Scott Leavitt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMontana's2nd district | |
| In office March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1933 | |
| Preceded by | Carl W. Riddick |
| Succeeded by | Roy E. Ayers |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1879-06-16)June 16, 1879 Elk Rapids, Michigan |
| Died | October 19, 1966(1966-10-19) (aged 87) Newberg, Oregon |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Profession | school principal,Forest Service ranger |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1898 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | 33rd Michigan Volunteer Infantry |
| Battles/wars | Spanish–American War |
Scott Leavitt (June 16, 1879 – October 19, 1966) was aU.S. Representative fromMontana. He served as chairman of theHouse Committee on Indian Affairs.
Scott Leavitt was born inElk Rapids, Michigan in 1879 to Roswell Leavitt, an attorney, member of theMaine House of Representatives and laterMichigan State Senator, a native ofTurner, Maine, where he enlisted in the17th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and his wife Anna C. (Lawrence) Leavitt.[1] Scott Leavitt moved with his parents in 1881 toBellaire, Michigan, where his father Roswell served asprosecuting attorney andcircuit court commissioner.[2]
Scott Leavitt attended the public schools and while in high school enlisted in the Thirty-third Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry, during theSpanish–American War. Leavitt served in the campaign atSantiago, Cuba during the war. After the war he attended theUniversity of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He subsequently moved to Oregon in 1901 and began homesteading in theCoast Range Mountains nearFalls City. There he worked as a school principal in the communities of Falls City, North Yamhill, Dayton, andLakeview, Oregon from 1901 to 1907. In 1907 Leavitt entered theUnited States Forest Service as a ranger at theFremont National Forest in Oregon. He later served inMinnesota and Montana until 1917.
In1922, when incumbent United States CongressmanCarl W. Riddick opted torun for the Senate rather than seek re-election to theUnited States House of Representatives, Leavitt ran to succeed him inMontana's 2nd congressional district. He defeated Preston B. Moss, theDemocratic nominee, by a wide margin to win his first term, and in1924, defeated Joseph Kirschwing by a landslide to win his second term. Leavitt was re-elected in1926 against Harry B. Mitchell, was overwhelmingly re-elected in1928 over B. A. Taylor, and won what would be his fifth and final term in Congress in1930 over Tom Stout.
On March 5, 1932, Leavitt took to the floor of the House to deliver a eulogy to Indian ChiefPlenty Coups. "I have chosen to announce the passing of one who has graced the history of my state of Montana," said Leavitt on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
[Plenty Coup's] life was in truth a symbol of the absorption of the American Indian into the citizenship of the United States," Leavitt continued. "His was one of the finest characters I have ever known.... He was a man of such caliber and such high character, and his service was so outstanding, that it is entirely fitting that the American Congress should pause for a moment to do him reverence.[3]
Leavitt ran for re-election in1932, but was defeated byRoy E. Ayers in a Democratic landslide year that saw Republicans lose over a hundred seats in theUnited States House of Representatives. From the69th United States Congress to the71st United States Congress, Leavitt served as the Chairman of theHouse Committee on Indian Affairs.
Following his defeat for re-election, Leavitt ran for theUnited States Senate in a1934 special election to fill the seat ofThomas J. Walsh, who died in office. He won theRepublican primary against formerState Attorney GeneralWellington D. Rankin, but lost the general election toJames E. Murray in a landslide. After his unsuccessful campaign for the Senate, he started working for the Forest Service again inMilwaukee, Wisconsin, and served as the Commander-in-Chief of theUnited Spanish War Veterans from 1936 to 1937.
He retired from the Forest Service in 1941 and moved toNewberg, Oregon, where Scott Leavitt died on October 19, 1966. He was interred inWillamette National Cemetery nearPortland, Oregon. Scott Leavitt Park in Newberg is named for the Congressman and Forest Ranger.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Albert J. Galen | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromMontana (Class 2) 1934 | Succeeded by Thomas Larson |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | United States Representative for the 2nd Congressional District of Montana 1923–1933 | Succeeded by |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
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| One at-large seat (1993–2023) |
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