Henry Herman Schwartz (May 18, 1869April 24, 1955), known as Harry or H. H. Schwartz, 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. He was a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Early life and education

Schwartz was born on a farm near Fort Recovery, Ohio, and was educated in the public schools of Mercer County and Cincinnati, Ohio. Schwartz engaged in the newspaper business at Fort Recovery from 1892 to 1894 and at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, from 1894 to 1896. Schwartz studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1895, and commenced practice in Sioux Falls.

Political career

Schwartz's political career started in the South Dakota House of Representatives, 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, 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., 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 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

. He served as a member of the Wyoming Senate from 1933 to 1935.

U.S. Senate

Schwartz 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 U.S. Senate in

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

and served from January 3, 1937 to January 3, 1943. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in

. During his term as a U.S. Senator, Harry Schwartz played a key role in opening the door to black military pilots in World War II. 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

Henry H. Arnold Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 – January 15, 1950) was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1941), ...

and others to demand that black pilots be trained. During his term, Schwartz was chairman of the Committee on Pensions (

Seventy-seventh Congress The 77th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1941, ...

). He was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the National Mediation Board, serving from 1943 to 1947.

Life after politics

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, Harry 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