Silas Hardy Strawn (December 15, 1866 – February 4, 1946) was a prominent Chicago

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and one of the name partners at the

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

of Winston & Strawn. He was also the president of the United States Chamber of Commerce during the early years of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, in which capacity he supported the policies of Herbert Hoover and was a noted opponent of Franklin D. Roosevelt's

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

Biography

Strawn was born on December 15, 1866, on the family farm near Ottawa, Illinois. He graduated from Ottawa High School in 1885 and spent the next two years as a teacher. In 1887, he studied law in the Ottawa law firm Bull & Strawn. He was admitted to the bar of Illinois in May 1889. He established his own

law practice In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professi ...

in LaSalle County, Illinois. Strawn relocated to Chicago, Illinois in September 1891, taking a position with Weigley, Buckley & Gray. In 1892, he joined Winston & Meagher and became a

partner Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

at the firm on September 1, 1894. On June 22, 1897, he married Margaret Stewart of

Binghamton, New York Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

; their marriage would produce two daughters, Margaret and Katherine Stewart. In 1902, Meagher retired and the firm was renamed Winston, Strawn & Shaw. (It would later be known as Winston, Payne & Strawn; then as Winston, Payne, Strawn & Shaw; until finally becoming simply Winston & Strawn.) Strawn would ultimately practice law with the firm for 52 years, serving as managing partner for 40 years. A member of both the prestigious

Glen View Club Glen View Club is a private country club located in Golf, Illinois, a suburb just north of Chicago. History Founded by a group of Chicago businessmen on March 29, 1897, it was originally the Glen View Golf and Polo Club; its name was shortened a ...

and

Chicago Golf Club Chicago Golf Club is a private golf club in the central United States, located in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago. The oldest 18-hole course in North America, it was one of the five founding clubs of the United States Golf Association ...

s, Strawn served as president of the United States Golf Association from 1911-1912. In 1913, Strawn was elected president of the Chicago Bar Association, and upon the outbreak of World War I, arranged for members of the association to take over without charge cases left unfinished by lawyers who volunteered to serve in the army. Strawn served as president of the Illinois State Bar Association, 1921-22.

U.S. 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 States ...

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

named Strawn as one of two American delegates to the Special Conference on American Relations with China, held in Beijing on October 26, 1925. Strawn was also chairman of the Chinese Extraterritoriality Commission. In 1927, Strawn was elected president of the American Bar Association. During his time as president, he pushed for higher standards in legal education, including college study before admission to

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

and a full three years of legal training before being eligible for admission to the bar. As president of the United States Chamber of Commerce, in 1931, Strawn spoke out in favor of President Herbert Hoover's response to the

, arguing that it was up to business, not government, to solve the world's economic problems. He also strenuously opposed the extension of unemployment benefits to the unemployed. "If this country ever votes the dole," Strawn said, "we’ve hit the

toboggan A toboggan is a simple sled traditionally used by children. It is also a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people (often children) down a hill o ...

as a nation." Strawn spoke out loudly against the

Securities Act of 1933 The Securities Act of 1933, also known as the 1933 Act, the Securities Act, the Truth in Securities Act, the Federal Securities Act, and the '33 Act, was enacted by the United States Congress on May 27, 1933, during the Great Depression and after ...

and the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934 The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (also called the Exchange Act, '34 Act, or 1934 Act) (, codified at et seq.) is a law governing the secondary trading of securities (stocks, bonds, and debentures) in the United States of America. A landma ...

, stating in Congressional testimony: "I believe there is an abundant market for securities, if the Securities Act did not prevent their issue and distribution." He also opposed the introduction of social security, arguing that it was one of many "attempts to Sovietize America." In 1934, as former president of the chamber, and a leader of its conservative wing, Strawn called on Roosevelt to "stop experimenting", stop encouraging Congress to pass "hysterical legislation", and return to a policy of balanced budgets. Soon, however, Roosevelt had convinced the Chamber of Commerce to participate in his recovery effort and Strawn was appointed head of the Chambermen's efforts. Strawn was

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the

Board of Directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

of Montgomery Ward for a number of years. He also served as a trustee of Northwestern University from 1930 to his death in 1946. He was buried at

Lake Forest Cemetery Lake Forest Cemetery is a rural cemetery in Lake Forest, Illinois, United States. The site was first identified for burial in 1857 when the town of Lake Forest was planned. Later, William Le Baron Jenney designed a winding road system and Ossian C ...

in Illinois.

Biography

References

Further reading