Lewis Williams Douglas (July 2, 1894March 7, 1974) was an
American politician, diplomat, businessman and academic.
Early life and education
Douglas was the son of
James Douglas, Jr., a mining executive employed by the
Phelps Dodge
Phelps Dodge Corporation was an American mining company founded in 1834 as an import-export firm by Anson Greene Phelps and his two sons-in-law William Earle Dodge, Sr. and Daniel James. The latter two ran Phelps, James & Co., the part of the ...
Company, and his wife Josephine "Josalee" Williams Douglas. Growing up in
Bisbee and
Nacozari de García, at the age of 11 he was sent east at the insistence of his grandfather,
James Douglas to attend school. He spent two years at
Hackley School before transferring to
Montclair Academy, where he won awards for both academic success and character development, graduating in the class of 1912.
On the advice of
Arthur Curtiss James, Douglas attended
Amherst College
Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...
, where he joined
Alpha Delta Phi
Alpha Delta Phi (; commonly known as Alpha Delt, AD, ADPhi, A-Delt, or ADP) is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. Alpha Delta Phi was originally founded as a literary society by Samuel Eells in 1832 at Hamilton College in ...
and was involved in both athletics and student government. Though he did not take his coursework seriously at first, his performance improved after taking a course in logic from the college president,
Alexander Meiklejohn, and graduated ''cum laude'' in 1916 with a degree in
economics
Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
.
[Robert Paul Browder and Thomas G. Smith (1986). ''Independent: A Biography of Lewis W. Douglas''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ]
After his graduation, Douglas enrolled at
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 ...
, where he took courses in preparation for a career as a
mining engineer
Mining engineering is the extraction of minerals from the ground. It is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, metallurgy, geotechnical engineering and surveying. A mining engineer m ...
. When the United States joined 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 ...
, Douglas volunteered for service, receiving a commission as a
Second Lieutenant in July 1917. Initially assigned to the
field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement.
Until the ear ...
, he later served as an assistant to General H. A. Greene, the commander of the
91st Infantry Division and was promoted to
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...
in the spring of 1918. Deployed to France in the summer of 1918, he served as an assistant G-3 in the operations branch of division headquarters, where he directed communications. He experienced action at
Saint-Mihiel
Saint-Mihiel () is a commune in the Meuse department in the Grand Est region in Northeastern France.
Geography
Saint-Mihiel lies on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
A Benedictine abbey was established here in 708 or 709 by Count Wulfoalde ...
and in the
Meuse-Argonne Offensive and received the Belgian
Croix de Guerre
The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...
for heroism.
Upon his discharge in February 1919, Douglas returned to
Jerome, Arizona
Jerome is a town in the Black Hills (Yavapai County), Black Hills of Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapai County in the U.S. state of Arizona. Founded in the late 19th century on Cleopatra Hill overlooking the Verde Valley, Jerome is approximately ...
, where he renewed his acquaintance with Margaret "Peggy" Zinsser, with whom he soon fell in love. The following year he taught at Amherst (where he worked as a teaching assistant to
Ernest Barker and
R. H. Tawney) and Hackley School. After marrying Peggy on June 18, 1921, the young couple moved to Jerome, where Lewis took a job at his father's
United Verde Extension mine.
Political career
In the summer of 1922, Douglas agreed to run as a candidate for one of the Jerome area's seats in the
Arizona State House of Representatives. Though lacking political experience, his wealth, family name, and record of war service were decisive factors in his favor, as he won both a contested primary and the subsequent general election. Douglas served a single two-year term in the state legislature. A conservative
Democrat, Douglas advocated fiscal responsibility and opposed labor legislation. He also objected to the recently signed
Colorado River Compact, and proposed an amendment empowering the state to tax electricity produced within its borders.
Years in Congress

Though some newspapers anticipated that he would seek election to the state senate in 1924, Douglas declined to run for any public office, pursuing a number of business ventures instead. When
Carl Hayden, Arizona's lone
Congressman
A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...
, announced that he would challenge the state's incumbent junior senator,
Ralph H. Cameron, in 1926, Douglas decided to enter the race to succeed Hayden. Once again benefiting from his family's wealth, name recognition and war record, and enjoying the support of the state's Democratic press, he easily bested five rivals for the Democratic nomination before defeating his Republican challenger in the general election by nearly 20,000 votes.
Douglas served as Arizona's Congressman from the
70th through the
73rd Congress. He sat on the Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation and the Committee on Public Lands, and got along well with most of his colleagues. Though a Democrat, he often voted with Republicans and gained a reputation as a man of principle. During the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
he adhered to the economic orthodoxy of his time, arguing that low tariffs and a balanced federal budget were essential requirements for an economic recovery. Douglas was also an opponent of the
bonus bill sought by unemployed veterans, and he was attacked harshly as a result of his position on it.
Director of the Bureau of the Budget
Though he would have preferred a more conservative candidate, Douglas nonetheless loyally supported
Franklin D. 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 ...
as the Democratic Party's nominee in the
1932 presidential election. In December, Douglas was invited to meet with Roosevelt in
Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...
, where he soon became an influential member of the president-elect's group of advisers. Though there was considerable speculation that Douglas would be offered the secretaryship of
State
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
,
Treasury
A treasury is either
*A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury.
*A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be ...
, or
War
War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
, Roosevelt asked him instead to serve as Director of the Bureau of the Budget after Roosevelt's initial choice,
J. Swagar Sherley, declined the post due to poor health. After Roosevelt reassured Douglas of his commitment to a balanced budget, the congressman accepted.
Douglas's time as budget director proved frustrating. While he supported the
Emergency Banking Act
__NOTOC__
The Emergency Banking Relief Act (E.B.R.A.), (), was an act passed by the United States Congress in March 1933 in an attempt to stabilize the banking system.
Bank holiday
Beginning on February 14, 1933, Michigan, an industrial sta ...
, the
Economy Act, and relief organizations such as the
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...
as necessary in the economic crisis, he objected to legislation such as the
Agricultural Adjustment Act
The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) was a United States federal law of the New Deal era designed to boost agricultural prices by reducing surpluses. The government bought livestock for slaughter and paid farmers Subsidy, subsidies not to plant ...
, the
Tennessee Valley Authority Act
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolina ...
, and the
Securities Act of 1933
The Securities Act of 1933, also known as the 1933 Act, the Securities Act, the Truth in Securities Act, the Federal Securities Act, and the '33 Act, was enacted by the United States Congress on May 27, 1933, during the Great Depression and afte ...
as excessive governmental intervention in the economy. Fearing
inflation
In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...
, he opposed unsuccessfully Roosevelt's decision to take the United States off of the
gold standard
A gold standard is a backed currency, monetary system in which the standard economics, economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the ...
, and afterward allegedly stated that it marked "the end of western civilization". But the greatest point of disagreement came over the increasing amount of
deficit spending
Within the budgetary process, deficit spending is the amount by which spending exceeds revenue over a particular period of time, also called simply deficit, or budget deficit, the opposite of budget surplus. The term may be applied to the budg ...
taking place. When Douglas learned in June 1934 that Roosevelt planned to request an appropriation of $600 million on top of $2.5 billion appropriation that had already been spent, the news proved to be too much for the budget director, who informed the president of his decision to resign on August 30, 1934.
Later career
Faced with a number of offers from universities and the private sector, Douglas accepted the vice-presidency of the
American Cyanamid
American Cyanamid Company was an American manufacturing conglomerate. It began as a fertilizer company and added many additional lines of business before merging with American Home Products in 1994. The combined company sold off most of its di ...
Company and moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. He also remained involved in politics, and Republican presidential nominee
Alf Landon
Alfred Mossman Landon (September 9, 1887October 12, 1987) was an American oilman and politician who served as the 26th governor of Kansas from 1933 to 1937. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 1936 presidential ...
wanted to name Douglas as his vice presidential candidate during the
1936 presidential election but was dissuaded from doing so by party leaders. Nonetheless, Douglas announced publicly that he was voting for Landon, primarily as a protest against the New Deal.
Principal of McGill University
In August 1937, Douglas was approached by
Sir Edward Beatty about becoming principal of
McGill University
McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
in Montreal, Canada. Bored with his job at American Cyanamid, Douglas accepted and was installed on January 7, 1938. Douglas would subsequently refer to his time as McGill as the happiest in his life. As principal, he struggled to address the deficit in the university budget and to counteract what he perceived as the socialist leanings within the social science faculty of the university. By reducing expenditures and soliciting private donations he succeeded in restoring McGill to financial health, and launched a public lecture series designed to promote conservative viewpoints. Yet while Douglas did modify tenure policies so as to make it easier to remove radical faculty members, he resisted efforts to restrict the free-speech of faculty, especially as debates over Canada's role in international affairs heated up in 1939.
Service in the Second World War
Never intending to remain long at McGill, Douglas left the post at the end of 1939 and returned to the United States. There he accepted the presidency of
Mutual of New York Life Insurance Company, a financially remunerative position that allowed Douglas to continue his involvement in public issues. An internationalist, Douglas was an early member of the
Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies
The Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies (CDAAA) was an American mass movement and political action group formed in May 1940. Also known as the White Committee, its leader until January 1941 was William Allen White. Other important me ...
, and lobbied Roosevelt to provide more aid to Great Britain. Nonetheless, Douglas campaigned for
Wendell Willkie
Wendell Lewis Willkie (born Lewis Wendell Willkie; February 18, 1892 – October 8, 1944) was an American lawyer, corporate executive and the 1940 History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican nominee for president. Willkie appeale ...
in the
1940 presidential election, largely because of Roosevelt's violation of the "two-term" tradition.
With America's entry into the Second World War, Douglas sought to return to public service. After a short period as deputy to
Averell Harriman
William Averell Harriman (November 15, 1891July 26, 1986) was an American politician, businessman, and diplomat. He was a founder of Harriman & Co. which merged with the older Brown Brothers to form the Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. investment ...
, the American
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft)
* 28 naval vessels:
** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign)
* ...
representative in Britain, Douglas was named deputy administrator of the
War Shipping Administration (WSA). Douglas's appointment came in response to the growing criticism of the WSA's chief administrator, Admiral
Emory S. Land, who nonetheless kept his post due to his friendship with the president. As deputy administrator, Douglas emerged as the effective head of the agency, addressing the difficult task of managing the country's shipping needs while fighting a global war. He served as deputy administrator until medical issues and growing tensions with Land led to his resignation in March 1944, after which he traveled to Europe to serve as a special adviser to General
Lucius D. Clay on the reconstruction of German finance after the war.
Rockefeller Foundation
Beginning in 1935, Douglas would serve as a member of the Rockefeller Foundation where he maintained a position on the executive committee from 1936 to 1939. Douglas was elected to the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
in 1942. From 1942 to 1947, Douglas served as a trustee before being appointed as the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1947.
Ambassador to the Court of St. James's
In February 1947, Douglas was appointed as the
ambassador to the United Kingdom, after the untimely death of the previous appointee,
O. Max Gardner. As ambassador, Douglas enjoyed an enhanced status, as the new
Secretary of State,
George Marshall
George Catlett Marshall Jr. (31 December 1880 – 16 October 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army under pres ...
, delegated considerable authority to his subordinates. Because of this, he played an important role in the passage and implementation of the
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred $13.3 billion (equivalent to $ in ) in economic recovery pr ...
as it related to the United Kingdom, and was closely involved in coordinating the American and British response to the
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, roa ...
in 1948. In April 1949 he suffered an accident while
fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling technique that uses an ultra-lightweight lure called an artificial fly, which typically mimics small invertebrates such as flying and aquatic insects to attract and catch fish. Because the mass of the fly lure is in ...
that permanently damaged his left eye and restricted his involvement in official matters while he underwent a slow and incomplete recovery. Because of the damage done to his eye, Douglas wore an
eyepatch over it for the rest of his life.
(Lewis was the inspiration for the iconic one-eyed "Hathaway man" in a noted American advertising campaign of the mid-20th century, although the actual model was Baron
George Wrangell.)
Final years
After resigning from the ambassadorship in 1950, Douglas returned to the United States and settled in
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
. He was the chairman and director of the
Southern Arizona Bank and Trust Company from 1949 until 1966 and served on a number of boards and commissions, including the
General Motors
General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
Corporation, the
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...
, the Government Study of Foreign Economic Problems, and the President's Task Force on American Indians. Though declining further suggestions to run for public office, he remained actively involved in state and national politics. While typically endorsing Republicans, he remained a Democrat and supported
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
over
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...
in the
1964 presidential election out of concerns for Goldwater's suitability for the presidency. Douglas died in
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
, on March 7, 1974, from complications following surgery to remove an intestinal obstruction. His remains were later cremated and his ashes scattered over the hills of Jerome.
In 2002, he was inducted into the
Hall of Great Westerners
The Hall of Great Westerners was established by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1958. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., the Hall was created to celebrate the contributions of more than 200 men and women of the American W ...
of the
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...
.
Electoral history
References
Further reading
*
* Retrieved on 2008-02-10
British Educational Website
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Lewis Williams
1894 births
1974 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century American diplomats
Ambassadors of the United States to the United Kingdom
American expatriates in France
American politicians with disabilities
Amherst College alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona
Directors of the Office of Management and Budget
Eyepatch wearers
Franklin D. Roosevelt administration personnel
People from Bisbee, Arizona
Military personnel from Arizona
Democratic Party members of the Arizona House of Representatives
Montclair Kimberley Academy alumni
People from Jerome, Arizona
Principals of McGill University
Ranchers from Arizona
Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
Members of the American Philosophical Society
United States Army personnel of World War I
20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
20th-century members of the Arizona State Legislature