William Leighton Carss (February 15, 1865 – May 31, 1931) was an American locomotive engineer and politician who served as 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 Minnesota's 8th congressional district from 1919 to 1921 and again from 1925 to 1929. He was the first member of the

Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party The Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party (FLP), officially known as the Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota, was a left-wing American political party in Minnesota between 1918 and 1944. The FLP largely dominated Minnesota politics during the Great Depressi ...

elected to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

Biography

Carss born in

Pella Pella () is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It served as the capital of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. Currently, it is located 1 km outside the modern town of Pella ...

, Marion County,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

and subsequently moved with his parents to

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

, in 1867. There he attended the public schools, studied civil and

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

and followed that profession for a number of years. He moved to St. Louis County, Minnesota in 1893 and settled in

Proctor Proctor (a variant of ''wikt:procurator, procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: # In law, a proctor is a historica ...

where he found work as a locomotive engineer and became a member of the

Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is a trade union, labor union founded in Marshall, Michigan, on 8 May 1863 as the Brotherhood of the Footboard. It was the first permanent trade organization for railroad workers in the ...

. Carss was elected as a Farmer-Labor candidate to the 66th congress (March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1921) from Minnesota's 8th congressional district. Carss was fond of British literature, reciting selections from

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

, Carlyle and

Burns Burns may refer to: Astronomy * 2708 Burns, an asteroid * Burns (crater), on Mercury People * Burns (surname), list of people and characters named Burns ** Burns (musician), Scottish record producer Places in the United States * Burns, ...

by heart. He sponsored pro-labor legislation during his first term, supporting

old age pension A pension (; ) is a fund into which amounts are paid regularly during an individual's working career, and from which periodic payments are made to support the person's retirement from work. A pension may be either a "defined benefit plan", wher ...

s (anticipating the

Social Security Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...

system),

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

and (to the dismay of some of his supporters) the Prohibition Amendment.Hudelson, Richard & Ross, Carl. ''By the ore docks : a working people's history of Duluth'' Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, 2006. , , , pp. 146-147. Carss was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

in 1920 to the

67th congress The 67th 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, 19 ...

and for election in 1922 to the 68th congress. He was elected on the Farmer-Labor ticket to the 69th and 70th congresses (March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1929); but was defeated for reelection in 1928 to the 71st congress. Carss moved to

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

in 1929 where he resumed his position as a locomotive engineer at Proctor. He was unsuccessful in his 1930 bid for election to the

72nd congress The 72nd 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, 1931 ...

. He died in Duluth on May 31, 1931, and was interred in Oneota Cemetery.

References

External links

*
William L. Carss: An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carss, William Leighton Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota 1865 births 1931 deaths Locomotive superintendents American people in rail transportation Minnesota Farmer–Laborites Farmer–Labor Party members of the United States House of Representatives People from Pella, Iowa Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen people 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives