Frank Eugene Hook
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Frank Eugene Hook (May 26, 1893 – June 21, 1982) was a politician from the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
.


Early life

Hook was born in
L'Anse, Michigan L'Anse ( ) is a village and the county seat of Baraga County, Michigan in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,874 at the 2020 census. The village is located within L'Anse Township in the Upper Peninsula and partially inside the L'A ...
and graduated from L'Anse High School in 1912. He attended the College of Law of the
University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catho ...
and graduated from the law department of
Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus. The university is known for its Luthe ...
in 1918. He served in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
Infantry during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
from July 1918 until February 1919. After the war, he was employed in lumber woods and as an iron ore miner and also as a law clerk at
Wakefield, Michigan Wakefield is a city in Gogebic County, Michigan, Gogebic County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,702 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Wakefield is located in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsu ...
, 1919–1924. He was a member of the board of supervisors of
Gogebic County Gogebic County ( or ) is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,380. The county seat is Bessemer. Gogebic County is the westernmost county in Michigan, and is one of four ...
, 1921–1923. Admitted to the
bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...
in 1924, he commenced practice in Wakefield. He was admitted to practice before the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
in 1936. He also served as city commissioner of Wakefield from 1921 to 1923 and as municipal judge of Wakefield in 1924 and 1925. Hook moved to
Ironwood Ironwood is a common name for many woods that have a reputation for hardness, or specifically a wood density that is denser than water (approximately 1000 kg/m3, or 62 pounds per cubic foot), although usage of the name ironwood in English ma ...
in 1925 and continued the practice of law. He was president of WJMS Radio Station in Ironwood, 1930–1933 and was a delegate to
Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...
s in
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...
,
1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *Janu ...
,
1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...
, and
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
.


Political career

In 1934, Hook was the Democratic Party candidate from
Michigan's 12th congressional district Michigan's 12th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in Michigan. The district was first created during the reapportionment and redistricting after the 1890 census. From 2003 to 2013, it was located in Detroit's inner subu ...
for the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...
. Hook defeated incumbent Republican W. Frank James in the general election to be elected to the
74th 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, D.C., from January 3, 193 ...
and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1935 to January 3, 1943. In 1942, Hook lost in the general election to Republican
John B. Bennett John Bonifas Bennett (January 10, 1904 – August 9, 1964) was an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1947 to 1964. Early life and education Bennett was bo ...
(having previously defeated him in 1938 and 1940). In 1944, Hook defeated Bennett to reclaim the seat in the
79th 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 ...
, serving from January 3, 1945 to January 3, 1947. He lost the seat again to Bennett in 1946. In 1948, he made an unsuccessful bid to be elected the
United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
, losing to Republican Homer Ferguson. Hook served under Presidents
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
and
Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
. He voted to declare war upon
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, when Congress was convened upon the
attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...
. Hook was instrumental in the establishment of
Social Security Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...
and the
minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...
— part of Roosevelt's
New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
. He also proposed a bill to establish the
Isle Royale National Park Isle Royale National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States consisting of Isle Royale, along with more than 400 small adjacent islands and the surrounding waters of Lake Superior, in Michigan. ...
, located in
Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...
and had the honor of dedicating it in August 1946. In 1940, Hook alleged in Congress that Martin Dies had ties to
William Dudley Pelley William Dudley Pelley (March 12, 1890 – June 30, 1965) was an American fascist activist, journalist, writer, and occultist. He was noted for his support of Nazi Germany dictator Adolf Hitler during the Great Depression and Second World War. Pel ...
, the leader of a
fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
organization, the
Silver Legion of America The Silver Legion of America, commonly known as the Silver Shirts, was an American fascist and pro-Nazi organization which was founded by William Dudley Pelley and headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina. History Pelley was a former journal ...
. However, unbeknownst to him, the documents Hook used to make his case turned out to be forgerie

Hook's moniker "Fightin' Frank," earned from high school days, was reinforced once again during an infamous bout on the floor of Congress. His nemesis, John E. Rankin, John Rankin of Mississippi, drew his ire, but could not cull a punch, as Hook was later quoted, "A gentleman cannot strike an old man." The wrassling match was physically initiated by Rankin jumping on Hook's back on Washington's birthday in 1945, during the session. The skirmish was the end result of a verbal exchange between Hook & Rankin concerning the former's support and the latter's denouncement of the C.I.O. Rankin hollered shouts of "communism!" while Hook defended the integrity of the organization. As to the disruption, Hook later recited a 3-minute apology, while Rankin maintained his own innocence. When Hook offered to resign if Rankin would also "...for the good of the country," Rankin "held his tongue" and the controversial exchange faded into obscurity

Hook was a member of the President's Fair Employment Practices Committee in 1943 and 1944 and was appointed a member of Motor Carrier Claims Commission October 1, 1949, serving until his resignation August 22, 1950. He made several unsuccessful attempts to reclaim a seat in the U.S. House from the 12th district, losing in 1954 to Bennett in the general election, losing in 1956 and 1958 to Joseph S. Mack in the Democratic primary elections. In 1966, he lost to incumbent Raymond F. Clevenger in the Democratic primary for the 11th district.


Later life

He resumed the practice of law in Detroit and in 1953 moved to
Ironwood Ironwood is a common name for many woods that have a reputation for hardness, or specifically a wood density that is denser than water (approximately 1000 kg/m3, or 62 pounds per cubic foot), although usage of the name ironwood in English ma ...
where he reestablished his law practice. He was admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1962 and was a resident of
Edina, Minnesota Edina ( , ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous ci ...
, at the time of his death. He is interred in
Fort Snelling National Cemetery Fort Snelling National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory adjacent to the historic fort and Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. It is the only National Cemetery in Minneso ...
in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
.


References


The Political Graveyard
*''"Fightin' Frank, The Biography of Upper Peninsula's 12th District Democratic Congressman"'' by Mary Louise Hook Allen


External links


President Truman stumps for Hook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hook 1893 births 1982 deaths People from L'Anse, Michigan Valparaiso University alumni American Lutherans Burials at Fort Snelling National Cemetery University of Detroit Mercy alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan People from Wakefield, Michigan 20th-century Lutherans 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives