Robert N. Denham (October 23, 1885 – June 18, 1954) was an American attorney who served as general counsel to the

National Labor Relations Board The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States that enforces United States labor law, U.S. labor law in relation to collect ...

Background

Robert N. Denham was born on October 23, 1885, in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, Missouri. His parents were Robert Newton Denham and Sarah Compton. He studied in Missouri and Michigan, gained admittance to the bar in Texas, Missouri, and Michigan.

Career

During World War I, Denham served as second lieutenant in the Air Corps. Denham became an attorney for banking, brokerage, and corporate interests in New York, Florida, and on the Pacific Coast. In 1928, Denham became a trial examiner. In August 1947, he became the

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

for the

(NLRB). He held "conservative views" and wielded "considerable influence" on labor-management relations and interpretations of the newly passed Taft-Hartley Act. In 1950, US President

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 ...

fired Denham (''New York Times'': "left at the behest of the President"). While NLRB general counsel, Denham received considerable news coverage as a "quasi-Republican." Nominated by US President

, Denham received unanimous approval by the US Senate Labor Committee. He received "full and independent powers to investigate violations, file complaints and prosecute offenders before the board." In August 1947, he supported an "Anti-Red Affidavit Rule" and so sided with US Senator

Robert A. Taft Robert Alphonso Taft Sr. (September 8, 1889 – July 31, 1953) was an American politician, lawyer, and scion of the Republican Party's Taft family. Taft represented Ohio in the United States Senate, briefly served as Senate majority le ...

. In October 1947, the NLRB overruled him, which meant that top officers of the

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutual ...

(AFL) and

Congress of Industrial Organizations The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a federation of Labor unions in the United States, unions that organized workers in industrial unionism, industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. Originally created in ...

(CIO) would not have to sign an anti-Communist oath per the Taft-Hartley Act. In September 1950, President Truman asked Denham to resign. In 1950, Denham resumed private practice. He lobbied for the

Continental Baking Company The Continental Baking Company was one of the first bakeries to introduce fortified bread. It was the maker of the Twinkie and Wonder Bread. Through a series of acquisitions and mergers it became part of the former Hostess Brands company. Hist ...

. He was an advisor to the President's Conference on Administrative Procedure.

Personal life and death

Denham married three times and had four children. Denham died aged 68 on June 18, 1954, in St. Louis.

References

External links

Robert N. Denham Papers

Library of Congress (undated photo)

Library of Congress (undated photo)

Washington Area Spark - Photo 1947
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denham, Robert N. 1885 births 1954 deaths Lawyers from St. Louis Texas lawyers Writers from St. Louis Military personnel from St. Louis Harvard Law School alumni 20th-century American Jews People associated with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Jewish socialists 20th-century American lawyers The Century Foundation