Joseph Allen Frear Jr. (March 7, 1903 – January 15, 1993) was an American businessman and politician. A Democrat, he served as 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 p ...

from

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacen ...

from 1949 to 1961. He was defeated for a third term by Republican politician

J. Caleb Boggs James Caleb Boggs (May 15, 1909 – March 26, 1993) was an American lawyer and politician from Claymont in New Castle County, Delaware. A member of the Republican Party, he was commonly known by his middle name, Caleb, frequently shortened ...

in 1960.

Early life

J. Allen Frear was born on a farm near Rising Sun, in Kent County, Delaware, to Joseph Allen and Clara (née Lowber) Frear. His mother died in 1922, and his father subsequently married her brother's daughter. Frear was a distant relative of Robert Freer, who served as chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. One of three children, he received his early education at local public schools, and graduated from

Caesar Rodney High School Caesar Rodney High School is a public high school located in Camden, Delaware, just south of Dover. The school is in Caesar Rodney School District. Its enrollment is over 2,000. During 1983 to 1984, Caesar Rodney was recognized as a Blue Rib ...

in 1920. Frear studied at the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 m ...

in Newark, where he received a bachelor of science degree in agriculture in 1924. Following his graduation, he became operator of three farms and president of a retail business that distributed milk, fuel, farm machinery, and fertilizer. He served as commissioner of

Delaware State College Delaware State University (DSU or Del State) is a public historically black land-grant research university in Dover, Delaware. DSU also has two satellite campuses: one in Wilmington and one in Georgetown. The university encompasses four c ...

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

(1936–1941) and of the Delaware Old Age Welfare Commission (1938–1948). Also interested in banking, he was director (1938–1946) and chairman of the board (1946–1948) of the Federal Land Bank in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland. During

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he served as a major in the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1946. From 1947 to 1951, he was president of

Kent General Hospital Bayhealth Medical Center is a healthcare system serving the central and southern portion of Delaware in the United States. Locations Bayhealth Medical Center operates two hospitals: Bayhealth Hospital, Kent Campus in Dover and Bayhealth Hospital, ...

in Dover.

Political career

Frear was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1948, defeating incumbent Republican Senator

C. Douglass Buck Clayton Douglass Buck (March 21, 1890 – January 27, 1965) was an American engineer and politician from New Castle Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of World War I and a member of the Republican Party, who served two te ...

in a close race. During this term, he served in the Democratic majority in the 81st and 82nd Congresses, and the Democratic minority in the 83rd Congress. He was again elected to the U.S. Senate in 1954, defeating Republican Representative

Herbert B. Warburton Herbert Birchby Warburton (September 21, 1916 – July 30, 1983) was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware and Frankford, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a veteran of World War II, and a member o ...

by a wider than expected margin. During this term, he again served with the Democratic majority in the 84th, 85th, and 86th Congresses. Frear did not sign the 1956

Southern Manifesto The Declaration of Constitutional Principles (known informally as the Southern Manifesto) was a document written in February and March 1956, during the 84th United States Congress, in opposition to racial integration of public places. The manif ...

and voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1960 The Civil Rights Act of 1960 () is a United States federal law that established federal inspection of local voter registration polls and introduced penalties for anyone who obstructed someone's attempt to register to vote. It dealt primarily ...

, while not voting on the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights legislation passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dw ...

. Frear narrowly lost his bid for a third term in 1960 to Republican Governor

. In all, he served in the Senate from January 3, 1949 to January 3, 1961. After he left the Senate, President John F. Kennedy appointed him to the

Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against mark ...

, where he served from 1961 until 1963. Later he resumed his career in business and banking.

Death and legacy

Frear died at Dover and is buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery at Camden, Delaware. The J. Allen Frear Federal Building at 300 South New Street in Dover is named in his honor. There is also an Allen Frear Elementary School in Camden.

References

Images

Political and Historical Figures Portrait Gallery
''Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover.''

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
*
Senator J. Allen Frear, Jr., papers
fro
Special Collections, University of Delaware Libraries, Museums and PressAudio, 1953-1959 - This Week in Congress
(Sen. Frear's weekly radio address) fro
University of Delaware Institutional Repository
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frear, J. Allen Jr. 1903 births 1993 deaths People from Dover, Delaware United States Army personnel of World War II University of Delaware alumni Delaware State University people Delaware Democrats Democratic Party United States senators from Delaware Members of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Burials in Kent County, Delaware 20th-century American politicians Kennedy administration personnel United States Army officers Military personnel from Delaware