George Lovic Pierce Radcliffe (August 22, 1877July 29, 1974) was a Democratic member of the United States Senate who represented Maryland from 1935 to 1947.

Background

Radcliffe was born on a farm at Lloyds, near Cambridge, Maryland. He attended both public and private schools in his youth and later graduated from Cambridge Seminary in 1893, from Johns Hopkins University in 1897, from the graduate school of Johns Hopkins University in 1900, and from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1903.

Career

Following college, Radcliffe took the position of principal of the Cambridge Seminary he had attended as a youth. After a stint as a teacher in the

Baltimore City College Baltimore City College, known colloquially as City, City College, and B.C.C., is a college preparatory school with a liberal arts focus and selective admissions criteria located in Baltimore, Maryland. Opened in October 1839, B.C.C. is the thir ...

in 1901 and 1902, Radcliffe was admitted to the bar in 1903 and commenced practice in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

with an interest in banking and farming. During the First World War, Radcliffe joined the Liquor License Commission in Baltimore, serving from 1916–1919, and also served as a member of the Maryland State Council of Defense.

State Government

In 1919, Radcliffe was selected as Secretary of State of Maryland and served until 1920.

Federal Government

In 1933 and again in 1934, Radcliffe was chosen regional adviser of the Public Works Administration for Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and the District of Columbia.

U.S. Senate

In the election of 1934, Radcliffe was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate, and was subsequently reelected in the 1940 election. Radcliffe failed to achieve re-nomination for his party in the election of 1946, losing to fellow Democrat Herbert R. O'Conor.

Personal and death

Radcliffe resumed banking and farming interests following his tenure as senator and was actively involved in civic life. He resided in Baltimore until he died on July 29, 1974. He is buried at the Cambridge Cemetery in his hometown.

Miscellaneous

In 1935,

Alger Hiss Alger Hiss (November 11, 1904 – November 15, 1996) was an American government official accused in 1948 of having spied for the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Statutes of limitations had expired for espionage, but he was convicted of perjury in con ...

attorney and close friend

William L. Marbury, Jr. William Luke Marbury Jr. (September 12, 1901 – March 5, 1988) was a prominent 20th-century American lawyer who practiced with his family's law firm of Marbury, Miller & Evans (later Piper & Marbury, Piper Marbury Rudnick & Wolfe, Piper Rudnick ...

wrote to Radcliffe to secure his support for the appointment of Hiss to the

U.S. Solicitor General The solicitor general of the United States is the fourth-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. Elizabeth Prelogar has been serving in the role since October 28, 2021. The United States solicitor general represent ...

's office. (Hiss and Radcliffe were both from Baltimore, graduates of Johns Hopkins University, and officials in

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

government.)

References

External sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radcliffe, George L. P. 1877 births 1974 deaths University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law alumni Democratic Party United States senators from Maryland Secretaries of State of Maryland Johns Hopkins University alumni People from Dorchester County, Maryland Baltimore City College faculty Maryland Democrats