William Moore McCulloch (November 24, 1901 – February 22, 1980) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a

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 ...

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 ...

for

Ohio's 4th congressional district Ohio's 4th congressional district spans sections of the central part of the state. It is currently represented by Republican Jim Jordan, the current chair of the House Judiciary Committee, who has represented the district since 2007. Areas repr ...

from 1947 to 1973.

Early life and education

McCulloch was born near

Holmesville, Ohio Holmesville is a village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ran ...

on November 24, 1901 to James H. and Ida M. McCulloch. He graduated from the

College of Wooster The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college in Wooster, Ohio. Founded in 1866 by the Presbyterian Church as the University of Wooster, it has been officially non-sectarian since 1969 when ownership ties with the Presbyterian Church ...

Wooster, Ohio Wooster ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at t ...

in 1923. He graduated from the college of law of

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, in 1925. He was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice in

Piqua, Ohio Piqua ( ) is a city in Miami County, southwest Ohio, United States, 27 miles north of Dayton. The population was 20,522 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was founded as the village of Washington in ...

with George Barry.

Career

He was a member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

from 1933 to 1944, serving as minority leader from 1936 to 1939 and as speaker from 1939 to 1944. During his tenure in the House of Representatives, the black population in Piqua was 2.7% and a majority of his constituents were white conservatives, yet he began supporting equal rights and the NCAAP identifying the Civil Rights movement with its goals of Constitutional rights. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

from December 26, 1943, to October 12, 1945. During his tenure in the Army, he served as a captain in the Military Government Forces in Europe. McCulloch was elected as a Republican to the Eightieth Congress, by

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

, on November 4, 1947, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Robert Franklin Jones. He was re-elected to twelve consecutive Congresses. During his time in office, the 4th Ohio Congressional District included the counties of

Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univer ...

, Hardin,

Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader ...

, Auglaize, Darke, Shelby,

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, Preble and a part of Montgomery and he won 65-70 percent of the votes in each election. He was a

fiscal conservative Fiscal conservatism is a political and economic philosophy regarding fiscal policy and fiscal responsibility with an ideological basis in capitalism, individualism, limited government, and ''laissez-faire'' economics.M. O. Dickerson et al., ''An ...

and would return the unused office allowance to the U.S. Treasury at the end of each term. In 1959 he became the ranking Republican on the

House Judiciary Committee The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, a ...

until his retirement in 1973. He also held seats on the

Joint Committee on Atomic Energy The Joint Committee on Atomic Energy (JCAE) was a United States congressional committee that was tasked with exclusive jurisdiction over "all bills, resolutions, and other matters" related to civilian and military aspects of nuclear power from 1946 ...

, the Joint Committee on Immigration and National Policy, and the Select Committee on Small Business. In 1967, President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

appointed him to the

National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

and in 1968 the Presidential Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence (Eisenhower Commission).

Fight for civil rights

As the ranking member of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, William McCulloch took a leading role in the civil rights movement. His introduction of a comprehensive civil rights bill in 1963, for example, together with representatives

John Lindsay John Vliet Lindsay (; November 24, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American politician and lawyer. During his political career, Lindsay was a U.S. congressman, mayor of New York City, and candidate for U.S. president. He was also a regular ...

of New York and

Charles Mathias Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr. (July 24, 1922 – January 25, 2010) was an American politician and attorney. A Republican, he served as a member of the United States Senate, representing Maryland from 1969 to 1987. He was also a member of the ...

of Maryland, put pressure on President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

to present his own act to Congress several months later. He had few African-American constituents and so had few votes to gain from introducing or supporting civil rights legislation. McCulloch's influence with the Civil Rights Act led President

to declare, "Without him it can't be done." McCulloch was recognized by Kennedy's successor,

, under whom the act was passed, as "the most important and powerful political force" in passing the Act.

Todd Purdum Todd Stanley Purdum (born December 13, 1959) is an American journalist who works as a national editor and political correspondent for '' Vanity Fair''. Early life and education Purdum is a son of Jerry S. Purdum, a Macomb, Illinois insurance bro ...

