Simeon Davison Fess (December 11, 1861 – December 23, 1936) was a Republican politician and educator from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, United States. He served in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

(1915 to 1923) and U.S. Senate (1923 to 1935).

Early life

Born on a farm near Harrod, Ohio, to Henry and Barbara (Herring) Fess, he was educated in country schools and graduated at Ohio Northern University (ONU) of Ada in 1889 and married Eva C. Thomas the following year. After graduation, he taught history and law at the university as well was working in the university administration from 1889 to 1896. Fess graduated from the law department at ONU in 1894 and served as dean of that department from 1896 to 1900. He then served as vice president of the university from 1900 to 1902. He left for

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

to become a graduate student and lecturer at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

from 1902 to 1907. He then returned to Ohio and served as the president of

Antioch College Antioch College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection and began operating in 1852 as a non-secta ...

of Yellow Springs from 1907 to 1917.

Politics

In 1912, while still serving at Antioch College, Fess was a delegate to the state constitutional convention as well as being elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1923 ( 6th district 1913–15, 7th district 1915–23). He served as chairman of the Committee on Education during the Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Congresses, and chairman of the Republican National Congressional Committee from 1918 to 1922. In 1922, he did not seek re-election, but ran for the U.S. Senate and won, serving from March 4, 1923, to January 3, 1935. He served as chairman of the Committee on the Library during Sixty-ninth through Seventy-second Congresses, and as Republican Whip from 1929 to 1933. He also served as chairman of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...

from 1930 to 1932. After his appointment, the '' Cincinnati Enquirer'' referred to Fess as a "party wheelhouse and stand patter of the most approved type," and added "It was Senator Fess's proven ability not only to defend, but to eulogize, the acts of Republican administrations, no matter how unpopular they may be, that led to his selection as national chairman."Cincinnati Enquirer, August 11, 1930, p. 4 Fess campaigned for the reelection of President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

by claiming Hoover was "the country's greatest peacetime leader,"Marion hioStar, October 5, 1932, p. 1. a hard sell in the fall of 1932. That speech, a month before the presidential election, was delivered to just 150 listeners, a sign of the Republican Party's problems in mid- Depression. He was an unsuccessful candidate for a third term as senator in 1934.

Retirement and death

Fess was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

, an editor, an author and a member of the Freemasons and Knights of Pythias. He died in Washington, D.C. at the age of 75 and was interred at Glen Forest Cemetery in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

References

External links

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Political Graveyard

Congress Bioguide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fess, Simeon D. 1861 births 1936 deaths Antioch College Claude W. Pettit College of Law alumni Ohio Constitutional Convention (1912) Ohio Northern University alumni People from Harrod, Ohio People from Yellow Springs, Ohio Presidents of Antioch College Republican National Committee chairs Republican Party United States senators from Ohio Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 20th-century United States senators 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives