Difference between revisions of "Ralph Flanders"
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After incumbent Republican senator Warren Austin resigned from Congress to become the U.S. Ambassador to the [[United Nations]] under the [[Truman administration]], Flanders ran in the [[special election]] for the seat. He won the primary by ten percentage points<ref>[https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=871903 VT US Senate - R Primary Race - Aug 13, 1946]. ''Our Campaigns''. Retrieved June 8, 2021.</ref> and easily defeated his Democrat opponent in the general election by a landslide.<ref>[https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=268286 VT US Senate Race - Nov 05, 1946]. ''Our Campaigns''. Retrieved June 8, 2021.</ref> | After incumbent Republican senator Warren Austin resigned from Congress to become the U.S. Ambassador to the [[United Nations]] under the [[Truman administration]], Flanders ran in the [[special election]] for the seat. He won the primary by ten percentage points<ref>[https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=871903 VT US Senate - R Primary Race - Aug 13, 1946]. ''Our Campaigns''. Retrieved June 8, 2021.</ref> and easily defeated his Democrat opponent in the general election by a landslide.<ref>[https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=268286 VT US Senate Race - Nov 05, 1946]. ''Our Campaigns''. Retrieved June 8, 2021.</ref> | ||
| − | Flanders was mostly known for having been the leading Republican opponent of [[Joseph McCarthy]], who exposed communist infiltration of the [[State Department]] and the [[United States Army]]. The Vermont senator led the motion to censure McCarthy and made absurd statements (namely [[Godwin's Law|comparing him to Adolf Hitler]]) as well as the following sarcastic remark:<ref name=politico>Glass, Andres (March 9, 2011). [https://www.politico.com/story/2011/03/vermont-senator-confronts-sen-joseph-mccarthy-march-9-1954-050882 Vermont Senator Confronts Sen. Joseph McCarthy, March 9, 1954]. ''Politico''. Retrieved June 8, 2021.</ref> | + | Flanders was mostly known for having been the leading Republican opponent of [[Joseph McCarthy]],<ref>Bushnell, Mark (May 26, 2019). [https://vtdigger.org/2019/05/26/vermonter-brought-joseph-mccarthy/ Then, Again: The Vermonter who brought down Joseph McCarthy]. ''VTDigger''. Retrieved June 8, 2021.</ref> who exposed communist infiltration of the [[State Department]] and the [[United States Army]]. The Vermont senator led the motion to censure McCarthy and made absurd statements (namely [[Godwin's Law|comparing him to Adolf Hitler]]) as well as the following sarcastic remark:<ref name=politico>Glass, Andres (March 9, 2011). [https://www.politico.com/story/2011/03/vermont-senator-confronts-sen-joseph-mccarthy-march-9-1954-050882 Vermont Senator Confronts Sen. Joseph McCarthy, March 9, 1954]. ''Politico''. Retrieved June 8, 2021.</ref> |
{{quotebox-float|To what party does [McCarthy] belong? Is he a hidden satellite of the Democratic Party, to which he is furnishing so much material for quiet mirth?}} | {{quotebox-float|To what party does [McCarthy] belong? Is he a hidden satellite of the Democratic Party, to which he is furnishing so much material for quiet mirth?}} | ||
Revision as of 03:20, June 9, 2021
| Ralph E. Flanders | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Former U.S. Senator from Vermont From: November 1, 1946 – January 3, 1959 | |||
| Predecessor | Warren Austin | ||
| Successor | Winston L. Prouty | ||
| Former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston From: May 1, 1944 – February 28, 1946 | |||
| Predecessor | William Paddock | ||
| Successor | Laurence Whittemore | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Republican | ||
| Spouse(s) | Helen Edith Hartness | ||
| Religion | Congregationalist[1] | ||
Ralph Edward Flanders (September 28, 1880 – February 19, 1970) was an industrialist and engineer from Vermont. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the state's U.S. senator from the mid-1940s to the late 1950s, previously being the president of the Boston Federal Reserve Bank.
U.S. Senate
After incumbent Republican senator Warren Austin resigned from Congress to become the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under the Truman administration, Flanders ran in the special election for the seat. He won the primary by ten percentage points[2] and easily defeated his Democrat opponent in the general election by a landslide.[3]
Flanders was mostly known for having been the leading Republican opponent of Joseph McCarthy,[4] who exposed communist infiltration of the State Department and the United States Army. The Vermont senator led the motion to censure McCarthy and made absurd statements (namely comparing him to Adolf Hitler) as well as the following sarcastic remark:[5]
| To what party does [McCarthy] belong? Is he a hidden satellite of the Democratic Party, to which he is furnishing so much material for quiet mirth? |
McCarthy was ultimately censured by the Senate, with nearly every Democrat supporting the measure while the Senate GOP was split;[5] Flanders and his more moderately liberal colleague George Aiken voted in favor of it. He later reflected on his efforts:
| The conviction grew that something must be done about this, even if I had to do it myself. |
Flanders missed nearly 20% of all roll call votes throughout his Senate career.[6]
References
- ↑ Hart, D.G. (June 9, 2015). The World Ike Wrought. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ↑ VT US Senate - R Primary Race - Aug 13, 1946. Our Campaigns. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ↑ VT US Senate Race - Nov 05, 1946. Our Campaigns. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ↑ Bushnell, Mark (May 26, 2019). Then, Again: The Vermonter who brought down Joseph McCarthy. VTDigger. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Glass, Andres (March 9, 2011). Vermont Senator Confronts Sen. Joseph McCarthy, March 9, 1954. Politico. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ↑ Sen. Ralph Flanders. GovTrack.us. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
External links
- Profile at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile via United States Senate
- Profile at Find a Grave
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