, in his history of the Civil Rights Era, ''An Idea Whose Time Has Come'', said in an interview:

cCulloughhad been distressed when then
Senate Majority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding t ...
Johnson watered down civil rights bills in 1957 and 1960 to make them practically unenforceable. McCulloch was the ranking minority member of the House judiciary committee, and he told the Kennedy Administration that he would back a strong bill in the House – and urge his fellow Republicans to follow suit – but only if the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
agreed not to trade away the bill's strongest provisions in the Senate, and also agreed to give Republicans equal credit for passing it.

McCulloch voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

, and

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

, the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement ...

, and the Open Housing Act of 1968. In 1970, he opposed the Nixon administration's efforts to weaken temporary provisions in the 1965 Voting Rights Act regarding voting rights of Black southerners. Despite his leadership to pass the civil rights acts, McCulloch did not have many votes to gain from his constituents but rather felt that it was his obligation to implement Constitutional rights. In 1971,

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...

wrote a letter to McCulloch, crediting him as being one of the most important people for the civil rights legislation in the 60s.

Other issues

Throughout his career, McCulloch was a conservative, as demonstrated by his low

Americans for Democratic Action Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is a liberal American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA views itself as supporting social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research, and supporting prog ...

(ADA) scores, and was a strong supporter of civil rights. As ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, he and Democratic Chairman

Emanuel Celler Emanuel Celler (May 6, 1888 – January 15, 1981) was an American politician from New York who served in the United States House of Representatives for almost 50 years, from March 1923 to January 1973. He served as the dean of the United States Ho ...

pushed the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...

through the House of Representatives. During the

Great Society The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States launched by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964–65. The term was first coined during a 1964 commencement address by President Lyndon B. Johnson at the University ...

Congress, he opposed most Great Society legislation. After the Great Society Congress (1965–1966), he began to adopt a few liberal positions, such as supporting strong

gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with on ...

legislation in 1968 as well as

busing Race-integration busing in the United States (also known simply as busing, Integrated busing or by its critics as forced busing) was the practice of assigning and transporting students to schools within or outside their local school districts in ...

. He was not a candidate for re-election in the 1972 election to the Ninety-third Congress and instead resumed the practice of law in Piqua, Ohio.

Personal life

On October 17, 1927, McCulloch eloped with Mabel Harris in

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, Kenton County, Kentucky, United States, located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking Rivers. Cincinnati, Ohio, ...

. They had two daughters, Nancy and Ann.

Death and legacy

McCulloch died on February 22, 1980, in Washington, D.C. due to a heart attack. He is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

with his wife. In the film ''

All the Way All the Way may refer to: Film and television * ''All the Way'', an Australian film of 1998 directed by Marque Owen * ''All the Way'' (2001 film), a film directed by Shi Runjiu * ''All the Way'' (film), a 2016 adaptation of Robert Schenkkan's ...

'', Congressman McCulloch is portrayed by Dan Desmond. In early 2010, McCulloch was proposed by the

Ohio Historical Society Ohio History Connection, formerly The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and Ohio Historical Society, is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1885. Headquartered at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio History Connect ...

as a finalist in a statewide vote for inclusion in

Statuary Hall The National Statuary Hall is a chamber in the United States Capitol devoted to sculptures of prominent Americans. The hall, also known as the Old Hall of the House, is a large, two-story, semicircular room with a second story gallery along th ...

at the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

. McCulloch was the subject of the JFK

Profiles in Courage ''Profiles in Courage'' is a 1956 volume of short biographies describing acts of bravery and integrity by eight United States Senators. The book profiles senators who defied the opinions of their party and constituents to do what they felt was ...

2017 winning essay by student Daud Shad

Notes

https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/education/profile-in-courage-essay-contest/past-winning-essays/2017-winning-essay-by-daud-shad

References

External links

The Political GraveyardArlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCulloch, William Moore 1901 births 1980 deaths Activists for African-American civil rights Speakers of the Ohio House of Representatives Ohio State University Moritz College of Law alumni College of Wooster alumni Ohio lawyers United States Army personnel of World War II Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People from Holmes County, Ohio People from Piqua, Ohio Old Right (United States) 20th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives 20th-century American lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio Conservatism in the United States