Clare Eugene Hoffman (September 10, 1875 – November 3, 1967) was a United States representative from Michigan's 4th congressional district. Unholy three

Background

Hoffman was born in Vicksburg, Union County, Pennsylvania, where he attended the public schools. He graduated from the law department of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, in 1895.

Career

Hoffman was admitted to the Michigan

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1896 and commenced practice in Allegan, Michigan, where he also became prosecuting attorney for the county from 1904–1910. In 1934, Hoffman ran as the Republican candidate for

Michigan's 4th congressional district Michigan's 4th congressional district is a United States congressional district that from 2003 to 2013 included portions of Northern and Central Michigan, consisting of all of Clare, Clinton, Gladwin, Gratiot, Isabella, Mecosta, Midland, ...

, defeating incumbent Democrat

George Ernest Foulkes George Ernest Foulkes (December 25, 1878 – December 13, 1960) was a United States representative from Michigan. Foulkes was born in Chicago and attended the public schools of Chicago. He graduated from the law department of Lake Forest Unive ...

. Hoffman was elected to the

Seventy-fourth United States Congress The 74th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1935, ...

and was re-elected to the thirteen succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1935 until January 3, 1963. He was seen as "a bitter lone wolf" during much of his time in office, unable to work with either the Democrats or the Republicans. Hoffman voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Hoffman was a vocal opponent of the National Polio Immunization Program, claiming that the U.S. Public Health Service had been heavily infiltrated by Russian-born doctors. In addition, he was known as an anti-Semite with

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

sympathies, even speaking at rallies held for the far-right America First Party (1944). He was chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Departments (

Eightieth Congress The 80th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1947, ...

) and the Committee on Government Operations (

Eighty-third Congress The 83rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1953, until January 3, 1955, during the last two weeks of the Truman administration, with ...

). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1962 to the

Eighty-eighth Congress The 88th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, ...

. Hoffman retired to his home in Allegan, Michigan.

Personal and death

Hoffman died at home, age 92. He was interred at Oakwood Cemetery in Allegan.

Bibliography

Walker, Donald Edwin. "The Congressional Career of Clare E. Hoffman, 1935-63." Ph.D. diss., Michigan State University, 1982.

References

Sources

The Political Graveyard

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Clare 1875 births 1967 deaths People from Union County, Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Old Right (United States) People from Allegan, Michigan Michigan lawyers Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni American anti-communists 20th-century far-right politicians in the United States