Roman Lee Hruska () (August 16, 1904April 25, 1999) was an American attorney and politician who served as a Republican

U.S. senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

from the state of

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. Hruska was known as one of the most vocal

conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

in the Senate during the 1960s and 1970s. Hruska was also co-founder of the Douglas Theatre Company, based in Nebraska.

Life and career

Hruska was born in David City, Nebraska, one of 11 children of

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

immigrant parents. In 1917, his family moved to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, where he graduated from high school. He attended the University of Omaha (now

University of Nebraska–Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was origin ...

) and the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Chicago, a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It employs more than 180 full-time and part-time facul ...

and graduated from the Creighton University School of Law in 1929. He returned to Omaha to practice law. In 1944, Hruska first entered politics when he accepted a seat on the

Douglas County, Nebraska Douglas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population is 584,526. It is the state's most populous county, home to just under 30% of Nebraska's residents. Its county seat is Omah ...

, Board of Commissioners in place of a friend who recently resigned. He served as a regular member from 1944 to 1945 and as chair from 1945 to 1952. During his time on the board of commissioners, Hruska also sat on the advisory committee of the Nebraska Board of Control from 1947 to 1952. He was president of the Nebraska Association of County Officials from 1950 to 1951 and vice president of the National Association of County Officials from 1951 to 1952. Hruska was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

from the Omaha-dominated second district of Nebraska in

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

. He served only part of one term, as he ran for a

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 ...

seat in 1954, which was vacated by the death of Hugh Butler. Hruska won, was reelected in 1958, 1964 and 1970, and served in the Senate until his retirement in 1976. His opponent in 1958 and 1970 was Frank B. Morrison. Hruska did not run for reelection to a fourth full term. Even after Nixon resigned, Hruska defended him and claimed Watergate only became a scandal as part of a partisan effort to attack Nixon. Hruska became an influential member of the

Senate Appropriations Committee The United States Senate Committee on Appropriations is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over all discretionary spending legislation in the Senate. The Senate Appropriations Committee is the largest committ ...

and the

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. Hruska voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, and

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...

, and the confirmation of

Thurgood Marshall Thoroughgood "Thurgood" Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme C ...

to the

U.S. 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 ...

. Though Congress was controlled by Democrats for his entire tenure in the Senate, he was known as a skillful legislator and was said to have influenced many of the federal criminal justice system's changes during his era. He was ranking minority member of the Judiciary Committee at the time of his retirement. On October 10, 1978, President Carter signed into law a bill that renamed the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), located in

Clay County, Nebraska Clay County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 6,104. Its county seat is Clay Center. The county was formed in 1855, and was organized in 1871. It was named for Henry Clay, a memb ...

, for Hruska. The Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse in Omaha is also named in his honor. Additionally, the Roman L. Hruska Law Center in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...

houses the Nebraska State Bar Association.

Mediocrity comments

In 1970, Hruska addressed the Senate, urging it to confirm Richard Nixon's nomination of G. Harrold Carswell to the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. Responding to criticism that Carswell had been a mediocre judge, Hruska argued:

Even if he were mediocre, there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation, aren't they, and a little chance? We can't have all Brandeises, Frankfurters and Cardozos.

Democrats seized upon these remarks, and the Carswell nomination failed.

Retirement and personal life

Hruska moved back to Omaha in 1976 and lived there until his death. On April 10, 1999, he fell and broke his hip. He died fifteen days later from complications during treatment. He was buried in Bohemian Cemetery in Omaha.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hruska, Roman 1904 births 1999 deaths County supervisors and commissioners in Nebraska People from David City, Nebraska American people of Czech descent Nebraska lawyers Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska University of Nebraska Omaha alumni University of Chicago alumni Creighton University School of Law alumni Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in Nebraska Republican Party United States senators from Nebraska Czech-American culture in Nebraska Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska Lawyers from Omaha, Nebraska 20th-century American lawyers Technical High School (Omaha, Nebraska) alumni American anti-communists 20th-century United States senators 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives