Ellsworth Brewer Buck (July 3, 1892 – August 14, 1970) was a Republican member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

during the 1940s.

Early years

Buck was born in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and attended

Morgan Park Academy Morgan Park Academy (MPA) is a coeducational, college preparatory, independent day school serving pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. It is located in the Morgan Park neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1873, Morg ...

. He graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

in 1914 and enlisted in the

United States Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

in 1917. He became a meteorology instructor following his training at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

. He moved to

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

in 1919 where he served as chairman of the board of L.A. Dreyfus Co. (before that chewing gum company moved to

Edison, New Jersey Edison is a Township (New Jersey), township located in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central Jersey, Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan River, Raritan Valley r ...

and was subsequently purchased by Wrigley) Buck served as chairman of the Chewing Gum Code Authority from 1934 to 1935 and became a member of the

New York City Board of Education The Panel for Educational Policy of the Department of Education of the City School District of the City of New York, abbreviated as the Panel for Educational Policy and also known as the New York City Board of Education, is the governing body of ...

in 1935. He was vice president of the

from 1938 until 1942, and president from 1942 until 1944.

Political career

Buck was elected to Congress in 1944 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

James A. O'Leary James Aloysius O'Leary (April 23, 1889 – March 16, 1944) was an American lawyer and businessman who served five terms as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York from 1935 to 1944. Early life and care ...

. He served from June 6, 1944 until January 3, 1949, serving in the Seventy-eighth United States Congress,

Seventy-ninth United States Congress The 79th 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, 19 ...

and

Eightieth United States 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, D.C. from January 3, 1947 ...

. While in Congress, Buck strongly backed the Taft-Hartley Act, opposed by organized labor; and voted in favor of a proposal to ban the

poll tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. ''Poll'' is an archaic term for "head" or "top of the head". The sen ...

, a device which kept southern blacks from voting. He did not run for reelection in 1948. Also, while representing

, he was an opponent of the establishment of the

Fresh Kills Landfill The Fresh Kills Landfill was a landfill covering in the borough of Staten Island in New York City, United States. The name comes from the landfill's location along the banks of the Fresh Kills estuary in western Staten Island. The landfill op ...

Retirement

On April 5, 1949, months following his retirement from Congress, Buck was shot and seriously wounded by a gunman while crossing the street on Stuyvesant Place outside

Staten Island Borough Hall Staten Island Borough Hall is the primary municipal building for the borough of Staten Island in New York City. It is located at 10 Richmond Terrace, next to the Richmond County Courthouse and opposite the St. George Terminal of the Staten Isla ...

. The assailant, Charles Van Newkirk, was a dismissed Merchant Marine engineer who was disgruntled after Buck, as chairman of a House Education and Labor subcommittee, denied his appeal to regain his position. Following his recovery, Buck served as a delegate to the

1952 Republican National Convention The 1952 Republican National Convention was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois from July 7 to 11, 1952, and nominated Dwight David Eisenhower, Dwight D. Eisenhower of New York (state), New York, nicknamed "Ike", for Pres ...

. He was director of the Office of Trade Investment and Monetary Affairs in 1954, and was public advisor of the United States delegation to the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized ...

Geneva, Switzerland Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Ca ...

in 1955. Buck died at his home in

Stephenson, Wisconsin Stephenson is a town in Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,065 at the 2000 census. History The town of Stephenson was organized in 1897 with the name of Crivitz and changed to its current name in 1905. The town is ...

in 1970 and was cremated. His ashes were placed in Thunder Mountain Ranch Cemetery.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buck, Ellsworth, B. 1892 births 1970 deaths Politicians from Chicago Politicians from Staten Island Morgan Park Academy alumni Dartmouth College alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Marinette County, Wisconsin 20th-century New York (state) politicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives