Simeon Davison Fess (December 11, 1861December 23, 1936) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician and educator from

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, United States. He served in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

(1915 to 1923) and U.S. Senate (1923 to 1935).

Early life

Born on a farm near

Harrod, Ohio Harrod is a village in Allen County, Ohio, United States. The population was 417 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Lima, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. History A post office called Harrod has been in operation since 1884. The villag ...

, to Henry and Barbara (Herring) Fess, he was educated in country schools and graduated at

Ohio Northern University Ohio Northern University (Ohio Northern or ONU) is a private United Methodist Church–affiliated university in Ada, Ohio. Founded by Henry Solomon Lehr in 1871, ONU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It offers over 60 programs to ...

(ONU) of

Ada Ada may refer to: Places Africa * Ada Foah, a town in Ghana * Ada (Ghana parliament constituency) * Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria Asia * Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, T ...

in 1889 and married Eva C. Thomas the following year. After graduation, he taught history and law at the university as well was working in the university administration from 1889 to 1896. Fess graduated from the law department at ONU in 1894 and served as dean of that department from 1896 to 1900. He then served as vice president of the university from 1900 to 1902. He left for

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

to become a graduate student and lecturer at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

from 1902 to 1907. He then returned to Ohio and served as the president of

Antioch College Antioch College is a private liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1852 as a non-sectarian institution; politician and education reformer Horace Mann was its ...

of Yellow Springs from 1907 to 1917.

Politics

In 1912, while still serving at Antioch College, Fess was a delegate to the state constitutional convention as well as being elected as a

to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1923 ( 6th district 1913–15, 7th district 1915–23). He served as chairman of the

Committee on Education (Parliamentary) Committee on Education ( sv, utbildningsutskottet) (UbU) is a parliamentary committee in the Swedish Riksdag. The committee's areas of responsibility concern School, Preschool, Higher education, Research on Education, alo ...

during the Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Congresses, and chairman of the

Republican National Congressional Committee The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives. The NRCC was formed in 1866, when the Republican caucuses of the House and ...

from 1918 to 1922. In 1922, he did not seek re-election, but ran for the U.S. Senate and won, serving from March 4, 1923, to January 3, 1935. He served as chairman of the Committee on the Library during Sixty-ninth through Seventy-second Congresses, and as

Republican Whip Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are e ...

from 1929 to 1933. He also served as chairman of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in ...

1930–32. After his appointment, the ''

Cincinnati Enquirer ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, alt ...

'' referred to Fess as a "party wheelhouse and stand patter of the most approved type," and added "It was Senator Fess's proven ability not only to defend, but to eulogize, the acts of Republican administrations, no matter how unpopular they may be, that led to his selection as national chairman." Fess campaigned for the reelection of President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gre ...

by claiming Hoover was "the country's greatest peacetime leader,"Marion hioStar, October 5, 1932, p. 1. a hard sell in the fall of 1932. That speech, a month before the presidential election, was delivered to just 150 listeners, a sign of the Republican Party's problems in mid- Depression. He was an unsuccessful candidate for a third term as senator in 1934.

Retirement and death

Fess was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

, an editor, an author and a member of the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was found ...

. He died in Washington, D.C., at the age of 75 and is interred at Glen Forest Cemetery in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

References

External links

*
Political Graveyard

Congress Bioguide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fess, Simeon D. 1861 births 1936 deaths Antioch College Claude W. Pettit College of Law alumni Ohio Constitutional Convention (1912) Ohio Northern University alumni People from Harrod, Ohio People from Yellow Springs, Ohio Presidents of Antioch College Republican National Committee chairs Republican Party United States senators from Ohio Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 20th-century American politicians