Herbert Emery Hitchcock (August 22, 1867 - February 17, 1958) was a

United States senator 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 powe ...

from

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

Life

Hitchcock was born in

Maquoketa, Iowa Maquoketa () is a city in Jackson County, Iowa, United States. Located on the Maquoketa River, it is the county seat of Jackson County. U.S. Route 61 adjoins the city, which therefore hosts traffic between Dubuque and the Quad Cities. Iowa Highw ...

, the son of Harriet M. Lumley and Milando Lansing Hitchcock. He attended public schools in Iowa and

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

, a business college at Davenport, Iowa,

Iowa State College Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

Ames Ames may refer to: Places United States * Ames, Arkansas, a place in Arkansas * Ames, Colorado * Ames, Illinois * Ames, Indiana * Ames, Iowa, the most populous city bearing this name * Ames, Kansas * Ames, Nebraska * Ames, New York * Ames, Ok ...

, and the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the law school of the University of Chicago, a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is consistently ranked among the best and most prestigious law schools in the world, and has many dis ...

. He moved to

Mitchell, South Dakota Mitchell is a city in and the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,660 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census making it the List of cities in South Dakota, sixth mos ...

in 1884, where he attended school and worked as a stenographer; he was admitted to the South Dakota bar in 1896 and commenced practice in Mitchell. He also engaged in banking, and was

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

of the South Dakota State Senate in 1896. He was elected as a State's attorney in 1904 and 1906, and was elected to the State Senate in 1909, 1911, and 1929. Hitchcock was a trustee of

Yankton College Yankton College is a former private liberal arts college in Yankton, South Dakota, United States, affiliated with the Congregational Christian Churches (later the United Church of Christ). Yankton College produced nine Rhodes Scholars, more than a ...

in 1936 and was president of Mitchell

school board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

from 1924 to 1934. During the

1932 Democratic National Convention The 1932 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois June 27 – July 2, 1932. The convention resulted in the nomination of Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York for president and Speaker of the House John N. Garner from Te ...

he was a delegate and one of fifty five people who wrote the party's national platform and from 1932 to 1936 he served as the chairman of the South Dakota Democratic Party. On December 29, 1936, Hitchcock was appointed to 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 ...

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 ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Peter Norbeck Peter Norbeck (August 27, 1870December 20, 1936) was an American politician from South Dakota. After serving two terms as the ninth Governor of South Dakota, Norbeck was elected to three consecutive terms as a United States Senator. Norbeck was ...

. He served until January 3, 1939. He campaigned in 1938 as the incumbent for the Democratic nomination to fill the seat for a full term, but was defeated by former Governor

Tom Berry Thomas Berry (1914–2009) was a Catholic priest of the Passionist order, cultural historian and ecotheologian. Thomas Berry may also refer to: * Tom Berry (baseball) (1842–1915), baseball player of the 1870s for the Philadelphia Athletics * Tom ...

in the primary election who went on to be defeated by Republican

Chan Gurney John Chandler "Chan" Gurney (May 21, 1896March 9, 1985) was an American businessman and politician from South Dakota. A Republican, he was most notable for his service as a U.S. Senator from 1939 to 1951. Early life Gurney was born in Yankton, S ...

in the general election. In

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * Januar ...

he was selected as one of South Dakota's Democratic presidential electors, but the state was won by Republican

Wendell Willkie Wendell Lewis Willkie (born Lewis Wendell Willkie; February 18, 1892 – October 8, 1944) was an American lawyer, corporate executive and the 1940 Republican nominee for President. Willkie appealed to many convention delegates as the Republican ...

. He resumed the practice of law until his death in

on February 17, 1958 and was interred at

Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Ir ...

. In his will he left $112,000 various institutions including colleges and charities.

References

1867 births 1958 deaths Iowa State University alumni People from Maquoketa, Iowa Politicians from San Jose, California People from Mitchell, South Dakota Democratic Party South Dakota state senators District attorneys in South Dakota School board members in South Dakota Democratic Party United States senators from South Dakota Candidates in the 1948 United States presidential election 20th-century American politicians University of Chicago Law School alumni {{SouthDakota-politician-stub