Harry Hines Woodring
| Harry Hines Woodring | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 53rd United States Secretary of War | |
| In office September 25, 1936 – June 20, 1940 |
|
| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | George Dern |
| Succeeded by | Henry L. Stimson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 31, 1890 Elk City, Kansas |
| Died | September 9, 1967 (aged 77) Topeka, Kansas |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Coolidge |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| 25th Governor of Kansas | |
|---|---|
| In office January 12, 1931 – January 9, 1933 |
|
| Lieutenant | Jacob W. Graybill |
| Preceded by | Clyde M. Reed |
| Succeeded by | Alfred M. Landon |
| Personal details | |
| Profession | accountant, banker, soldier, |
| Religion | Disciples of Christ |
Harry Hines Woodring (May 31, 1890 – September 9, 1967) was an American politician, a Democrat, who was the twenty-fifth governor of Kansas, and Secretary of War in President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Cabinet.
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Biography [edit]
Woodring was born in 1890 in Elk City, Kansas. He was educated in city and county schools and at sixteen began work as a janitor in the First National Bank of Neodesha, Kansas. He attended Lebanon Business University for one year,[1] which gained him employment as a bookkeeper and assistant cashier of the First National Bank in Elk City.
Career [edit]
Woodring soon became assistant cashier at the First National Bank of Neodesha. Woodring moved up quickly to become vice president and owner of the bank until he enlisted as a private in the US Army. He was later commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Tank Corps in World War I. He was elected department commander of the American Legion in Kansas then in 1928 he sold his banking business to enter politics.
Woodring won the Kansas gubernatorial election of 1930 in a controversial three-way race with Republican Frank Haucke and write-in candidate and goat-gland transplantation specialist, Dr. John Brinkley. He served as governor of Kansas from 1931 to 1933. As the only Democrat elected to a statehouse office, his efforts to cut expenditures were largely blocked by Republicans, so he cut his own salary and the Highway Department, the one place where Democrats had control.[2]
On July 25, 1933, Woodring married Helen Coolidge, daughter of United States Senator Marcus A. Coolidge,[3] and they had three children.
Woodring served as Assistant Secretary of War from 1933 to 1936, with supervision over procurement matters. He was promoted and served as Secretary of War under President Franklin Roosevelt from 1936 to 1940. He projected the recommendations of his predecessor for increasing the strength of the Regular Army, National Guard, and the Reserve Corps. During his tenure he directed a revision of mobilization plans to bring personnel and procurement into balance and stressed the need to perfect the initial (peacetime) protective force.
A strict non-interventionist, Woodring came under pressure from other cabinet members to resign in the first year of World War II. Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes met with Roosevelt at least twice to call for Woodring's firing, but FDR was at first unwilling to do so, instead appointing outspoken interventionist Louis A. Johnson as Woodring's assistant secretary of war. Woodring and Johnson were immediately at odds, and quickly reached the point where they refused to speak to each other.[4] On June 20, 1940, Roosevelt ended the struggle by finally firing Woodring, replacing him with long-time Republican politician Henry Stimson.[5]
Woodring ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Kansas in 1946, and for the Democratic Party nomination for that post in 1956.
Death [edit]
Woodring died following a stroke in Topeka, Kansas on September 9, 1967. He is interred at the Mount Hope Cemetery, Topeka, Shawnee County Kansas USA.[6]
References [edit]
- ^ "Harry Hines Woodring". National Governors Association. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ "Harry Hines Woodring". Kansapedia. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ "Harry Hines Woodring". The Evening Independent. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ Goodwin 1994, p. 23–24.
- ^ Goodwin 1994, p. 71.
- ^ "Harry Hines Woodring". Find A Grave. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
Bibliography [edit]
- Goodwin, Doris Kearns (1994). No Ordinary Time. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780684804484.
Further reading [edit]
- Book Reviews From Parameters, Autumn 2006, pp. 124–49.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Harry Hines Woodring |
- Bell, William Gardner (1992). "Harry Hines Woodring". Secretaries of War and Secretaries of the Army. United States Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 70-12.
- Find-A-Grave profile for Harry Hines Woodring
- National Governors Association
- Kansapedia
- The Evening Independent
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Clyde M. Reed |
Governor of Kansas January 12, 1931 – January 9, 1933 |
Succeeded by Alfred M. Landon |
| Preceded by George H. Dern |
U.S. Secretary of War Served under: Franklin D. Roosevelt September 25, 1936 – June 20, 1940 |
Succeeded by Henry L. Stimson |
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- 1890 births
- 1967 deaths
- People from Montgomery County, Kansas
- People from Wilson County, Kansas
- United States Army officers
- American military personnel of World War I
- Governors of Kansas
- United States Secretaries of War
- Deaths from stroke
- American Disciples of Christ
- Franklin D. Roosevelt administration cabinet members
