Schwellenbach, Lewis B. (Lewis Baxter), 1894-1948

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1894-09-20
Death 1948-06-10
English

Biographical notes:

United States Senator and Secretary of Labor.

From the description of Social invitations, 1936-1948. (Washington State University). WorldCat record id: 29853954

Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach was born in 1894 in Superior, Wisconsin. In 1902, his family moved to Spokane, Washington. He graduated from the law school of the University of Washington in 1917. During the First World War he served from 1918, as a private in the Twelfth Regiment, United States Infantry, until discharged as a corporal in 1919. During the 1920's, he had an active law practice working with and for labor unions, eventually becoming active in businesses which were owned by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. He was a director of the Brotherhood Bank and Trust Company. He became the president of Superior Services Laundry Inc., which eventually failed. He unsuccessfully ran for governor of Washington in 1932. He was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate from Washington State and served from January 3, 1935, to December 16, 1940. He was a delegate to the Interparliamentary Union at The Hague in 1938. He was appointed as District Judge for the Eastern District of Washington in 1940. He was Secretary of Labor from July 1, 1945 to June 10, 1948, and while Secretary, he changed the labor department from a department primarily interested in statistical information gathering to a policy-making department, actively trying to conciliate labor with management and promote a high-wage economy based on unionized labor. The Employment Act of 1946 codified his policy of promoting maximum employment. He also presided over the end of the wage and price controls which had been in effect during World War II. He served as Secretary of Labor until his death on June 10, 1948, in Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, D.C. He was interred in Washelli Cemetery in Seattle, Washington.

From the description of Schwellenbach, Lewis B. (Lewis Baxter), 1894-1948 (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10570822

U.S. secretary of labor, U.S. senator from Washington, jurist, and lawyer.

From the description of Lewis B. Schwellenbach papers, 1916-1958 (bulk 1934-1948). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79455018

Biographical Note

1894, Sept. 20 Born, Superior, Wis. 1917 LL.B., University of Washington, Seattle, Wash. 1916 1917 Assistant instructor, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash. 1919 Admitted to Washington state bar 1919 1921 Associated with firm of Roberts & Skeel, Seattle, Wash. 1924 Chairman, Democratic state convention, Washington state 1925 1931 Partner, firm of Schwellenbach, Merrick, and Macfarlane 1931 1935 Practiced law alone 1932 Candidate for governor in Democratic primaries, Washington state 1935 Married Anne Duffy 1935 1940 U.S. senator from Washington (resigned Dec. 1940) 1940 1945 U.S. district judge, Eastern District of Washington 1944 1945 Dean, Gonzaga University Law School, Spokane, Wash. 1945 1948 Secretary of labor 1948, June 10 Died, Washington, D.C.

From the guide to the Lewis B. Schwellenbach Papers, 1916-1958, (bulk 1934-1948), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)

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Subjects:

  • Aliens
  • Aliens
  • Anti-communist movements
  • Civil rights
  • Communism
  • Democracy
  • Democracy
  • Fascism
  • Filibusters (Political science)
  • Filibusters (Political science)
  • Fisheries
  • Fisheries
  • Forests and forestry
  • Forests and forestry
  • Labor disputes
  • Neutrality
  • Neutrality
  • People with disabilities
  • People with disabilities
  • Veterans
  • Veterans
  • Aliens
  • Democracy
  • Filibusters (Political science)
  • Fisheries
  • Forests and forestry
  • Neutrality
  • People with disabilities
  • Veterans

Occupations:

  • Cabinet officers
  • Jurists
  • Lawyers
  • Senators, U.S. Congress

Places:

  • Japan (as recorded)
  • Spain (as recorded)
  • Europe (as recorded)
  • Washington (State) (as recorded)
  • Washington (State) (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Spain (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Washington (D.C.) (as recorded)
  • Japan (as recorded)
  • Washington (State) (as recorded)