Knute Hill (July 31, 1876 – December 3, 1963) was a U.S. Representative from the state of Washington. He was known by the nickname "the Little Giant".Richardson, Darcy: ''Others: Fighting Bob La Follette and the Progressive Movement: Third‑party Politics in the 1920s'', pp. 272-273 (2008)

Background

Born on a farm near

Creston, Illinois Creston is a village in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 627 at the 2020 census, down from 662 in 2010. History Creston was named for its supposed location on the highest point of land between Chicago and the Mississippi Ri ...

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

immigrant parents, Hill moved to De Forest, Wisconsin in 1877 and later to

Red Wing, Minnesota Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, along the upper Mississippi River. The population was 16,547 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Goodhue County. This city is named for early 19th-century Dakota Sioux c ...

in 1889. He attended both Red Wing Seminary and the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis. He graduated from the law department of the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

in 1906. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

the same year and practiced law in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

and

Eau Claire, Wisconsin Eau Claire (; ) (French for "clear water") is a city mostly located in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat, and with a small portion in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. It had a population of 69,421 in 2020, making it the stat ...

from 1908 to 1910. He moved to

Prosser, Washington Prosser () is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Washington, United States. Situated along the Yakima River, it had a population of 5,714 at the 2010 census. History Prosser was long home to Native Americans who lived and fished ...

in 1911. He taught in the public and high schools of

Benton County, Washington Benton County is a county in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 206,873. The county seat is Prosser, and its largest city is Kennewick. The Columbia River demarcates the coun ...

from 1911 to 1922. He also engaged in agricultural pursuits and was a founding member of the Washington State Grange.

Political career

Running as a Farmer-Labor Party candidate in 1924 Hill unsuccessfully contested the 4th congressional district seat in Washington. He received over 13 percent of the votes cast. Hill served as a member of the Washington State House of Representatives from 1927 until 1933. Hill was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-third and to the four succeeding Congresses. He represented the State of

Washington's 4th congressional district Washington's 4th congressional district encompasses a large area of central Washington, covering the counties of Douglas, Okanogan, Grant, Yakima, Franklin, Benton, and Adams, and part of Walla Walla County. The district is dominated by the Ya ...

from March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1943. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1942 to the Seventy-eighth Congress. Hill was Superintendent of the Uintah-Ouray Indian agency at

Fort Duchesne, Utah Fort Duchesne is a census-designated place (CDP) in Uintah County, Utah, United States. The population was 714 at the 2010 census, an increase from the 2000 figure of 621. Fort Duchesne was originally a fort, established by the United States ...

from 1943 until his resignation on March 31, 1944. Hill was a radio commentator in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...

from 1944 to 1946. He was an unsuccessful Independent Progressive candidate for election in 1946 to the Eightieth Congress. Hill served as a consulting appraiser and information clerk in the Bureau of Reclamation, Columbia Basin Project,

Ephrata, Washington Ephrata ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Washington, United States. Its population was 8,477 at the 2020 census. History Ephrata was officially incorporated on June 21, 1909 and was given the county seat for the newly creat ...

, from March 1949 until his retirement in 1951.

Later years

Knute Hill died of a heart attack in his cabin in

Desert Hot Springs, California Desert Hot Springs is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The city is located within the Coachella Valley geographic region. The population was 25,938 at the 2010 census, up from 16,582 at the 2000 census. The city has exp ...

. He was interred in the Terrace Heights Memorial Park, in Yakima, Washington. Records and papers associated with his political career are maintained at the

Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...

in Pullman, Washington.''Guide to Research Collections'' (Washington State University)
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References

External links

*

Knute Hill register of papers in the Washington State University Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Knute 1876 births 1963 deaths American people of Norwegian descent People from Ogle County, Illinois People from Desert Hot Springs, California University of Minnesota alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Washington (state) People from DeForest, Wisconsin People from Red Wing, Minnesota People from Prosser, Washington Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives