Leslie Cornelius Arends (September 27, 1895July 17, 1985) was a
Republican politician from
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...
who served in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
from 1935 until 1974.
A native and lifelong resident of
Melvin, Illinois
Melvin is a village in Ford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 452 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Melvin is located at (40.569480, -88.248880).
According to the 2010 census, Melvin has a total area of , all land.
Demographics ...
, Arends attended
Oberlin College and served in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
during World WarI. He was involved in farming and banking; in addition to renting out several farms he owned, he eventually became president of the local bank his father had started.
Arends was elected to the U.S. House in 1934. He served from 1935 until resigning on December 31, 1974. From 1943 until his retirement, Arends served as the Republican
Whip, holding the post during periods of Republican majority (1947-1949, 1953–1955) and minority (1943-1947, 1949–1953, 1955–1974). In addition, Arends rose by seniority to become the ranking minority member of the
House Armed Services Committee.
A party loyalist, Arends opposed much government spending, and provided strong support to the party's presidential candidates. He remained loyal to
Richard M. Nixon during the
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's contin ...
, and indicated that he would not vote to impeach Nixon.
After resigning from the House, Arends served on the
President's Intelligence Advisory Board
The President's Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB) is an advisory body to the Executive Office of the President of the United States. According to its self-description, it "provides advice to the President concerning the quality and adequacy o ...
, and lived in retirement in Melvin,
Washington, DC
)
, 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 Morg ...
, and
Naples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...
. He died in Naples, and was buried in Melvin.
Early life
Born in
Melvin, Illinois
Melvin is a village in Ford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 452 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Melvin is located at (40.569480, -88.248880).
According to the 2010 census, Melvin has a total area of , all land.
Demographics ...
, on September 27, 1895, Arends was the youngest of ten children (only seven lived to adulthood) born to George Teis Arends and Talea (née Weiss) Arends. His father was born in Peoria to parents who were both natives of Germany; his mother was born in Hanover, Germany.
Arends attended the local schools and from 1912 to 1913 was a student at
Oberlin College in Ohio. He enlisted in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
during World WarI, where he played in the Navy band at numerous war bond rallies. After his discharge he acquired and rented out several farms, and became active in banking. He eventually became president of the Commercial State Bank in Melvin, which had been founded by his father. He was a member of the
Ford County Farm Bureau, and a member of the board of trustees of
Illinois Wesleyan University, which awarded him the
honorary degree
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad h ...
of
LL.D. in 1962.
Congressional career
In 1934, Arends was elected to the 74th Congress. He was reelected nineteen times, and served from January 3, 1935, until resigning on December 31, 1974, a few days before the end of his final term. He alternately served as
majority whip
A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. This means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform, rather than according to their own individual ideolog ...
and
minority whip
The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding t ...
for House Republicans from 1943 to 1974, and was the longest-serving whip in
U.S. House of Representatives history. He rose through seniority to become the ranking Republican on the
House Armed Services Committee, where one of his pet projects was preventing the closure of
Chanute Air Force Base
Chanute Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force facility, located in Champaign County, Illinois, south of and adjacent to Rantoul, Illinois, about south of Chicago. Its primary mission throughout its existence was Air Force t ...
in Illinois; it remained open until 1993.
Arends represented a heavily Republican, largely rural
downstate Illinois
Downstate Illinois refers to the part of the U.S. state of Illinois south of the Chicago metropolitan area, which is in the northeast corner of the state and has been dominant in American history, politics, and culture. It is defined as the pa ...
district. Conservative but pragmatic, he opposed much of the
New Deal and remained a staunch
isolationist
Isolationism is a political philosophy advocating a national foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries. Thus, isolationism fundamentally advocates neutrality and opposes entan ...
until America entered World WarII. After becoming minority whip in 1943, Arends helped create the powerful
Conservative Coalition of Republicans and Southern Democrats who controlled the domestic agenda from 1937 to 1964. He was reelected as whip amid Republican in-fighting following their large Congressional losses in the 1964 elections; after their setback, House Republicans replaced leader
Charles Halleck
Charles Abraham Halleck (August 22, 1900 – March 3, 1986) was an American politician. He was the Republican leader of the United States House of Representatives from the second district of Indiana.
Early life and education
Halleck was born n ...
with
Gerald Ford. Ford backed
Peter Frelinghuysen Jr. for Whip. Arends had usually been reelected Whip without opposition, and despite a strong challenge from Frelinghuysen relied on personal relationships forged over thirty years to provide the votes that enabled him to retain the post.
He supported
Robert A. Taft over
Dwight D. Eisenhower for the 1952 Republican presidential nomination, and was an early supporter of the party's nominees
Richard M. Nixon and
Barry Goldwater in the campaigns of the 1960s. He organized the GOP opposition to
Lyndon B. Johnson's
Great Society. Arends voted in favor of the
Civil Rights Acts of 1957,
1964, and
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* J ...
, and the
Voting Rights Act of 1965, while Arends did not vote on the
Civil Rights Act of 1960
The Civil Rights Act of 1960 () is a United States federal law that established federal inspection of local voter registration polls and introduced penalties for anyone who obstructed someone's attempt to register to vote. It dealt primarily ...
and voted present on the
24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
During the
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's contin ...
, Arends provided unwavering loyalty to President
Richard M. Nixon, and said he would not vote for impeachment, citing his strong personal friendship with Nixon and belief that Nixon had performed capably as president. Despite the Whip challenge following the 1966 elections, Nixon's successor Gerald Ford and Arends maintained a close personal friendship, ensuring Arends a good relationship with the White House after Nixon's resignation.
Post-Congressional career
After leaving Congress, Arends served on the
President's Intelligence Advisory Board
The President's Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB) is an advisory body to the Executive Office of the President of the United States. According to its self-description, it "provides advice to the President concerning the quality and adequacy o ...
, and spent time at homes in Melvin,
Naples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...
, and
Washington, DC
)
, 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 Morg ...
.
Legacy
Arends's papers are part of the collections of Illinois Wesleyan University, and the university library's special collections room was named for him.
Death and burial
Arends died in Naples on July 17, 1985, and was buried at Melvin Cemetery in Melvin. He was survived by his wife Betty (Tychon) and daughter Leslie ("Letty").
Notes and References
Sources
Newspapers
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Books
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Internet
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Further reading
*Lichtenstein, Nelson et al. ''Political Profiles''. Volume 3, "The Kennedy Years". pg 14. New York: Facts On File, Inc, 1976.
*Schapsmeier, Edward L. and Frederick H. Schapsmeier, "Serving under Seven Presidents: Les Arends and His Forty Years in Congress". ''Illinois Historical Journal'' 1992 85(2): 105–118.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arends, Leslie Cornelius
1895 births
1985 deaths
United States Navy personnel of World War I
American people of German descent
Businesspeople from Illinois
Military personnel from Illinois
Oberlin College alumni
People from Ford County, Illinois
United States Navy sailors
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois
20th-century American politicians
Old Right (United States)
20th-century American businesspeople