Roman Lee Hruska () (August 16, 1904April 25, 1999) was an American attorney and politician who served as a Republican

U.S. 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 the state of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

. Hruska was known as one of the most vocal conservatives in the Senate during the 1960s and 1970s. Hruska was also co-founder of the

Douglas Theatre Company Douglas Theatre Company was an American movie theater chain in based in Nebraska, operating in both Lincoln and Omaha. It was the 38th largest cinema chain in North America. Early years The company was formed in 1952, by Russell Brehm and then-Sen ...

, based in Nebraska.

Life and career

Hruska was born in David City, Nebraska, one of 11 children of Czech immigrant parents. In 1917, his family moved to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, where he graduated from high school. He attended the University of Omaha (now

University of Nebraska–Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (Omaha or UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was originally kno ...

) 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 dist ...

and graduated from the

Creighton University School of Law Creighton University School of Law, located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, is a component of the Jesuit Creighton University. According to Creighton's official 2019 ABA-required disclosures, 75% of the Class of 2019 obtained full-time, long-t ...

in 1929. He returned to Omaha to practice law. In 1944, Hruska first entered politics when he accepted a seat on the Douglas County, Nebraska, Board of Commissioners in place of a friend who recently resigned. He served as a regular member from 1944 to 1945 and as chair from 1945 to 1952. During his time on the board of commissioners, Hruska also sat on the advisory committee of the Nebraska Board of Control from 1947 to 1952. He was president of the Nebraska Association of County Officials from 1950 to 1951 and vice president of the National Association of County Officials from 1951 to 1952. Hruska was elected to the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from the Omaha-dominated second district of Nebraska in

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 ...

. He served only part of one term, as he ran for a

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 ...

seat in 1954, which was vacated by the death of Hugh Butler. Hruska won, was reelected in 1958, 1964 and 1970, and served in the Senate until his retirement in 1976. His opponent in 1958 and 1970 was Frank B. Morrison. Hruska did not run for reelection to a fourth full term. Even after Nixon resigned, Hruska defended him and claimed Watergate only became a scandal as part of a partisan effort to attack Nixon. Hruska became an influential member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee. Hruska 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 ...

, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, 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 confirmation of

Thurgood Marshall Thurgood Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme Court's first African-A ...

to the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. Though Congress was controlled by Democrats for his entire tenure in the Senate, he was known as a skillful legislator and was said to have influenced many of the federal criminal justice system's changes during his era. He was ranking minority member of the Judiciary Committee at the time of his retirement. On October 10, 1978, President Carter signed into law a bill that renamed the

U.S. Meat Animal Research Center The Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) is a livestock research facility in Clay Center, Nebraska. The center researches methods for increasing the efficiency of livestock production. The center maintains around 30,000 animal ...

(USMARC), located in

Clay County, Nebraska Clay County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 6,542. Its county seat is Clay Center. The county was formed in 1855, and was organized in 1871. It was named for Henry Clay, a member ...

, for Hruska. The Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse in Omaha is also named in his honor. Additionally, the Roman L. Hruska Law Center in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

houses the

Nebraska State Bar Association The Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA) is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the US state of Nebraska. History In 1937, the Nebraska State Bar Association was created by order of the Nebraska Supreme Court The Nebraska Suprem ...

Mediocrity comments

In 1970, Hruska addressed the Senate, urging it to confirm Richard Nixon's nomination of

G. Harrold Carswell George Harrold Carswell (December 22, 1919 – July 13, 1992) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern Di ...

to the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. Responding to criticism that Carswell had been a mediocre judge, Hruska argued:

Even if he were mediocre, there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation, aren't they, and a little chance? We can't have all Brandeises, Frankfurters and Cardozos.

Democrats seized upon these remarks, and the Carswell nomination failed.

Retirement and personal life

Hruska moved back to Omaha in 1976, and lived there until his death. On April 10, 1999, he fell and broke his hip. He died fifteen days later from complications during treatment. He was buried in Bohemian Cemetery in Omaha. Hruska was married to Victoria Kuncl Hruska. They had three children: Jana, Quentin and Roman, Jr.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hruska, Roman 1904 births 1999 deaths County supervisors and commissioners in Nebraska People from David City, Nebraska American people of Czech descent Nebraska lawyers Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska University of Nebraska Omaha alumni University of Chicago alumni Creighton University School of Law alumni Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in Nebraska Republican Party United States senators from Nebraska Czech-American culture in Nebraska Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska 20th-century American politicians Lawyers from Omaha, Nebraska 20th-century American lawyers Old Right (United States)