Scott Leavitt (June 16, 1879 – October 19, 1966) was a

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 ...

from

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Indian Affairs.

Early life

Scott Leavitt was born in

Elk Rapids, Michigan Elk Rapids is a Village (United States), village in the U.S. state of Michigan. The village is the largest incorporated community in Antrim County, Michigan, Antrim County, with a population of 1,529 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

in 1879 to Roswell Leavitt, an attorney, member of the

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via ...

and later Michigan State Senator, a native of

Turner, Maine Turner is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,817 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Turner, Turner Center and North Turner. The town is part of the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan ...

, where he enlisted in the

17th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 17th Maine Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was particularly noted for its service during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. Organization The 17th Maine was organized at C ...

, and his wife Anna C. (Lawrence) Leavitt. Scott Leavitt moved with his parents in 1881 to

Bellaire, Michigan Bellaire ( ) is a village and the county seat of Antrim County, Michigan, United States. The population was 1,053 in 2020 census. The village is split between Forest Home and Kearney townships. The historic Antrim County Courthouse is locat ...

, where his father Roswell served as

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...

and

circuit court Circuit courts are court systems in several common law jurisdictions. It may refer to: * Courts that literally sit 'on circuit', i.e., judges move around a region or country to different towns or cities where they will hear cases; * Courts that s ...

commissioner. Scott Leavitt attended the public schools and while in high school enlisted in the Thirty-third Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry, 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 ...

. Leavitt served in the campaign at

Santiago, Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

during the war. After the war he attended the

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. He subsequently moved to Oregon in 1901 and began homesteading in the Coast Range Mountains near Falls City. There he worked as a school principal in the communities of Falls City, North Yamhill, Dayton, and

Lakeview, Oregon Lakeview is a city in Lake County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,418 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lake County. The city bills itself as the "Tallest Town in Oregon" because of its elevation ...

from 1901 to 1907. In 1907 Leavitt entered the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...

as a ranger at the

Fremont National Forest The Fremont–Winema National Forest, Fremont-Winema National Forest of south central Oregon is a mountainous region with a rich geological, ecological, archaeological, and historical history. Founded in 1908, the Fremont National Forest was origi ...

in Oregon. He later served in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

and Montana until 1917.

Politics

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

, when incumbent United States Congressman Carl W. Riddick opted to run for the Senate rather than seek re-election 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 ...

, Leavitt ran to succeed him in

Montana's 2nd congressional district Montana's second congressional district is a congressional district in the United States House of Representatives that was apportioned after the 2020 United States census. The first candidates ran in the 2022 United States House of Representati ...

. He defeated Preston B. Moss, the Democratic nominee, by a wide margin to win his first term, and in

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

, defeated Joseph Kirschwing by a landslide to win his second term. Leavitt was re-elected in

1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...

against Harry B. Mitchell, was overwhelmingly re-elected in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

over B. A. Taylor, and won what would be his fifth and final term in Congress in

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...

over Tom Stout. On March 5, 1932, Leavitt took to the floor of the House to deliver a eulogy to Indian Chief

Plenty Coups Plenty Coups (Crow language, Crow: ''Alaxchíia Ahú'', "many achievements"; c. 1848 – 1932) was the principal chief of the Crow Tribe and a visionary leader. He allied the Crow with the whites when the war for the West was being fought becaus ...

. "I have chosen to announce the passing of one who has graced the history of my state of Montana," said Leavitt on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

lenty Coup'slife was in truth a symbol of the absorption of the American Indian into the citizenship of the United States," Leavitt continued. "His was one of the finest characters I have ever known.... He was a man of such caliber and such high character, and his service was so outstanding, that it is entirely fitting that the American Congress should pause for a moment to do him reverence.Chief Plenty Coups Home, Chief Plenty Coups State Park, Big Horn, Montana, National Historic Landmark Nomination, National Park Service
/ref>

Leavitt ran for re-election in

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 ...

, but was defeated by

Roy E. Ayers Roy Elmer Ayers (November 9, 1882May 23, 1955) was a U.S. Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and as the List of Governors of Montana, 11th Governor of Monta ...

in a Democratic landslide year that saw Republicans lose over a hundred seats in the

. From the

69th United States Congress The 69th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1925, ...

to the

71st United States Congress The 71st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislature of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1929, to M ...

, Leavitt served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Indian Affairs. Following his defeat for re-election, Leavitt ran for the

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 ...

in a 1934 special election to fill the seat of Thomas J. Walsh, who died in office. He won the Republican primary against former

State Attorney General The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the District of Columbia, federal district, or of any of the Territories of the United States, territories is the chief legal advisor to the State governments of the United States, sta ...

Wellington D. Rankin Wellington D. Rankin (September 16, 1884 – June 4, 1966) was a Republican public official from the state of Montana. He was born Wellington Duncan Rankin on September 16, 1884 in Missoula, Montana, the son of John and Olive (née Pickeri ...

, but lost the general election to James E. Murray in a landslide. After his unsuccessful campaign for the Senate, he started working for the Forest Service again in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, and served as the Commander-in-Chief of the

United Spanish War Veterans The United Spanish War Veterans was an American veterans' organization which consisted of veterans of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and China Relief Expedition. Origins Soon after the Spanish–American War ended, in early ...

from 1936 to 1937.

Later life

He retired from the Forest Service in 1941 and moved to

Newberg, Oregon Newberg is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Located in the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to George Fox University. As of 2023 the city population was 26,095 making it the second most populous ...

, where Scott Leavitt died on October 19, 1966. He was interred in

Willamette National Cemetery Willamette National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon located about southeast of downtown. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses straddling the county line between Mu ...

near

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. Scott Leavitt Park in Newberg is named for the Congressman and Forest Ranger.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leavitt, Scott 1879 births 1966 deaths American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Leavitt family People from Newberg, Oregon University of Michigan alumni People from Bellaire, Michigan Burials at Willamette National Cemetery United States Army soldiers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Montana 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives