Jump to content

Robert F. Wagner: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m →‎External links: Add persondata short description using AWB
rev pol career - emph Triangle Shirtwaist investigation. mention Yorkville. add/beautify refs. add to infobox.
Line 20: Line 20:
|death_date = {{death date and age|1953|5|4|1877|6|3}}
|death_date = {{death date and age|1953|5|4|1877|6|3}}
|death_place = [[New York City]], [[New York]]
|death_place = [[New York City]], [[New York]]
|restingplace =
|party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|children=[[Robert Ferdinand Wagner II]]
|children=[[Robert Ferdinand Wagner II]]
|profession =
|profession =
|religion = [[Roman Catholic]]
|religion = [[Roman Catholic]]
|spouse = Margaret Marie McTague (m. 1908, d. 1919, one son)
|partner = <!--For those with a domestic partner and not married-->
|relations =
|alma_mater =[[City College of New York]](1898)<br/>[[New York City|New York Law School]] (1900)
|occupation =
|profession =lawyer
|cabinet =
|committees =
|portfolio =
|religion =
|signature =
|signature_alt =
|website =
|footnotes =<ref>{{cite book
|chapter=Robert Ferdinand Wagner
|title=[[Dictionary of American Biography]]
|location=[[New York City|New York]]
|publisher=[[New York City|Charles Scribner's Sons]]
|year=1977
|accessdate=2012-02-26
|url=http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=BIC1&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CBT2310001400&mode=view&userGroupName=fairfax_main&jsid=ecd9a3017792196f3eef3c7af2be8cfd
|id=<nowiki>GALE|BT2310001400</nowiki>
|fee, via [[Fairfax County Public Library]]}} Gale Biography In Context. {{subscription}}</ref><ref name=NNDB/>
}}
}}
'''Robert Ferdinand Wagner I''' (June 8, 1877{{ndash}} May 4, 1953) was an American politician. He was a [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[U.S. Senator from New York]] from 1927 to 1949.
'''Robert Ferdinand Wagner I''' (June 8, 1877{{ndash}} May 4, 1953) was an American politician. He was a [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[U.S. Senator from New York]] from 1927 to 1949.


==Origin and early life==
==Origin and early life==
He was born in [[Nastätten]], then in the Province [[Hesse-Nassau]], [[Kingdom of Prussia]], [[German Empire]] (now in [[Rhein-Lahn-Kreis]], [[Rhineland-Palatinate]], [[Federal Republic of Germany]]) and immigrated with his parents to the [[United States]] in 1885.<ref>[http://www.nndb.com/people/338/000044206/]"Birthplace: Nastatten, Hessen-Nassau, Germany"</ref> His family settled in [[New York City]] and Wagner attended the public schools. He graduated from the [[City College of New York|College of the City of New York]] (now named [[City College of New York|City College]]) in 1898 where he was a brother of [[Phi Sigma Kappa]] fraternity and from [[New York Law School]] in 1900. He was admitted to the bar in 1900.
He was born in [[Nastätten]], then in the Province [[Hesse-Nassau]], [[Kingdom of Prussia]], [[German Empire]] (now in [[Rhein-Lahn-Kreis]], [[Rhineland-Palatinate]], [[Federal Republic of Germany]]) and immigrated with his parents to the [[United States]] in 1885.<ref name=NNDB>{{cite web
|url=http://www.nndb.com/people/338/000044206/
|quote=Birthplace: Nastatten, Hessen-Nassau, Germany
|accessdate=2012-02-26
|title=Robert F. Wagner, Sr.
|work=[[NNDB]]}}</ref> His family settled in [[New York City]]'s [[Yorkville, Manhattan|Yorkville]] neighborhood, and Wagner attended the public schools. He graduated from the [[City College of New York|College of the City of New York]] (now named [[City College of New York|City College]]) in 1898 where he was a brother of [[Phi Sigma Kappa]] fraternity and from [[New York Law School]] in 1900. He was admitted to the bar in 1900.


==Political career==
==Political career==
He was a member of the [[New York State Assembly]] from 1905 to 1908, and of the [[New York State Senate]] from 1909 to 1918. He was [[Majority Leader of the New York State Senate|President pro tempore of the New York State Senate]] from 1911 to 1914, and became Acting [[Lieutenant Governor of New York]] after the impeachment of Governor [[William Sulzer]], and the succession of Lt. Gov. [[Martin H. Glynn]] to the governorship. In 1914, while Wagner remained President pro tem, [[John F. Murtaugh]] was chosen Majority Leader of the State Senate, the only time before 2009 that the two offices were not held by the same person. In January 1915, following the loss of the Senate majority by the Democrats, Wagner became Minority Leader until his retirement in 1918. Also, during his time in the State Senate, he served as Chairman of the State Factory Investigating Committee (1911–1915). Wagner was a delegate to the [[New York State Constitutional Convention]]s of 1915 and 1938, and a justice of the [[New York Supreme Court]] from 1919 to 1926.
He was a member of the [[New York State Assembly]] from 1905 to 1908, and of the [[New York State Senate]] from 1909 to 1918. He was [[Majority Leader of the New York State Senate|President pro tempore of the New York State Senate]] from 1911 to 1914, and became Acting [[Lieutenant Governor of New York]] after the impeachment of Governor [[William Sulzer]], and the succession of Lt. Gov. [[Martin H. Glynn]] to the governorship. In 1914, while Wagner remained President pro tem, [[John F. Murtaugh]] was chosen Majority Leader of the State Senate, the only time before 2009 that the two offices were not held by the same person. After the Democrats lost their Senate majority, Wagner was Senate minority leader from January 1915 until he retired in 1918.<!-- In January 1915, following the loss of the Senate majority by the Democrats, Wagner became Minority Leader until his retirement in 1918. -->
In the aftermath of the [[Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire]] he was Chairman of the State Factory Investigating Committee (1911–1915). His Vice Chairman was fellow [[Tammany Hall]] politician, [[Al Smith]]. Their findings led to thirty-eight new laws regulating labor in New York state, and helped propel them, respectively, to the [[U.S. Senate]] and [[New York Governor|New York state Governorship]].<ref>{{cite news
|work=New York Times
|accessdate=2012-02-26
|date=March 11, 2011
|url=http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/t/triangle_shirtwaist_factory_fire/index.html?scp=2&sq=robert%20f.%20wagner&st=cse
|title=Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911)
}}</ref>

Wagner was a delegate to the [[New York State Constitutional Convention]]s of 1915 and 1938, and a justice of the [[New York Supreme Court]] from 1919 to 1926.


==U.S. Senate==
==U.S. Senate==
Wagner was elected as a Democrat to the [[United States Senate]] in [[New York state election, 1926|1926]], and reelected in [[New York state election, 1932|1932]], [[New York state election, 1938|1938]] and [[New York state election, 1944|1944]]. He resigned on June 28, 1949, due to ill health. He was unable to attend any sessions of the 80th or 81st Congress from 1947 to 1949 because of a heart ailment.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/14/washington/14senate.html?hp&ex=1166072400&en=86d5d2e95859ea0d&ei=5094&partner=homepage]</ref> Wagner was Chairman of the [[United States Senate Committee on Patents|Committee on Patents]] in the [[73rd United States Congress|73rd Congress]], of the [[U.S. Senate Committee on Public Lands and Surveys|Committee on Public Lands and Surveys]] in the [[73rd United States Congress|73rd]] and [[74th United States Congress|74th]] Congresses, and of the [[U.S. Senate Committee on Banking and Currency|Committee on Banking and Currency]] in the [[75th United States Congress|75th]] through [[79th United States Congress|79th]] Congresses. He was a delegate to the [[United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference]] in [[Bretton Woods, New Hampshire]] in 1944.
Wagner was elected as a Democrat to the [[United States Senate]] in [[New York state election, 1926|1926]], and reelected in [[New York state election, 1932|1932]], [[New York state election, 1938|1938]] and [[New York state election, 1944|1944]]. He resigned on June 28, 1949, due to ill health. He was unable to attend any sessions of the 80th or 81st Congress from 1947 to 1949 because of a heart ailment.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/14/washington/14senate.html?hp&ex=1166072400&en=86d5d2e95859ea0d&ei=5094&partner=homepage
|accessdate=2012-02-26
|title=Stricken Senate Democrat Undergoes Surgery
|work=[[New York Times]]
|authorlink=Kate Zernike
|first=Kate |last=Zernike
|date=December 14, 2006
}}</ref> Wagner was Chairman of the [[United States Senate Committee on Patents|Committee on Patents]] in the [[73rd United States Congress|73rd Congress]], of the [[U.S. Senate Committee on Public Lands and Surveys|Committee on Public Lands and Surveys]] in the [[73rd United States Congress|73rd]] and [[74th United States Congress|74th]] Congresses, and of the [[U.S. Senate Committee on Banking and Currency|Committee on Banking and Currency]] in the [[75th United States Congress|75th]] through [[79th United States Congress|79th]] Congresses. He was a delegate to the [[United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference]] in [[Bretton Woods, New Hampshire]] in 1944.


Wagner, who had known the future President when they were in the New York state legislature together, was a member of [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]]'s [[Brain Trust]]. He was very involved in labor issues, fought for legal protection and rights for workers, and was a leader in crafting the [[New Deal]].
Wagner, who had known the future President when they were in the New York state legislature together, was a member of [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]]'s [[Brain Trust]]. He was very involved in labor issues, fought for legal protection and rights for workers, and was a leader in crafting the [[New Deal]].


His most important legislative achievements include the [[National Industrial Recovery Act]] in 1933 and the [[Housing Act of 1937|Wagner-Steagall Housing Act‎]] of 1937. After the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] ruled the National Industrial Recovery Act and the National Recovery Administration unconstitutional, Wagner helped pass the [[National Labor Relations Act]] (also known as the Wagner Act) in 1935,<ref>http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/laborhall/1990_wagner.htm</ref> a similar but much more expansive bill. The National Labor Relations Act, perhaps Wagner's greatest achievement, was a seminal event in the history of organized labor in the United States. It created the [[National Labor Relations Board]], which mediated disputes between unions and corporations, and greatly expanded the rights of workers by banning many "unfair labor practices" and guaranteeing all workers the right to form a union. He also introduced the [[Railway Pension Law]], and cosponsored the [[Wagner-O'Day Act]], the predecessor to the [[Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act]].
His most important legislative achievements include the [[National Industrial Recovery Act]] in 1933 and the [[Housing Act of 1937|Wagner-Steagall Housing Act‎]] of 1937. After the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] ruled the National Industrial Recovery Act and the National Recovery Administration unconstitutional, Wagner helped pass the [[National Labor Relations Act]] (also known as the Wagner Act) in 1935,<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/laborhall/1990_wagner.htm
|accessdate=2012-02-26
|title=U.S. Department of Labor - Labor Hall of Fame - Robert F. Wagner}}</ref> a similar but much more expansive bill. The National Labor Relations Act, perhaps Wagner's greatest achievement, was a seminal event in the history of organized labor in the United States. It created the [[National Labor Relations Board]], which mediated disputes between unions and corporations, and greatly expanded the rights of workers by banning many "unfair labor practices" and guaranteeing all workers the right to form a union. He also introduced the [[Railway Pension Law]], and cosponsored the [[Wagner-O'Day Act]], the predecessor to the [[Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act]].


Wagner was instrumental in writing the [[Social Security Act]], and originally introduced it in the United States Senate.
Wagner was instrumental in writing the [[Social Security Act]], and originally introduced it in the United States Senate.
Line 98: Line 148:
*{{CongBio|W000021}}
*{{CongBio|W000021}}
*{{Find a Grave|8940|Robert F. Wagner}}
*{{Find a Grave|8940|Robert F. Wagner}}
*[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/wagner.html Robert F. Wagner] [[political graveyard]]


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->

Revision as of 21:54, 26 February 2012

Robert Ferdinand Wagner I
Portrait of Robert F. Wagner in the U.S. Senate Reception Room
United States Senator
from New York
In office
March 4, 1927 – June 28, 1949
Preceded byJames W. Wadsworth, Jr.
Succeeded byJohn Foster Dulles
Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York
In office
October 17, 1913 – December 31, 1914
GovernorMartin H. Glynn
Preceded byMartin H. Glynn
as Lieutenant Governor
Succeeded byEdward Schoeneck
as Lieutenant Governor
Personal details
Born(1877-06-08)June 8, 1877
Nastätten, Hesse-Nassau, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
DiedMay 4, 1953(1953-05-04) (aged 75)
New York City, New York
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMargaret Marie McTague (m. 1908, d. 1919, one son)
ChildrenRobert Ferdinand Wagner II
Alma materCity College of New York(1898)
New York Law School (1900)
Professionlawyer
[1][2]

Robert Ferdinand Wagner I (June 8, 1877– May 4, 1953) was an American politician. He was a Democratic U.S. Senator from New York from 1927 to 1949.

Origin and early life

He was born in Nastätten, then in the Province Hesse-Nassau, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire (now in Rhein-Lahn-Kreis, Rhineland-Palatinate, Federal Republic of Germany) and immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1885.[2] His family settled in New York City's Yorkville neighborhood, and Wagner attended the public schools. He graduated from the College of the City of New York (now named City College) in 1898 where he was a brother of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity and from New York Law School in 1900. He was admitted to the bar in 1900.

Political career

He was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1905 to 1908, and of the New York State Senate from 1909 to 1918. He was President pro tempore of the New York State Senate from 1911 to 1914, and became Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York after the impeachment of Governor William Sulzer, and the succession of Lt. Gov. Martin H. Glynn to the governorship. In 1914, while Wagner remained President pro tem, John F. Murtaugh was chosen Majority Leader of the State Senate, the only time before 2009 that the two offices were not held by the same person. After the Democrats lost their Senate majority, Wagner was Senate minority leader from January 1915 until he retired in 1918.

In the aftermath of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire he was Chairman of the State Factory Investigating Committee (1911–1915). His Vice Chairman was fellow Tammany Hall politician, Al Smith. Their findings led to thirty-eight new laws regulating labor in New York state, and helped propel them, respectively, to the U.S. Senate and New York state Governorship.[3]

Wagner was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Conventions of 1915 and 1938, and a justice of the New York Supreme Court from 1919 to 1926.

U.S. Senate

Wagner was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1926, and reelected in 1932, 1938 and 1944. He resigned on June 28, 1949, due to ill health. He was unable to attend any sessions of the 80th or 81st Congress from 1947 to 1949 because of a heart ailment.[4] Wagner was Chairman of the Committee on Patents in the 73rd Congress, of the Committee on Public Lands and Surveys in the 73rd and 74th Congresses, and of the Committee on Banking and Currency in the 75th through 79th Congresses. He was a delegate to the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire in 1944.

Wagner, who had known the future President when they were in the New York state legislature together, was a member of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Brain Trust. He was very involved in labor issues, fought for legal protection and rights for workers, and was a leader in crafting the New Deal.

His most important legislative achievements include the National Industrial Recovery Act in 1933 and the Wagner-Steagall Housing Act‎ of 1937. After the Supreme Court ruled the National Industrial Recovery Act and the National Recovery Administration unconstitutional, Wagner helped pass the National Labor Relations Act (also known as the Wagner Act) in 1935,[5] a similar but much more expansive bill. The National Labor Relations Act, perhaps Wagner's greatest achievement, was a seminal event in the history of organized labor in the United States. It created the National Labor Relations Board, which mediated disputes between unions and corporations, and greatly expanded the rights of workers by banning many "unfair labor practices" and guaranteeing all workers the right to form a union. He also introduced the Railway Pension Law, and cosponsored the Wagner-O'Day Act, the predecessor to the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act.

Wagner was instrumental in writing the Social Security Act, and originally introduced it in the United States Senate.

The Wagner-Hatfield amendment to the Communications Act of 1934, aimed at turning over twenty-five percent of all radio channels to non-profit radio broadcasters, did not pass. He also co-sponsored with Rep. Edith Rogers (R-Mass.) the Wagner-Rogers Bill to admit 20,000 Jewish refugees under the age of 14 to the United States from Nazi Germany, but the bill was rejected by the United States Congress in February 1939.

Wagner and Edward P. Costigan sponsored a federal anti-Lynching law. In 1935 attempts were made to persuade President Franklin D. Roosevelt to support the Costigan-Wagner Bill. However, Roosevelt refused to support the bill, not wanting to alienate Southern Democrats in Congress and lose their support for New Deal programs. There were 18 lynchings of blacks in the South in 1935, but after the threat of federal legislation the number fell to eight in 1936, and to two in 1939.

On June 28, 1949, Wagner resigned from the U.S. Senate, due to ill health; John Foster Dulles was appointed by Governor Thomas E. Dewey on July 7, 1949, to temporarily fill the vacancy.

Death and legacy

He died in New York City, and is interred in Calvary Cemetery, Queens, New York City.

His son, Robert F. Wagner, Jr., was Mayor of New York City from 1954 to 1965.

On September 14, 2004, a portrait of Wagner, along with one of Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg, was unveiled in the Senate Reception Room. The new portraits joined a group of distinguished former Senators, including Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John C. Calhoun, Robert M. La Follette, Sr., and Robert A. Taft. Portraits of this group of Senators, known as the "Famous Five", were unveiled on March 12, 1959.

The public middle school located at 220 east 76th Street in New York City is named after him.

References

  1. ^ "Robert Ferdinand Wagner". [[Dictionary of American Biography]]. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1977. GALE|BT2310001400. Retrieved 2012-02-26. {{cite book}}: Text "fee, via Fairfax County Public Library" ignored (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help) Gale Biography In Context. (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b "Robert F. Wagner, Sr". NNDB. Retrieved 2012-02-26. Birthplace: Nastatten, Hessen-Nassau, Germany
  3. ^ "Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911)". New York Times. March 11, 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
  4. ^ Zernike, Kate (December 14, 2006). "Stricken Senate Democrat Undergoes Surgery". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
  5. ^ "U.S. Department of Labor - Labor Hall of Fame - Robert F. Wagner". Retrieved 2012-02-26.

American Passages: a History of the United States

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert F. Wagner (Senator).

References

  • J. Joseph Huthmacher: Senator Robert F. Wagner and the Rise of Urban Liberalism (1968)
New York State Assembly
Preceded by New York State Assembly, New York County, 30th District
1905 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New York State Assembly, New York County, 22nd District
1907 - 1908 		Succeeded by
New York State Senate
Preceded by New York State Senate, 16th District
1909 - 1918 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Majority Leader of the New York State Senate
1911 - 1914 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President pro tempore of the New York State Senate
1911 - 1914 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Martin H. Glynn
Lieutenant Governor
 Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York
1913 - 1914 		Succeeded by
Edward Schoeneck
Lieutenant Governor
Preceded by Minority Leader of the New York State Senate
1915 - 1918 		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 3) from New York
1927–1949
Served alongside: Royal S. Copeland, James M. Mead, Irving Ives 		Succeeded by

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_F._Wagner&oldid=479017548"