senate in 1924. He won the Republican primary easily over two other candidates[12] and then narrowly defeated incumbent SenatorDavid I. Walsh in theRepublican landslide of November 1924 led by PresidentCalvin Coolidge, a former governor of Massachusetts.[13] He was at the time the oldest person ever elected to a first term in the Senate, a record that would stand for98 years.[14]Time magazine chose him for its November 17, 1924 cover.[15] He served one term in the Senate from 1925 to 1931, and decided not to seek re-election in the face of a difficult primary challenge.[16] In June 1930, he declined to state his position on prohibition or its repeal when queried by prohibition advocates.[17]
On November 25, 1915, Gillett married Christine Rice Hoar, the widow of his former colleague in Congress,Rockwood Hoar.[18] In 1934, he published a biography ofGeorge Frisbie Hoar, an earlier congressman and senator from Massachusetts, and his wife's father-in-law from her previous marriage.[19]
During his time in Washington, Gillett spent his free time driving his 1926 Pontiac Coupe and playing golf in the morning. In retirement, he wintered in Pasadena, California. He died in a hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts, on July 31, 1935. Gillett was buried at Pine Hill Cemetery in Westfield.[1]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromMassachusetts (Class 2) 1924 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 2nd congressional district March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1925 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Speaker of the United States House of Representatives May 19, 1919 – March 4, 1921; April 11, 1921 – March 3, 1923; December 3, 1923 – March 3, 1925 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Massachusetts March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1931 Served alongside:William M. Butler,David I. Walsh | Succeeded by |
|  | |
| Post Office and Post Roads (1808–1947) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| (Reform in the) Civil Service* (1893–1947) | ||
| Post Office and Civil Service (1947–1995) | ||
| Note | *Name shortened fromReform in the Civil Service toCivil Service in 1925. | |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 2 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
