Warren Hendry Atherton (December 28, 1891 – March 7, 1976) was an American
attorney
Attorney may refer to:
* Lawyer
** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions
* Attorney, one who has power of attorney
* ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film
See also
* Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...
who was the national commander of The
American Legion
The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
from 1943 to 1944. He is widely recognized as a designer of the
G.I. Bill
The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...
, officially known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944.
[Judge Warren H. Atherton](_blank)
History of San Joaquin County, California, Los Angeles, Historic Record Co., 1923. p. 1271
Early life
Born in
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
, the son of Dwight Copeland Atherton and Elizabeth Hendry, he is a direct descendant of
James Atherton, one of the first settlers of
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
, who arrived in
Dorchester, Massachusetts, in the 1630s.
Atherton received no formal higher education. Nonetheless, at age 20, he went to work for the Stockton law office of H. R. McNoble in 1911.
Career
After serving under General John J. Pershing in France 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 ...
, he was admitted to the
California State Bar
The State Bar of California is California's official attorney licensing agency. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, prescribing appropriate disciplin ...
in 1913, and began his career as an attorney, eventually gaining notoriety as a Stockton City judge and local president of the
Chamber of Commerce
A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...
.
[Register of the Warren H. Atherton Papers, 1891-1976](_blank)
/ref>
He also worked as the general counsel for the California Department of Veterans Affairs and its preceding boards and commissions from 1935 to 1960, and served on the California Board of Prison Terms and Paroles (1935–1937). He served as California State Commander in the 1930s.
During 1943, Atherton was a consultant to the Secretary of War and envoy to Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...
, coordinator of international affairs. He was vocal against strikes during wartime, clashing with the U.S. labor leader, William Green. He had promoted this stance since 1941 when he was part of the American Legion defence committee.
He served as National Commander of The American Legion from 1943 to 1944. In 1943, he joined Francis Sullivan in drafting the G.I. Bill, suggesting one bill
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Plac ...
be written that would consolidate the best features of many veteran bills then before Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
. Atherton had to overcome opposition by Representative John E. Rankin, a Mississippi Democrat and segregationist, who at first co-sponsored the bill, but then opposed it. The Bill passed through Congress in 1944 in a bipartisan effort led by Atherton as Head of his the American Legion, who wanted to reward practically all wartime veterans.
Atherton was a supporter of Universal service which he believed was needed to shorten World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. At the 1944 American Legion National Convention in Chicago, Atherton presented the Legion's Distinguished Service Medal to Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II (September 4, 1917 – September 29, 1987), sometimes known as "Hank the Deuce", was an American businessman in the automotive industry. He was the oldest son of Edsel Ford I and oldest grandson of Henry Ford I. He was president ...
in honor of his grandfather Henry Ford
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...
's achievements. During this period he toured Australia, the Pacific and Latin America.
Later life
Atherton was a staunch California Republican, and served as delegate to the Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...
in 1944
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 2 – WWII:
** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...
, 1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect.
** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
and 1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
. Controversially, he supported the idea of deportation of Japanese nationals at the end of World War II.
As chairman of the Republican Veterans League, the Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...
announced in 1948 his appointment as chairman of the advisory committee of the Republican Veterans for Dewey and Warren. ''The New York Times'' reported on July 24, 1953, his appointment to the reconstituted National Security Training Commission.
In 1957, he ran unsuccessfully 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 ...
. He withdrew from the race and endorsed Goodwin Knight
Goodwin Jess "Goodie" Knight (December 9, 1896 – May 22, 1970) was an American politician who served as the 31st governor of California from 1953 until 1959. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the 35th lieutenant governor ...
who subsequently lost the Senate race by over 10% to Clair Engle
Clair Engle (September 21, 1911July 30, 1964) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from California from 1959 until his death in 1964. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for participating in the vo ...
.
Personal
Upon his return from World War I, he married Anne Holt, daughter of the founder of Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. (stock symbol CAT) is an American ''Fortune'' 500 corporation and the world's largest construction-equipment manufacturer.
In 2018, Caterpillar was ranked number 65 on the ''Fortune'' 500 list and number 238 on the Global ''Fo ...
and inventor, Benjamin Holt
Benjamin Leroy Holt (January 1, 1849 – December 5, 1920) was an American businessman and inventor who patented and manufactured the first practical crawler-type tread tractor. The continuous-type track is used for heavy agricultural and engin ...
. He lived with his family on Atherton Island and was a Rotary member. A fete attended by over 300 people was marked in his honor to commemorate his 80th birthday in 1971.
Atherton died on March 7, 1976 and was buried at Morris Chapel within the University of the Pacific in Stockton, where his papers are housed today.
He was listed in ''Who's Who in Commerce and Industry'' and ''Who’s Who in America”''.
Legacy
The San Joaquin Delta College campus has the Warren Atherton Auditorium, a 1,428-seat performance venue where concerts are hosted. Notable annual musicals are held at this venue, as well as regular performances by the Stockton Symphony
The Stockton Symphony Association is an American orchestra based in Stockton, California. It was founded in 1926 by Manlio Silva and is the third oldest orchestra in California. Since 1995 Peter Jaffe has been music director and conductor.
Conc ...
.
References
External links
Warren Atherton
at //The Political Graveyard
The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations of ...
//
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atherton, Warren
1891 births
1976 deaths
1906 San Francisco earthquake survivors
United States Army personnel of World War I
California Republicans
Lawyers from San Francisco
National Commanders of the American Legion
United States Army officers
20th-century American lawyers
Military personnel from California