Henry Herman "Harry" Schwartz (May 18, 1869April 24, 1955) was an American politician who served as a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

. Schwartz was born on a farm near

Fort Recovery, Ohio Fort Recovery is a village in Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,501 at the 2020 census. The village is near the location of Fort Recovery, first established in 1793 under orders from General Anthony Wayne. The town is loca ...

, and was educated in the public schools of Mercer County and

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. Schwartz engaged in the

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

business at Fort Recovery from 1892 to 1894 and at

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

, from 1894 to 1896. Schwartz studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1895, and commenced practice in Sioux Falls. Schwartz's political career started in the

South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided int ...

, serving from 1897 to 1899, where he was elected on the Fusion ticket. He served as chief of the field division of the United States General Land Office at

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

, and

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...

, from 1897 to 1907. Schwartz was special assistant to the Attorney General in 1907; and chief of field service, General Land Office in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, from 1907 to 1910. In 1915, Schwartz moved to

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in, and the county seat of, Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the second-largest city in the state, with the population at 59,038 as of the 2020 census. Only Cheyenne, the state capital, is larger. Casper is nic ...

, with wife Eliza Bowie Mathews. He served as president of the Casper Board of Education and the

Natrona County Natrona County is a county in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 79,955, making it the second-most populous county in Wyoming. Its county seat is Casper. Natrona County comprises the Casper, WY ...

High School Board from 1928 to 1934. Schwartz was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate in 1930, but he served as a member of the

Wyoming Senate The Wyoming Senate is the upper house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 30 Senators in the Senate, representing an equal number of constituencies across Wyoming, each with a population of at least 17,000. The Senate meets at the Wyomi ...

from 1933 to 1935 and was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the United States Senate in 1936 and served from January 3, 1937, to January 3, 1943. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1942. During his term as a U.S. Senator, Harry Schwartz played a key role in opening the door to black military pilots in WWII. In 1939, Public Law 18 appropriated funds to expand pilot training, and Schwartz was able to add an amendment to required some aviation equipment be loaned to schools for the training of black military pilots. When the War Department and the Army Air Corps (AAC) did not follow through on this amendment, Schwartz made visits to General Arnold and others to demand that black pilots be trained. Also, during his term, Schwartz was chairman of the Committee on Pensions (Seventy-seventh Congress). He was appointed by President

Franklin D. 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 ...

to the National Mediation Board, serving from 1943 to 1947. He resumed the practice of law in Casper, Wyoming, until his death there on April 24, 1955. He was interred in Highland Cemetery.

Notes

External links

*
Official Congressional Directory entry for Wyoming Senator H.H. (Harry) SchwartzHenry Schwartz's record in the South Dakota State Legislature's Historical Listing
* Cooper, Charlie, Ann Cooper, and Roy La Grone. Tuskegee's heroes: featuring the aviation art of Roy LaGrone. NY, NY: Crestline, 2015. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwartz, Henry H. 1869 births 1955 deaths People from Mercer County, Ohio American people of German descent Democratic Party United States senators from Wyoming Democratic Party Wyoming state senators Democratic Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives Politicians from Sioux Falls, South Dakota Politicians from Casper, Wyoming Politicians from Helena, Montana