Scott Leavitt (June 16, 1879 – October 19, 1966) was a
U.S. Representative
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 c ...
from
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
. He served as chairman of the
House Committee on Indian Affairs.
Early life
Scott Leavitt was born in
Elk Rapids, Michigan
Elk Rapids is a village in Antrim County in the state of Michigan. The population was 1,642 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Elk Rapids Township, about north of Traverse City. It is physically split by the Elk River, which ru ...
in 1879 to Roswell Leavitt, an attorney, member of the
Maine House of Representatives and later
Michigan State Senator, a native of
Turner, Maine, where he enlisted in the
17th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 17th Maine Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was particularly noted for its service during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg.
Organization
The 17th Maine was organized at C ...
, and his wife Anna C. (Lawrence) Leavitt. Scott Leavitt moved with his parents in 1881 to
Bellaire, Michigan
Bellaire is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Antrim County. The population was 1,053 in 2020 census.
The village is split between Forest Home and Kearney townships. The historic Antrim County Courthouse is ...
, where his father Roswell served as
prosecuting attorney
A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...
and
circuit court commissioner.
Scott Leavitt attended the public schools and while in high school enlisted in the Thirty-third Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry, during the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (cloc ...
. Leavitt served in the campaign at
Santiago, Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana.
The municipality extends over , and contains ...
during the war. After the war he attended the
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. He subsequently moved to Oregon in 1901 and began homesteading in the
Coast Range Mountains near
Falls City. There he worked as a school principal in the communities of Falls City, North Yamhill, Dayton, and
Lakeview, Oregon
Lakeview is a town in Lake County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,418 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lake County. The city bills itself as the "Tallest Town in Oregon" because of its elevation, above sea level. ...
from 1901 to 1907. In 1907 Leavitt entered the
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...
as a ranger at the
Fremont National Forest The Fremont-Winema National Forest of south central Oregon is a mountainous region with a rich geological, ecological, archaeological, and historical history. Founded in 1908, the Fremont National Forest was originally protected as the Goose Lake ...
in Oregon. He later served in
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
and Montana until 1917.
Politics
In
1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éireann, the day after Éamon de Valera ...
, when incumbent United States Congressman
Carl W. Riddick opted to
run for the Senate rather than seek re-election to 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 ...
, Leavitt ran to succeed him in
Montana's 2nd congressional district
Montana's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the United States House of Representatives that was apportioned after the 2020 United States census. The first candidates ran in the 2022 elections for a seat in the 118th Uni ...
. He defeated Preston B. Moss, the
Democratic nominee, by a wide margin to win his first term, and in
1924
Events
January
* January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after.
* January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China holds ...
, defeated Joseph Kirschwing by a landslide to win his second term. Leavitt was re-elected in
1926
Events January
* January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece.
* January 8
**Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz.
** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of Viet ...
against Harry B. Mitchell, was overwhelmingly re-elected in
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...
over B. A. Taylor, and won what would be his fifth and final term in Congress 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 b ...
over Tom Stout.
On March 5, 1932, Leavitt took to the floor of the House to deliver a eulogy to Indian Chief
Plenty Coups
Plenty Coups (Crow: ''Alaxchíia Ahú'', "many achievements"; 1848 – 1932) was the principal chief of the Crow Nation ("Apsáalooke") and a visionary leader.
He allied the Crow with the whites when the war for the West was being fought, becaus ...
. "I have chosen to announce the passing of one who has graced the history of my state of Montana," said Leavitt on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
lenty Coup'slife was in truth a symbol of the absorption of the American Indian into the citizenship of the United States," Leavitt continued. "His was one of the finest characters I have ever known.... He was a man of such caliber and such high character, and his service was so outstanding, that it is entirely fitting that the American Congress should pause for a moment to do him reverence.Chief Plenty Coups Home, Chief Plenty Coups State Park, Big Horn, Montana, National Historic Landmark Nomination, National Park Service
/ref>
Leavitt ran for re-election in
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hiro ...
, but was defeated by
Roy E. Ayers in a Democratic landslide year that saw Republicans lose over a hundred seats 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 the
69th United States Congress to the
71st United States Congress
The 71st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislature of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1929, to Ma ...
, Leavitt served as the Chairman of the
House Committee on Indian Affairs.
Following his defeat for re-election, Leavitt ran for the
United States Senate
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 pow ...
in a
1934 special election to fill the seat of
Thomas J. Walsh, who died in office. He won the
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
primary against former
State Attorney General
The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney gener ...
Wellington D. Rankin, but lost the general election to
James E. Murray in a landslide. After his unsuccessful campaign for the Senate, he started working for the Forest Service again in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
, and served as the Commander-in-Chief of the
United Spanish War Veterans
The United Spanish War Veterans was an American veterans' organization which consisted of veterans of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and China Relief Expedition.
Origins
Soon after the Spanish–American War ended, in earl ...
from 1936 to 1937.
Later life
He retired from the Forest Service in 1941 and moved to
Newberg, Oregon, where Scott Leavitt died on October 19, 1966. He was interred in
Willamette National Cemetery
Willamette National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located about southeast of the city of Portland, Oregon. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses straddling the county line between Multn ...
near
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
. Scott Leavitt Park in Newberg is named for the Congressman and Forest Ranger.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leavitt, Scott
1879 births
1966 deaths
American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
Leavitt family
People from Newberg, Oregon
University of Michigan alumni
People from Bellaire, Michigan
Burials at Willamette National Cemetery
United States Army soldiers
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Montana