William Henry Larrabee (February 21, 1870 – November 16, 1960) was an American physician and politician who served six terms as 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

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

from 1931 to 1943.

Early life

Larrabee was born on a farm near

Crawfordsville, Indiana Crawfordsville is a city in Montgomery County in west central Indiana, United States, west by northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,306. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County, the only cha ...

. He attended the public schools, Indiana Central Normal School at Danville, and Indiana State Normal School at

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

. He taught in public schools at New Palestine, from 1889 until 1895, then attended Indiana School of Medicine at

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

until 1898, and commenced the practice of medicine and surgery in New Palestine.

Political career

Larrabee served as the secretary of Hancock County Board of Health in 1917–18, and on the city council of New Palestine, 1916–20. In 1930 he was elected to Congress as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, serving until January 3, 1943. In Congress, he served as chairman of the Committee on the Census (Seventy-fourth and Seventy-fifth Congresses) and the Committee on Education (Seventy-fifth through Seventy-seventh Congresses) Larrabee represented Indiana's 11th congressional district which included Hamilton County and the surrounding area. During World War II Larrabee was against isolationism and campaigned in favor of helping the British throughout 1940. Due to this he engaged in many heated arguments with his fellow Democrat

Louis Ludlow Louis Leon Ludlow (June 24, 1873 – November 28, 1950) was a Democratic Indiana congressman; he proposed a constitutional amendment early in 1938 requiring a national referendum on any U.S. declaration of war except in cases of direct atta ...

who was an isolationist (Ludlow's district consisted primarily of

). In between July 25 of 1940 when France surrendered, and June 22 of 1941 when the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, Britain was effectively alone. During this time Larrabee, as well as his fellow Indiana congressmen John W. Boehne Jr. campaigned explicitly in favor of giving Britain any aid we could. They were the only two Indiana representatives who voted in favor of the 1941 Lend Lease Act. Larrabee explicitly advocated entering the war on the British side throughout the year before Pearl Harbor.

Later career and death

After losing the 1942 election, he resumed the practice of medicine and surgery. Larrabee died in

New Palestine, Indiana New Palestine (pronounced ''PAL-es-tēn'') is a town in Sugar Creek Township, Hancock County, Indiana, along Sugar Creek. The population was 2,055 at the 2010 census. History New Palestine was laid out October 1, 1838, by Jonathan Evans. It fi ...

and is buried in the New Palestine Cemetery.

References

External links

* 1870 births 1960 deaths Physicians from Indiana People from Montgomery County, Indiana Canterbury College (Indiana) alumni Indiana State University alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana People from New Palestine, Indiana {{indiana-politician-stub