Guy Mark Gillette (February 3, 1879March 3, 1973) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a Democratic

U.S. Representative 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 ...

(1933–1936) and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

(1936–1945; 1949–1955) from

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. Throughout his Senate service, Gillette was elected, re-elected, defeated, elected again, and defeated again.

Personal background

Born in

Cherokee, Iowa Cherokee is a city and the county seat of in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,199 at the 2020 Census, down from 5,369 in 2000. History Cherokee was laid out as a town in 1870, and was named for the Southeast Indian ...

, he attended public school and graduated from

Drake University Law School Drake University Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school affiliated with Drake University, located in Des Moines, Iowa. Over 330 full-time students attend the institution. Roscoe Jones, Jr. serves as the dean of the Law Sch ...

Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

in 1900. He was admitted to the bar in 1900 and commenced practice in Cherokee. During the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, he served as a sergeant in the Fifty-second Iowa Regiment 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 ...

, but never saw combat.Oral History of Stewart McClure, Part 1 (Service on Gillette Senate Staff)
at 5. He volunteered to fight alongside the

Boers Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...

in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

(1898–1902), but was turned down. Returning to Iowa, he engaged in agricultural pursuits and was the city attorney of Cherokee in 1906–1907. He became the prosecuting attorney of Cherokee County from 1907 to 1909 and a member of the

Iowa State Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . Each Senate dist ...

from 1912 to 1916. During the

First World War 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 ...

, he served as a captain in the United States Army. He ran unsuccessfully for

Iowa State Auditor The Iowa auditor of state is the state auditor of the government of Iowa, United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal ...

in 1918, and returned to Cherokee to farm.Mark R. Finlay
"Guy Mark Gillette"
in ''The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa'', p. 188 (2008).

Service in the U.S. House, then U.S. Senate (1933–1945)

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

, in the Roosevelt landslide, he was elected as a Democrat to represent Iowa's 9th congressional district, in heavily Republican northwest Iowa. He was easily re-elected in 1934, and served nearly all of that term. He resigned upon his election to the United States Senate on November 3, 1936, to serve out the remainder of the term of Senator

Richard Louis Murphy Richard Louis Murphy (November 6, 1875July 16, 1936) was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Iowa. Elected with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, as only the second Democratic Senator from Iowa elected since 1852, Murphy's service was cut sho ...

, who had died in an auto accident. Nearly two years remained in Murphy's term, which would end January 3, 1939. Although he generally supported the

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 opposed the new wage and hours bill, a new farm bill, and aspects of the

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 ...

system. In

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

the Roosevelt administration targeted Gillette for replacement because of Gillette's vote against Roosevelt's plan to expand the Supreme Court and other positions. He nevertheless defeated Roosevelt's choice for the Democratic nomination, Congressman Otha D. Wearin, and was re-elected to his first full Senate term by 2,805 votes. During that term, his conflicts with the Roosevelt administration expanded, on topics as diverse as the terms of the Neutrality Act, Roosevelt's pursuit of third and fourth terms, and choices for judgeships. After the Japanese

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 ...

(where, coincidentally, Gillette's brother Captain Claude Gillette managed the Navy yard), Gillette became "more of an internationalist". Nevertheless, he used his chairmanship on a Senate subcommittee to aggressively challenge the Roosevelt administration's failure to prepare for the prospect of a Japanese seizure of the source of the nation's rubber imports by developing synthetic farm-based alternatives. In April 1943 a confidential analysis by British scholar

Isaiah Berlin Sir Isaiah Berlin (6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Although he became increasingly averse to writing for publication, his improvised lectures and talks ...

of the

Senate Foreign Relations Committee The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for authorizing and overseeing foreign a ...

for the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

succinctly characterized Gillette: Like several others who had opposed Roosevelt's efforts to aid the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

before Pearl Harbor but faced wartime elections, Gillette lost his seat in

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 ...

, to Republican

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Bourke Hickenlooper Bourke Blakemore Hickenlooper (July 21, 1896 – September 4, 1971), was an American politician and member of the Republican Party, first elected to statewide office in Iowa as lieutenant governor, then 29th Governor of Iowa, then US Senator. ...

by 29,734 votes

Between terms

Within days of Gillette's first defeat, Roosevelt nominated him as the chairman of the three-member

Surplus Property Board The Surplus Property Board (SPB) was briefly responsible for disposing of $90 billion of surplus war property held by the United States government in the final year of World War II.�Surplus Property: Uncle Sam, Merchant” Time Magazine, 1945-06-23. ...

, prompting ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' and a ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'' editorial to quip that the president was confusing the problem of surplus property with the problem of surplus politicians. He took an early dislike to the job, and complained that he was often outvoted by the two other members. After resigning from the Surplus Board in May 1945, he became president of the American League for a Free Palestine, serving until the committee's work ended with the establishment of the state of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

in 1948.

1948 Senate Campaign

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) ...

Gillette attempted a political comeback, campaigning for Iowa's other U. S. Senate seat held by former Republican

George Wilson George Wilson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Balch Wilson (1927–2021), American composer, professor emeritus at the University of Michigan * George Washington Wilson (1823–1893), Scottish photographer * George Christopher (ac ...

, Gillette appealed to farmers, hammering home the prices of crops falling, at a campaign event with President

Harry 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 ...

who was seeking re-election himself, Truman said to the voters of Iowa “if they failed to return Guy Gillette to the U. S. Senate there was something wrong with them”

Gillette would end up defeating Wilson by 162,448 votes, in the 1948 United States presidential election, concurrent presidential race Truman carey Iowa en route to re-election nationwide, Gillette’s Seat was one of nine Republican senate seats that flipped to Democrats in 1948

Return to the Senate (1949–1955)

Gillette was sworn back into the Senate on January 3rd 1949

In 1951, his Subcommittee on Privileges and Elections conducted an investigation of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

Senator Joseph McCarthy's campaign practices. Gillette was one of the first senators to call for a North Atlantic Assembly. In 1952, he was selected by the District of Columbia Democratic Club to chair the Barkley for President effort. Gillette served until January 3, 1955, after losing his reelection bid to

Thomas E. Martin Thomas Ellsworth Martin (January 18, 1893June 27, 1971) was an American politician who served as a United States House of Representatives, United States Representative (1939–1955) and United States Senate, Senator (1955–1961) from Iowa. A Re ...

by 39,697 votes. His defeat was considered an upset because it conflicted with polls. It also meant that Iowa's congressional delegation would be entirely composed of Republicans, which would not happen again until 2023.

Post-Senate

Following his second defeat, Gillette initially remained on Capitol Hill, serving as counsel with the Senate Post Office and Civil Service Committee (from 1955 to 1956) and the

Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally known as the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the United States Departm ...

(from 1956 to 1961). Gillette and former U.S. Senator Henry F. Ashurst had

cameo appearances A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking one ...

as U.S. Senators in the film ''

Advise & Consent ''Advise & Consent'' is a 1962 American political drama film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ''Advise and Consent'' by Allen Drury, published in 1959. The film was adapted for the screen by Wendell Mayes and was directed by Otto P ...

''. He retired and resided in Cherokee until his death at age 94 on March 3, 1973.

Publications

"The Forgotten Consumer."
''Challenge'', vol. 1, no. 2 (Nov. 1952), pp. 29–33. .
"The Senate in Foreign Relations."
''

Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) was founded in 1889 to promote progress in the social sciences. Sparked by Professor Edmund J. James and drawing from members of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmor ...

'', vol. 289 (Sep. 1953), pp. 49–57. .
"Preparing For UN Charter Review."
''

World Affairs ''World Affairs'' is an American quarterly journal covering international relations. At one time, it was an official publication of the American Peace Society. The magazine has been published since 1837 and was re-launched in January 2008 as a ...

'', vol. 117, no. 3 (Fall 1954), pp. 67–69. .
"United Nations Charter Review."
''Proceedings of the American Society of International Law at Its Annual Meeting (1921-1969)'', vol. 48 (Apr. 22–24, 1954), pp. 191–211. .

References

Bibliography

* "Gillette, Guy (Mark)." In: ''Current Biography, 1946: Who's News and Why''. New York: H.W. Wilson (1947), pp. 207–210. . * Harrington, Jerry. "Senator Guy Gillette Foils the Execution Committee." '' The Palimpsest'' 62 (Nov./Dec. 1981), pp. 170–80

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gillette, Guy Mark 1879 births 1973 deaths Democratic Party Iowa state senators People from Cherokee, Iowa American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American Christian Zionists American prosecutors United States Army soldiers United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army officers Democratic Party United States senators from Iowa Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa Military personnel from Iowa Drake University Law School alumni 20th-century United States senators 20th-century members of the Iowa General Assembly 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives