Norman Stanley Case (October 11, 1888October 9, 1967) was an American politician who served as the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

of Rhode Island from 1927 to 1928 and the 55th

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, o ...

from 1928 to 1933. He also served in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and was the

U.S. District Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for Rhode Island from 1921 to 1926. Case was a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

during his entire time in office. He was a member of the

General Society of Mayflower Descendants The General Society of ''Mayflower'' Descendants — commonly called the Mayflower Society — is a hereditary organization of individuals who have documented their descent from at least one of the 102 passengers who arrived on the ''Mayflower'' ...

. He was also an active member of the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and was a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

. He died on October 9, 1967, in

Wakefield, Rhode Island Wakefield is a village in the town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States, and the commercial center of South Kingstown. Together with the village of Peace Dale, it is treated by the U.S. Census as a component of the census-designated ...

, two days shy of his 79th birthday.

Early life and career

Case was born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, to John Warren Case and Louise Marea (White) Case. He attended

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

, graduating in 1908, and went on to

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

. He left Harvard for

Boston University Law School Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an e ...

, from which he received his law degree in 1912. Case opened a law practice in Providence and was soon elected to the

Providence City Council The Providence City Council is the fifteen-member legislative body of the city of Providence, Rhode Island. The two major responsibilities of the council are enacting ordinances necessary to ensure the welfare and good order of the city and ad ...

as a Republican. Case was married on June 28, 1916, to Emma Louise Arnold.

Military service

A member of the

Rhode Island National Guard The Rhode Island National Guard consists of the: *Rhode Island Army National Guardbr>* Rhode Island Air National Guardbr>** 102nd Information Warfare Squadron ** 143d Airlift Wing ** 281st Combat Communications Group ** 282nd Combat Communicatio ...

, Case was called to active duty on June 14, 1916 and served on the Mexican border as captain of Troop A of the 1st Cavalry Squadron until the unit was mustered out of Federal service in November. Shortly after the United States entered

in April 1917, Captain Case and his troop were mustered into Federal service on July 25. On August 20, Case's troop was re-organized as Company A of the 103d Machine Gun Battalion which was assigned to the 26th Division. He sailed for Europe on October 2 and served in France with his unit. He was reassigned as Judge Advocate of the 26th Division on January 1, 1918 and as Assistant Provost Marshal for the Services of Supply on February 13. He was reassigned to the administrative section of the Headquarters of the Services of Supply on August 11 and to the supply section on April 20, 1919. He returned to the United States on July 17, 1919 and was discharged two days later. He was awarded the Order of the Black Star of Benin by the French government in recognition of his service. Case remained a city councilor during his military service. Norman S

Political career

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

appointed Case US District Attorney for Rhode Island in 1921. Case left the position in 1926 to run for lieutenant governor. He won the election, taking office in 1927. Just over a year later, on February 4, 1928, Governor

Aram J. Pothier Aram Jules Pothier (July 26, 1854 – February 4, 1928) was an American banker and politician of French Canadian descent. He served as the 51st and 55th Governor of Rhode Island. Personal life Pothier was born in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, the ...

died in office, making Case acting governor. Case won the governorship in his own right in 1928, and was reelected in 1930. Case was soundly defeated by T. F. Green in his 1932 bid for re-election. This election marked a tidal shift in Rhode Island politics from being predominantly Republican to being predominantly Democratic. S President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Case as one of the initial commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission when the agency was set up in 1934 and reappointed him for a full seven-year term in 1938. In 1945, by-then United States Senate, Senator T. F. Green opposed Case's candidacy for a third term, and President

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

did not renominate him. Case was succeeded on the FCC by former Vermont governor William H. Wills. After leaving the FCC, Case returned to private law practice, joining

Frank W. Wozencraft Frank Wilson Wozencraft (June 7, 1892 – September 3, 1966) was mayor of Dallas from 1917 to 1921. Biography Frank Wilson Wozencraft was born on June 7, 1892, in Dallas, Texas, to Gen. Alfred Prior Wozencraft and Virginia Lee Wilson. His fathe ...

, former general counsel for

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

, in the Washington firm of Case & Wozencraft.

References

FCC Commissioners inspect latest in television 1939

External links

"The Political Graveyard" profile of Norman S. Case
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Case, Norman S. 1888 births 1967 deaths 20th-century American politicians American military personnel of World War I Boston University School of Law alumni Brown University alumni Republican Party governors of Rhode Island Lieutenant Governors of Rhode Island Members of the Federal Communications Commission Providence City Council members United States Attorneys for the District of Rhode Island Franklin D. Roosevelt administration personnel Truman administration personnel Burials at Swan Point Cemetery