Francis Henry Shoemaker (April 25, 1889 – July 24, 1958) was a

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

Early life

Shoemaker was born on a farm in Flora Township, Renville County, Minnesota, and was self-educated with his mother’s assistance. He engaged in agricultural pursuits and worked for many farm and labor organizations. He was a charter member and organizer of the

Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to i ...

. While Shoemaker was an organizer for the

Nonpartisan League The Nonpartisan League (NPL) was a left-wing political party founded in 1915 in North Dakota by Arthur C. Townley, a former organizer for the Socialist Party of America. On behalf of small farmers and merchants, the Nonpartisan League advocat ...

in 1920 he was attacked by the pastor of his church as Shoemaker had claimed that despite not being physically fit to enter the army and having a dependent wife was drafted with him being the only married man in the area to be so, but did not appeal the decision. In actuality other married men were drafted, Shoemaker was deemed physically fit, and had filed an appeal to the draft board.

Career

In 1924 he assisted in organizing the

Federated Farmer-Labor Party Federated may refer to: * Federated state, a constituent state within a federal state * Federated school, a model of administration in some educational institutions * Federated congregation, a type of religious congregation Computing * Fed ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...