Charles Curtis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Curtis
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| 31st Vice President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933 |
|
| President | Herbert Hoover |
| Preceded by | Charles G. Dawes |
| Succeeded by | John Nance Garner |
| 2nd United States Senate Majority Leader | |
| In office March 9, 1925 – March 4, 1929 |
|
| Preceded by | Henry Cabot Lodge |
| Succeeded by | James E. Watson |
| President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
| In office December 4, 1911 – December 12, 1911 |
|
| Preceded by | Augustus O. Bacon |
| Succeeded by | Augustus O. Bacon |
| United States Senator from Kansas |
|
| In office January 29, 1907 – March 4, 1913 March 4, 1915 – March 4, 1929 |
|
| Preceded by | Alfred W. Benson Joseph L. Bristow |
| U.S. Representative from Kansas |
|
| In office March 4, 1893 – January 28, 1907 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 25, 1860 Topeka, Kansas |
| Died | February 8, 1936 (aged 76) Washington, D.C. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Annie Elizabeth Baird Curtis (died on June 20, 1924) |
| Children | Permelia Jeannette Curtis, Henry "Harry" King Curtis, Leona Virginia Curtis |
Charles Curtis (January 25, 1860 – February 8, 1936) was an American attorney and politician, elected as the 31st Vice President of the United States (1929–1933) with President Herbert Hoover.
After serving as a United States Representative and being repeatedly re-elected as United States Senator from Kansas, Curtis was chosen as Senate Majority Leader by his Republican colleagues. Born in Kansas Territory to a mother of the Kaw Nation, Curtis was the first person with significant Native American ancestry and the first person with acknowledged non-European ancestry to reach either of the highest offices in the United States government's executive branch. He also was an Executive Branch officer, born in a territory rather than a state.
Curtis ran as the running mate for Herbert Hoover in 1928. They won a landslide victory; winning forty out of the forty-eight states at the time, and 58.2% of the vote. When they ran together seeking re-election in 1932, because Hoover had failed to alleviate the Great Depression, the public elected Democrats Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Nance Garner.
Later years
After the Stock Market Crash in 1929, the problems of the Great Depression led to the defeat of the Republican ticket in the next election. Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected as president by a margin of 57% to 40% in 1932. Curtis' term as Vice President ended on March 4, 1933, and he was succeeded by John Nance Garner.
After politics
Curtis decided to stay in Washington, D.C., to resume his legal career, as he had a wide network of professional contacts from his long career in public service.
He died there on February 8, 1936 from a heart attack. By his wishes, his body was returned to his beloved Kansas and buried next to his wife at the Topeka Cemetery.
Legacy and honors
- He was featured on the cover of Time magazine, December 20, 1926 and June 18, 1928, while serving as US Senator from Kansas. Full-length articles discussed his life and politics.
- He was featured as Vice President on the cover of Time, December 5, 1932.
- His house in Topeka, Kansas has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a state historic site. The Charles Curtis House Museum is now operated as a house museum.
