Henry Stewart Caulfield (December 9, 1873 – May 11, 1966) was an American lawyer and
Republican politician from
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
. He represented
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
in the
U.S. House
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 ...
from 1907 to 1909 and was the
37th Governor of Missouri from 1929 to 1933.
Biography
Caulfield was born in St. Louis, Missouri on December 9, 1873. He attended the public schools of St. Louis public schools and
St. Charles College of Missouri. In 1895 Caulfield graduated from
Washington University School of Law
The Washington University School of Law (WashU Law) is the law school of Washington University in St. Louis, a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1867, it is the oldest continuously operating law school west of the ...
in St. Louis. He was admitted to the bar later that year and practiced in St. Louis.
In 1904, Caulfield ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives of the United States. In 1906 he was the successful Republican nominee for a seat in the House. He served in the
60th Congress (March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1909), and was not a candidate for renomination in 1908.
After Caulfield left Congress, Governor
Herbert S. Hadley appointed him state excise commissioner in St. Louis, and Caulfield served from 1909 to 1910. From 1910 to 1912 Caulfield served as Judge of the
Missouri Court of Appeals
The Missouri Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court for the U.S. state, state of Missouri. The court handles most of the appeals from the Missouri Circuit Courts. The court is divided into three geographic districts: Eastern (bas ...
for the Eastern District, based in St. Louis. In 1914 Caulfield served as counsel for the St. Louis City and County Board of Freeholders. In 1921 and 1922 Caulfield was St. Louis City Counselor. In 1925 and 1926 he was chairman of the Board of Freeholders.
In 1928 Caulfield ran successfully for Governor of Missouri, and he served from January 14, 1929 to January 9, 1933. During his term Caulfield founded the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and worked to cope with strains on the state budget caused by the Great Depression. Near the end of his term in 1933 state legislature, which was controlled by Republicans, attempted to gerrymander Congressional districts in order elect more Republicans. Caulfield vetoed the bill, which forced Missouri's U.S. House members to run at-large, resulting in
Democratic candidates winning every seat.
Caulfield was the keynote speaker at the
1932 Republican National Convention
The 1932 Republican National Convention was held at Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois, from June 14 to June 16, 1932. It nominated President Herbert Hoover and Vice President Charles Curtis for reelection.
Hoover was virtually unopposed for ...
. In 1937 and 1938 he served on the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners. He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for United States Senator in 1938, losing to incumbent Democrat
Bennett Champ Clark
Joel Bennett Clark (January 8, 1890 – July 13, 1954), better known as Bennett Champ Clark, was a Democratic United States senator from Missouri from 1933 until 1945, and was later a circuit judge of the District of Columbia Circuit. He was ...
. From 1941 to 1949 he served as director of public welfare in St. Louis. He then resumed the practice of law, and in 1953 served as a member of the State Reorganization Commission, which proposed reforms to state government.
Death and burial
Caulfield died in St. Louis on May 11, 1966. He was interred at Oak Grove Cemetery in St. Louis.
Family
His brother William E. Caulfield (1871-1946) was also involved in politics, and served on the St. Louis City Council, in the
Missouri House of Representatives
The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...
, and in the
Missouri State Senate
The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...
.
Caulfield was married twice. In 1897 he married Adele Lopez, who died in 1898. In 1902 he married Fannie Alice Delano, and they were the parents of four children.
External links
*
Henry S. Caulfieldat
National Governors Association'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caulfield, Henry
1873 births
1966 deaths
Republican Party governors of Missouri
Washington University School of Law alumni
Missouri state court judges
Lawyers from St. Louis
Politicians from St. Louis
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri
20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives