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120-418: Effective with the start of the 118th Congress, the conference leadership is as follows: The conference was formally organized on March 6, 1903, electing a chair to preside over its members and a secretary to keep minutes. Until that time, this caucus was often disorganized, philosophically divided and had neither firm written rules of governance nor a clear mission. Since Oscar Underwood 's election in 1920,

240-594: A Wall Street lawyer proved less of a political hurdle for the delegates. Underwood declined to run for reelection to the Senate in 1926. His anti-Klan stance had upset some in his own party and as well as from the Klan, and Hugo Black was a formidable candidate. In 1927, Underwood was appointed to an international peace commission. In 1928, Underwood supported New York Governor Al Smith for president. In retirement, he and his second wife lived at Woodlawn plantation ,

360-408: A heart attack while on a trip to Washington, D.C. Marshall's paternal grandfather, Riley Marshall, immigrated to Indiana in 1817 and settled on a farm in present-day Whitley County . He became wealthy when a moderate deposit of oil and natural gas was discovered on his farm; when he sold the property in 1827 it earned $ 25,000, $ 523,750 in 2015 chained dollars . The money allowed him to purchase

480-481: A decade, including with James J. Garrett. Alabama earned an additional seat after the census of 1890, and Underwood became chairman of the new 9th District's Democratic Committee in 1892. Two years later, voters elected him as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives . However, Truman H. Aldrich successfully challenged that election result, forcing Underwood to resign in the middle of

600-478: A female lecturer at the school, accusing her of "seeking liberties" with the young boys in their boarding house. She hired lawyer Lew Wallace , the author of Ben-Hur , and filed a suit demanding that Marshall pay her $ 20,000 for libel . Marshall traveled to Indianapolis to find a defense lawyer and employed future United States President Benjamin Harrison , then a prominent Indianapolis lawyer. Harrison had

720-757: A few ceremonial functions for the remainder of Wilson's term, such as hosting foreign dignitaries. Among these was Albert I , King of the Belgians , the first European monarch to visit the United States. Edward, Prince of Wales , the future monarch of the United Kingdom, spent two days with Marshall and received a personal tour of Washington from him. First Lady Edith Wilson performed most routine duties of government. She reviewed Wilson's communications and decided what to share with him and what to delegate to others. The resulting lack of leadership allowed

840-456: A historic house associated with George Washington near Alexandria, Virginia . There, Underwood wrote his only published book, an analysis of the transformation of American government in the 20th century, Drifting Sands of Party Politics , which appeared in 1928. He decried federal legislation aimed at regulating morality, government by commissions, and excessive American engagement in foreign affairs. Underwood suffered two disabling strokes in

960-737: A law professor at the University of Virginia . Most of Underwood's papers are held by the Alabama Department of Archives and History, with some made available free online. Some of the family's papers are also held by his alma mater, the University of Virginia. Future President John F. Kennedy mentioned Underwood as one of his Profiles in Courage for his stand against the Klan. Underwood's former home in Washington, D.C.,

1080-507: A majority supported it. The Republican Party was in the midst of a period of instability, splitting along progressive and conservative lines. Their internal problems proved to be the deciding factor in the election, giving Marshall a narrow victory: he received 48.1 percent of the vote to Watson's 48.0 percent. Democrats also came to power in the Indiana House of Representatives by a small margin, though Republicans retained control of

1200-492: A message informing him that Wilson had died. Marshall was shocked, and rose to announce the news to the congregation. The ministers held a prayer, the congregation began singing hymns, and many people wept. Marshall and his wife exited the building, and made a call to the White House to determine his next course of action, only to find that he had been the victim of a hoax, and that Wilson was still alive. Marshall performed

1320-457: A military buildup before the declaration of war, and fully supported the war effort once it had begun. Shortly after the first troops began to assemble for transport to Europe, Wilson and Marshall hosted a delegation from the United Kingdom in which Marshall became privy to the primary war strategy. However, he was largely excluded from war planning and rarely received official updates on the progress of military campaigns. He usually received news of

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1440-529: A modest estate and spend the rest of his life as an active member of the Indiana Democratic Party , serving as an Indiana State Senator , party chairman, and financial contributor. He was also able to send his only child, Daniel, to medical school. Marshall's mother, Martha Patterson, was orphaned at age thirteen while living in Ohio and moved to Indiana to live with her sister on a farm near

1560-516: A number of bills to be defeated in hopes that opposition would eventually end their filibuster. Among the defeated bills was one allowing merchant ships to arm themselves, and another allowing the US government to make direct arms sales to the Allies . Despite their victories, the small group of senators continued to lock up the Senate to prevent any pro-war legislation from passing. In response, Marshall led

1680-408: A partner in 1879 and began taking many criminal defense cases. The two men functioned well as partners. McNagny was better educated in law and worked out their legal arguments. Marshall, the superior orator, argued the cases before the judge and jury. Their firm became well known in the region after they handled a number of high-profile cases. In 1880 Marshall ran for public office for the first time as

1800-511: A phrase he introduced to the American lexicon. While presiding over a Senate session in 1914, Marshall responded to earlier comments from Senator Joseph L. Bristow that provided a long list of what he felt the country needed. Marshall reportedly leaned over and muttered to one of his clerks, "What this country needs is more of this; what this country needs is more of that" and quipped loudly enough for others to overhear, "What this country needs

1920-468: A popular public speaker, and continued to travel to give speeches. The last he delivered was to high school students in the town of his birth. On June 1, 1925, Marshall and his wife were on a trip to Washington, D.C., when he died suddenly from a heart attack at his room at the Willard Hotel , while reading his Bible in bed. He had been unwell for several days, and a nurse had accompanied them on

2040-613: A position that raised his popularity and influence in the party. Marshall and his wife were involved in several private organizations. He was active in the Presbyterian Church, taught Sunday school, and served on the county fair board. As he grew wealthy from his law firm he became involved in local charities. An enthusiastic Mason in Columbia City Lodge No. 189 in the Grand Lodge of Indiana , he

2160-597: A speech attacking the court and accusing it of overstepping its authority. He launched a final appeal to the United States Supreme Court but left office in January 1913 while the case was still pending. Later that year, the court declined the appeal, finding that the issue was within the sole jurisdiction of the state courts. Marshall was disappointed with the outcome. Subsequent scholars such as Linda Gugin and legal expert James St. Claire have called

2280-413: A speech before his departure for Washington, D.C., to become vice president, recounted a story of a man with two sons. One of the sons went to sea and drowned and the other was elected vice president; neither son was ever heard from again. On his election as vice president, he sent Woodrow Wilson a book, inscribed "From your only Vice." Marshall's humor caused him trouble during his time in Washington. He

2400-504: A standard of doing so. Without strong leadership in the executive branch, the administration's opponents defeated the ratification of the League of Nations treaty and returned the United States to an isolationist foreign policy. Marshall ended his time in office as the first vice president since Daniel D. Tompkins , nearly a century earlier, to serve two full terms, and the first vice president re-elected, since John C. Calhoun . Marshall

2520-462: A team to excavate for ruins in Guatemala , Marshall suggested that the team instead excavate around Washington. When asked why, he replied that, judging by the looks of the people walking on the street, they should be able to find buried cave-men no more than six feet down. The joke was not well received, and he was shut out of board meetings for nearly a year. Marshall's wit is best remembered for

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2640-533: A two-thirds vote to secure the nomination. Several delegations declined to support either of the leading candidates and persisted in voting for their state's " favorite son " instead. Like the other favorite son candidates, Underwood resisted efforts to remove the convention's two-thirds rule. As the Convention labored through 103 ballots, Alabama, as the first state alphabetically, cast its votes first. The delegation's leader, Governor William W. Brandon , reported

2760-546: A weekly wage; etc.” Rewriting the state constitution became Marshall's central focus as governor, and after the General Assembly refused to call a constitutional convention he sought other ways to have a new constitution adopted. He and Jacob Piatt Dunn , a close friend and civic leader, wrote a new constitution that increased the state's regulatory powers considerably, set minimum wages, and gave constitutional protections to unions. Many of these reforms were also in

2880-667: Is and ever will be so sacred to me". President Wilson experienced a mild stroke in September 1919. On October 2, he was struck by a much more severe stroke that left him partially paralyzed and almost certainly incapacitated. Wilson's closest adviser, Joseph Tumulty , did not believe Marshall would be a suitable acting president and took precautions to prevent him from assuming presidential powers and duties. Wilson's wife Edith strongly disliked Marshall because of what she called his "uncouthed" disposition, and also opposed his assumption of presidential powers and duties. Tumulty and

3000-546: Is most remembered for a leadership crisis following a stroke that incapacitated Wilson in October 1919. Because of their personal dislike for Marshall, Wilson's advisers and wife Edith sought to keep him uninformed about the president's condition to prevent him from assuming presidential powers and duties. Many people, including cabinet officials and congressional leaders, urged Marshall to become acting president, but he refused to forcibly assume Wilson's powers, not wanting to set

3120-469: The 1912 Democratic National Convention in Baltimore , his name was put forward as Indiana's choice for president. He was suggested as a compromise nominee, but William Jennings Bryan and his delegates endorsed Woodrow Wilson over Champ Clark , securing the nomination for Wilson. Indiana's delegates lobbied to have Marshall named the vice presidential candidate in exchange for supporting Wilson. Indiana

3240-631: The Bleeding Kansas incidents. In October 1860 several men led by Duff Green demanded that Daniel Marshall provide medical assistance to the pro-slavery faction, but he refused, and the men left. When the Marshalls' neighbors warned that Green was planning to return and murder them, the family quickly packed their belongings and escaped by steamboat to Illinois. The Marshalls remained in Illinois only briefly, before relocating to Indiana, which

3360-663: The Constitution of Indiana , but his efforts proved controversial and were blocked by the Indiana Supreme Court . Marshall's popularity as Indiana governor, and the state's status as a critical swing state , helped him secure the Democratic vice presidential nomination on a ticket with Wilson in 1912 and win the subsequent general election . An ideological rift developed between the two men during their first term leading Wilson to limit Marshall's influence in

3480-701: The House Ways and Means Committee . He stood with a small minority of House members in opposition to the President when he voted to maintain an exemption from Panama Canal tolls for American ships traveling between American ports, despite British protests that the policy violated the Hay–Pauncefote Treaty . Underwood twice won election to the United States Senate , in 1914 and 1920, and served there from March 4, 1915, to March 3, 1927. He

3600-511: The Indiana Senate . Marshall was inaugurated as Governor of Indiana on January 11, 1909. Since his party had been out of power for many years, its initial objective was to appoint as many Democrats as possible to patronage positions. Marshall tried to avoid becoming directly involved in the patronage system. He allowed the party's different factions to have positions and appointed very few of his own choices. He allowed Taggart to manage

3720-659: The Kentucky Supreme Court . His maternal grandfather, cotton merchant Jabez Smith, once served as mayor of Petersburg, Virginia . In 1865, the Underwood family moved to St. Paul, Minnesota , hoping the climate would help Oscar's chronic bronchitis, as well as his mother's health. After ten years, the family moved back to Louisville, where Oscar graduated from the Rugby University School, an exclusive private school, in 1879. He then attended

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3840-598: The Oscar W. Underwood House , was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. Woodlawn plantation was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and designated a national landmark in 1998. In 1990, Underwood was inducted into the Alabama Men's Hall of Fame. Thomas R. Marshall Thomas Riley Marshall (March 14, 1854 – June 1, 1925) was an American politician who served as

3960-542: The Socialist Party platform under its leader, Terre Haute native Eugene V. Debs . Republicans believed Marshall's constitution was an attempt to win over Debs' supporters, who had a strong presence in Indiana. The constitution also allowed direct-democracy initiatives and referendums to be held. The Democratic controlled assembly agreed to the request and put the measure on the ballot. His opponents attacked

4080-886: The University of Virginia at Charlottesville , where he was president of the Jefferson Society, as well as excelled in debate. He also received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Columbia University in 1912 and Harvard University in 1922. He served as president of the University of Virginia Alumni Association in 1913 and 1914. Oscar Underwood married twice, the first time in Charlottesville on October 8, 1885, to Eugenia Massie, daughter of Dr. Thomas Eugene Massie. They had two sons before she died in 1900: John Lewis Underwood (1888–1973) and Oscar Wilder Underwood Jr. (1890–1962). Underwood remarried on September 10, 1904, to Bertha Woodward (1870–1948), daughter of Union Army veteran Joseph Hershey Woodward (1843–1917) of

4200-512: The University of Virginia . He moved his legal practice to Birmingham, Alabama , in 1884 and won election to the House of Representatives in 1894. Underwood served as House Majority Leader from 1911 to 1915, and was a strong supporter of President Woodrow Wilson 's progressive agenda and a prominent advocate of a reduction in the tariff . He sponsored the Revenue Act of 1913 , also known as

4320-543: The Woodward Iron Company and his wife Martha Burt (both of Ohio County in what became West Virginia ), who survived him. After graduation, Underwood returned to Minnesota to begin his legal career. However, his older half brother William soon convinced him of better opportunities awaiting in Birmingham, Alabama . There, he moved in September 1884 and established a successful legal practice, working for

4440-517: The constitutional amendment to allow it was ratified by the Indiana General Assembly during his term. He also overhauled the state auditing agencies and claimed to have saved the government millions of dollars. He was unsuccessful in passing the rest of the progressive platform agenda items or persuading the legislature to call a convention to rewrite the state constitution to expand the government's regulatory powers. Marshall

4560-400: The "smelling committee" by several newspapers, the group discovered Wilson was in very poor health, but seemed to have recovered enough of his faculties to make decisions. Their report ended the perceived need for the joint resolution. At a Sunday church service in mid-December, in what Marshall believed was an attempt by other officials to force him to assume the presidency, a courier brought

4680-470: The 1912 election. Republicans opposed the ratification process, and were infuriated that the Democrats were attempting to revise the entire constitution without calling a constitutional convention , as had been called for in the state's two previous constitutions. Marshall argued that no convention was needed because the existing constitution did not call for one. Republicans took the issue to court and

4800-546: The 28th vice president of the United States from 1913 to 1921 under President Woodrow Wilson . A prominent lawyer in Indiana , he became an active and well known member of the Democratic Party by stumping across the state for other candidates and organizing party rallies that later helped him win election as the 27th governor of Indiana . In office, he attempted to implement changes from his progressive agenda to

4920-455: The Democratic candidate for his district's prosecuting attorney. The district was a Republican stronghold, and he was defeated. About the same time, he met and began to court Kate Hooper, and the two became engaged to marry. Kate died of an illness in 1882, one day before they were to be wed. Her death was a major emotional blow to Marshall, leading him to become an alcoholic. Marshall lived with his parents into his thirties. His father died in

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5040-413: The Democratic party after his 1880 defeat and began stumping for other candidates and helping to organize party rallies across the state. His speeches were noted for their partisanship, but his rhetoric gradually shifted away from a conservative viewpoint in the 1890s as he began to identify himself with the growing progressive movement . He became a member of the state Democratic Central Committee in 1904,

5160-446: The Democratic presidential nomination in 1912 and had some strength at the national convention among southern delegates but could not compete with Champ Clark and Woodrow Wilson . At the convention that year in Baltimore , Wilson's managers offered Underwood the vice-presidential nomination, which he declined. Following the election, Underwood supported the progressive reforms of Wilson's first term, using his position as Chairman of

5280-505: The First Lady believed that an official communication from Wilson's staff on his condition would allow Marshall to trigger the constitutional mechanism allowing him to become acting president, and made sure no such communication occurred. After Marshall demanded to know Wilson's status so that he could prepare for the possibility of becoming president, they had a reporter from The Baltimore Sun brief Marshall and inform him that Wilson

5400-550: The House Ways and Means Committee to manage legislation and maintain party discipline. In return, Wilson granted him considerable control over patronage and appointed Albert S. Burleson Postmaster-General upon Underwood's recommendation. The Revenue Act of 1913 is also known as the Underwood Tariff Act or Underwood-Simmons Act in recognition of Underwood's role in writing and managing the bill as Chairman of

5520-500: The Klan by a vote of 542 3/20 to 541 3/20. The fight proved a polarizing battle that made each of the Convention's two major candidates unacceptable to large segments of the party, without enhancing Underwood's chances in the least. The Convention was marked by a deadlock between the supporters of the Irish Catholic New York Governor Al Smith and McAdoo, while the Convention's rules required

5640-813: The Klan. He experienced a boomlet of support on the 101st presidential ballot of the convention, but the Democrats nominated John W. Davis as a compromise candidate. Underwood declined to run for re-election in 1926 and retired to his Woodlawn plantation in Fairfax County, Virginia , where he died in 1929. Underwood was born in Louisville, Kentucky , on May 6, 1862, the eldest of three sons of lawyer and planter Eugene Underwood and his second wife, Frederica Virginia Wilder. Eugene Underwood also had three sons with his first wife before her death in 1857. His paternal grandfather, Joseph R. Underwood , served as U.S. Representative and Senator from Kentucky, as well as on

5760-668: The Lincoln Memorial Commission in 1921, and then to a more lucrative position on the Federal Coal Commission in 1922; Marshall resigned from both commissions in 1923. He spent over a year writing books on the law and his Recollections , a humorous memoir. The latter book was completed in May 1925 and subsequent historians have noted it as unusual, even for its time, for not disclosing any secrets or attacking any of Marshall's enemies. Marshall remained

5880-501: The Marion County Circuit Court granted an injunction removing the constitution from the 1912 ballot. Marshall appealed, but the Indiana Supreme Court upheld the decision in a judgment which stated that the Constitution of Indiana could not be replaced in total without a constitutional convention, based on the precedent set by Indiana's first two constitutions. Marshall was angry with the decision and delivered

6000-476: The Marshalls' home. Martha was known for her wit and humor, as her son later would be. Martha and Daniel met and married in 1848. Thomas Riley Marshall was born in North Manchester , Indiana, on March 14, 1854. Two years later, a sister was born, but she died in infancy. Martha had contracted tuberculosis , which Daniel believed to be the cause of their infant daughter's poor health. While Marshall

6120-607: The Republican Party". The dispute prompted the family to move again, to Fort Wayne , and convert to the Presbyterian church. In Fort Wayne, Marshall attended high school, graduating in 1869. At age fifteen his parents sent him to Wabash College , in Crawfordsville , where he received a classical education. His father advised him to study medicine or become a minister, but neither interested him; he entered

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6240-635: The Republican ticket of Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge . On their election, Marshall sent a note to Coolidge offering him his "sincere condolences" for his misfortune of having been elected vice president. Marshall considered returning to Columbia City after leaving office, but instead bought a home and opened a law practice in Indianapolis, where he believed there would be better business opportunities. Harding nominated him to serve on

6360-399: The Senate to adopt a new rule on March 8, 1917, allowing filibusters to be broken by two-thirds of voting Senators. This replaced the previous rule that allowed any senator to prolong debate as long as he desired. The rule has been modified several times, most prominently that the current rule requires three-fifths of all Senators, not only the ones voting. As Marshall made little news and

6480-533: The Underwood Tariff, which lowered tariff rates and imposed a federal income tax . He won election to the Senate in 1914 and served as Senate Minority Leader from 1920 to 1923. He unsuccessfully opposed federal Prohibition , arguing that state and local governments should regulate alcohol. Underwood sought the presidential nomination at the 1912 Democratic National Convention , but the convention selected Woodrow Wilson after forty-six ballots. He declined

6600-454: The administration's opponents to prevent ratification of the League of Nations treaty. They attacked the treaty's tenth article, which they believed would allow the United States to be bound in an alliance to European countries that could force the country to return to war without an act of Congress. Marshall personally supported the treaty's adoption, but recommended several changes, including

6720-544: The administration. Marshall's brand of humor caused Wilson to move his office away from the White House , further isolating him. Marshall was targeted in an assassination attempt in 1915 for supporting intervention in World War I . During Marshall's second term he delivered morale-boosting speeches across the nation during the war and became the first U.S. vice president to hold cabinet meetings, which he did while Wilson

6840-562: The bomb was set with a timer, it exploded prematurely just before midnight, while no one was in the office. On July 3, Muenter (who went under the pseudonym Frank Holt) burst into the Glen Cove, New York home of Jack Morgan , son of financier J. P. Morgan , demanding that he stop the sale of weapons to the Allies. Morgan told the man he was in no position to comply with his demand; Muenter shot him twice non-fatally and escaped. Muenter

6960-410: The boy and wrote that he "never walked the streets of Washington with as sure a certainty as he walked into my heart", and, as the boy grew older, that he was "beautiful as an angel; brilliant beyond his years; lovable from every standpoint". The Marshalls never officially adopted Morrison because they believed that to go through the procedure while his parents were still living would appear unusual to

7080-660: The campaign, Marshall traveled across the United States delivering speeches. The Wilson–Marshall ticket easily won the 1912 election because of the division between the Republican Party and the Progressive Party . Marshall was not fond of Wilson, as he disagreed with him on a number of issues. Although Wilson invited Marshall to cabinet meetings, Marshall's ideas were rarely considered for implementation, and Marshall eventually stopped attending them regularly. In 1913, Wilson broke with longstanding tradition and met with senators to discuss policy. Previous presidents had used

7200-613: The chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus has also concurrently served as the floor leader as part of an unwritten tradition. After the victory of Democrats in the midterm elections of 2006 , an overwhelming majority in the conference wanted to reward Chuck Schumer, then the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, with a position in the leadership hierarchy. In response, then-Democratic Leader Harry Reid created

7320-575: The dignity of the state for the rights of individuals". In his memoir, he recalled that the war seemed to drag on "with leaden feet", and that he was relieved when it finally ended. As the war neared its end, Marshall became the first vice president to conduct cabinet meetings; Wilson left him with this responsibility while traveling in Europe to sign the Versailles treaty and to work on gathering support for his League of Nations idea. Wilson became

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7440-545: The direct-democracy provisions, claiming they were a violation of the United States Constitution , which required states to operate republican forms of government. The 1910 midterm elections gave the Democrats control of the Indiana Senate, increasing the constitution's chances of adoption. Marshall presented it to the General Assembly in 1911 and recommended that they submit it to voters in

7560-513: The first president and vice president team to be re-elected since Monroe and Tompkins in 1820. On the evening of July 2, 1915, Eric Muenter , a one time German professor at Harvard and Cornell universities, who opposed American support of the Allied war effort, broke into the U.S. Senate and, finding the door to the Senate chamber locked, laid dynamite outside the reception room, which happened to be next to Marshall's office door. Although

7680-482: The first president to deliver a treaty to the Senate in person when he presented it to Marshall during a morning session. Marshall's wife, Lois, was heavily involved in charitable activities in Washington and spent considerable time working at the Diet Kitchen Welfare Center providing free meals to impoverished children. In 1917 she became acquainted with a mother of newborn twins, one of whom

7800-585: The late 1880s and his mother died in 1894, leaving him with the family estate and business. In 1895, while working on a case, Marshall met Lois Kimsey who was working as a clerk in her father's law firm. Despite their nineteen-year age difference, the couple fell in love and married on October 2. The Marshalls had a close marriage and were nearly inseparable, and spent only two nights apart during their nearly thirty-year marriage. Marshall's alcoholism had begun to interfere with his busy life before his marriage. He arrived at court hung-over on several occasions and

7920-415: The lives of the men and women who practice Temperance are not found to predominate in the state where Prohibition laws have been on the statute books for years as compared to those states where liquor is sold under a license system or where Temperance laws are controlled by the sentiment of the local communities." Underwood led the anti- Ku Klux Klan forces at the 1924 Democratic National Convention . He

8040-468: The local-option law be changed so that the decision to ban liquor sales could be made at the city and township level. This drew support from anti-prohibitionists, who saw it as an opportunity to roll back prohibition in some areas, and as the only alternative available to the total prohibition which the Republican Party advocated. The Democratic position also helped to retain prohibitionists' support by allowing prohibition to remain enacted in communities where

8160-434: The party's floor leader and the party's whip, until in 2006, when Democratic leader Harry Reid created the new position of Vice-Chairman of the caucus. Now, the secretary is the fourth-highest ranking position. The conference secretary is responsible for taking notes and aiding the party leadership when senators of the party meet or caucus together. The first conference secretary was Sen. Edward W. Carmack of Tennessee, who

8280-494: The position of vice-chair when Democrats formally took control in 2007. Schumer ascended to Reid's position following his retirement after the 2016 elections . The position was then split, with one co-chair awarded to Mark Warner and the other awarded to Elizabeth Warren. The United States Senate Democratic Conference Secretary, also called the Caucus Secretary was previously considered the number-three position, behind

8400-448: The president to voluntarily allow his powers to devolve to the vice president, but that was impossible given his condition and unlikely given Wilson's dislike for Marshall. The vice president informed the cabinet that he would assume Wilson's powers and duties only in response to a joint resolution of Congress calling on him to do so or an official communication from Wilson or his staff asserting his inability to perform his duties. Wilson

8520-429: The process and pick the candidates, but signed off on the official appointments. Although his position on patronage kept peace in his party, it prevented him from building a strong political base. During his term, Marshall focused primarily on advancing the progressive agenda. He successfully advocated the passage of a child labor law and anti-corruption legislation. He supported popular election of U.S. Senators, and

8640-452: The process and the document "seriously flawed" and argued that had the constitution been adopted, large parts would probably have been ruled unconstitutional by the federal courts. The Indiana constitution prevented Marshall from serving a consecutive term as governor. He made plans to run for a United States Senate seat after his term ended, but another opportunity presented itself during his last months as governor. Although he did not attend

8760-743: The public. Wanting to keep the situation private, they instead made a special arrangement with his parents. President Wilson felt obliged to acknowledge the boy as theirs and sent the couple a note that simply said, "With congratulations to the baby. Wilson". Morrison lived with the Marshalls for the rest of his life. In correspondence they referred to him as Morrison Marshall, but in person they called him Izzy. Lois took him to see many doctors and spent all her available time trying to nurse him back to health, but his condition worsened and he died in February 1920, just before his fourth birthday. His death devastated Marshall, who wrote in his memoir that Izzy "was and

8880-463: The pure food act; to establish public play grounds; to provide free treatment for hydrophobia ; to regulate the sale of cocaine and other drugs; to prevent blindness at birth; to require hygienic schoolhouses and to permit medical examination of school children; to regulate the sale of cold storage products; to curtail child labor; and to “require medical supplies as part of a train equipment, etc.” The textbook also listed various laws “intended to protect

9000-534: The rally he sat on the laps of Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln , alternating between the two candidates when they were not speaking, and remembered it as one of his earliest and most cherished memories. The family moved to Osawatomie, Kansas , in 1859, but the frontier violence caused them to move to Missouri in 1860. Eventually, Daniel succeeded in curing Martha's disease. As the American Civil War neared, violence spread into Missouri during

9120-591: The requirement that all parties to it acknowledge the Monroe Doctrine and the United States' sphere of influence, and that the tenth article be made non-binding. Wilson began to recover by the end of 1919, but remained secluded for the remainder of his term, steadfast in his refusal or inability to accept changes to the treaty. Marshall was prevented from meeting with him to ascertain his true condition until his final day in office. It remains unclear who made executive decisions during Wilson's incapacity, but it

9240-564: The rest of her life, living on her husband's pension and the $ 50,000 she earned by selling his memoir to the Bobbs-Merrill publishing company. She died in 1958 and was interred next to her husband. Marshall was known for his quick wit and good sense of humor. On hearing of his nomination as vice president, he announced that he was not surprised, as "Indiana is the mother of Vice Presidents; home of more second-class men than any other state". One of his favorite jokes, which he delivered in

9360-527: The school without knowing which profession he would take upon graduation. During college Marshall joined the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, participated in literary and debating societies, and founded a Democratic Club. He secured a position on the staff of the college newspaper, the Geyser , and began writing political columns defending Democratic policies. In 1872 he wrote an unfavorable column about

9480-858: The sentences of people condemned to execution. He regularly attacked corporations and used recently created antitrust laws to attempt to break several large businesses. He participated in a number of ceremonial events, including laying the final golden brick to complete the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909. Democratic Party campaign literature emphasized Marshall's record as governor, with one Democratic textbook from 1912 listing various laws enacted during his time in office by his instance. These included acts to investigate industrial and agricultural education; to permit night schools In cities; to prevent traffic in white slaves; to establish uniform weights and measures; to provide police court matrons; to protect against loan sharks; to strengthen

9600-423: The speech nominating Underwood called for the condemnation of the Klan and produced a lengthy floor demonstration. The attempt to modify the platform to condemn the Klan by name produced rousing demonstrations and speeches, many, including that of William Jennings Bryan , interrupted by the anti-Klan crowds that filled the galleries. The Convention's final vote, though contested, defeated the minority proposal naming

9720-441: The state's unanimous vote tally each time without variation: "Alabama casts 24 votes for Oscar W. Underwood." Underwood became a symbol of the Convention's deadlock. His vote totals were meager, fewer than 50, until the deadlock broke and on the 101st ballot he won 229.5, but his anti-prohibition, anti-Klan stances made him a most unlikely compromise candidate and the Convention turned to John W. Davis of West Virginia, whose work as

9840-463: The suit dropped by showing that the charges made by Marshall were probably true. In Marshall's memoir, he wrote that when he approached Harrison to pay his bill, his lawyer informed him that he would not charge him for the service, but instead gave him a lecture on the ethics of making such charges public. Marshall later recalled that he took the advice to heart, and was never again accused of making comments that could be considered libelous. Marshall

9960-401: The term, on June 9, 1896. However, Underwood persisted, and campaigned for tariff reform. He won the seat again in the election at year's end, then re-election numerous times, serving nine terms (from 1897 to 1915). Underwood became as the first Democratic House Minority Whip , serving from about 1900 to 1901. He then became House Majority Leader from 1911 to 1915. He was a candidate for

10080-475: The threat. On several occasions, he ordered the Senate gallery cleared. He voted eight times to break tie votes . In the debates leading up to World War I , a number of isolationist senators filibustered bills that Wilson considered important. The filibusters lasted for weeks and twice lasted for over three months. Wilson and the bills' supporters requested that Marshall put a gag-order in place to cut off debate, but he refused on ethical grounds, allowing

10200-476: The toilers” that were also championed by Marshall. These included laws to require storm windows for locomotives; to require full switching crews; to require standard cabooses; to require inspection of locomotive boilers; to provide efficient headlights on locomotives; to require safety devices on switch engines; to require full train crews; to establish free employment agencies; to create a bureau of inspection for factories, workshops, mines and boilers; and to “provide

10320-582: The trip, but Marshall had already died by the time his wife could summon help. He was 71. A service and viewing was held in Washington two days later and was attended by many dignitaries. Marshall's remains were returned to Indianapolis, where he lay in state for two days; thousands visited his bier . His funeral service was held June 9, and he was interred in Crown Hill Cemetery, next to the grave of his "adopted" son Morrison "Izzy" Marshall. Lois Marshall moved to Arizona and remained widowed

10440-606: The two, I choose my country." By 1924 Underwood was one of very few anti-Klan officeholders left in the South. He blamed the Klan's opposition to his candidacy for his loss in the Georgia presidential primary to former Secretary of the Treasury William Gibbs McAdoo . He then determined to embarrass McAdoo by putting the party on record against the Klan. Even before the Convention considered its platform,

10560-421: The vice president as an intermediary, but Wilson did not trust Marshall with delicate business. In his memoir, Marshall's only negative comment towards Wilson was, "I have sometimes thought that great men are the bane of civilization, they are the real cause of all the bitterness and contention which amounts to anything in the world". Their relationship was described as one of "functioning animosity". Marshall

10680-414: The vice president, a group of congressional leaders initiated Marshall's requested joint resolution. However, senators opposed to the League of Nations treaty blocked the joint resolution in hopes of preventing the treaty's ratification. These senators believed that as acting president Marshall would make several key concessions that would allow the treaty to win ratification. Wilson, in his present condition,

10800-517: The vice presidential nomination, which instead went to Thomas R. Marshall . Underwood ran for president again in 1924, entering the 1924 Democratic National Convention as a prominent conservative opponent of the Ku Klux Klan . One of the few prominent anti-Klan politicians in the South at the time, Underwood and his supporters narrowly failed to win adoption of a Democratic resolution condemning

10920-531: The votes he needed to win the nomination. Marshall's opponent in the general election was Republican Congressman James E. Watson , and the campaign focused on temperance and prohibition. Just as it began, the Republican-controlled state government passed a local-option law that allowed counties to ban the sale of liquor. The law became the central point of debate between the parties and their gubernatorial candidates. The Democrats proposed that

11040-404: The war through the newspapers. Wilson sent Marshall around the nation to deliver morale-boosting speeches and encourage Americans to buy Liberty Bonds to support the war effort. Marshall was well suited for the job, as he had been earning extra money as a public speaker while vice president, and gladly accepted the responsibility. In his speeches, he cast the war as a "moral crusade to preserve

11160-488: The winter of 1928–29. He died on January 25, 1929, at Woodlawn plantation. Pursuant to his wishes, his corpse was returned to Alabama, and buried beside his first wife in Birmingham's Elmwood Cemetery . His second wife was later buried with him, as was his son John Lewis Underwood (1888–1973). His son Oscar Wilder Underwood Jr. (1890–1962), who served with distinction as a U.S. Army Captain in World War I , later became

11280-492: The younger Marshall soon moved to Columbia City, Indiana , to live with his parents. Marshall read law in the Columbia City law office of Walter Olds , a future member of the Indiana Supreme Court , for more than a year and was admitted to the bar on April 26, 1875. Marshall opened a law practice in Columbia City in 1876, taking on many minor cases. After gaining prominence, he accepted William F. McNagny as

11400-578: Was Senate minority leader from 1920 to 1923. Underwood was part of the four-person American delegation at the 1921-22 Washington Naval Conference . There, he helped negotiate the Five-Power Treaty limiting American, British, Japanese, French, and Italian naval armament. He opposed federal Prohibition as "an attempt to rob the states of their jurisdiction over police matters" and advocated local control of liquor regulation because "the improved conditions which we may naturally expect to find in

11520-556: Was "more or less a fatalist" and did not notify the Secret Service about the letters, "but that he naturally was startled when he heard of the explosion at the Capitol." During Marshall's second term, the United States entered World War I. Marshall was a reluctant supporter of the war, believing the country to be unprepared and feared it would be necessary to enact conscription . He was pleased with Wilson's strategy to begin

11640-461: Was a dark horse candidate at the state convention. Initially, Thomas Taggart , Indiana Democratic Party boss, did not support him because of Marshall's support of prohibition . Taggart wanted the party to nominate anti-prohibitionist Samuel Ralston , but the prohibitionist and anti-Taggart factions united with Marshall's supporters. To oppose L. Ert Slack, a temperance candidate, Taggart persuaded Ralston's delegates to support Marshall and give him

11760-544: Was a governing member of the state's York Rite bodies, awarded the thirty-third degree of the Scottish Rite in 1898, and became an Active member of the Supreme Council, Scottish Rite, Northern Jurisdiction in 1911. He remained a passionate Freemason until his death and served on several Masonic charitable boards. After his death, the $ 25,000 cost of erecting his mausoleum in Indianapolis' Crown Hill Cemetery

11880-664: Was a longtime opponent of the Klan. In 1924, when the Klan organized a parade in Birmingham during that year's Democratic National Convention , Underwood called it an effort "to intimidate me, the Alabama delegation and the Democratic Party....It will not succeed....I maintain that the organization is a national menace....It is either the Ku Klux Klan or the United States of America . Both cannot survive. Between

12000-415: Was a strong opponent of Indiana's recently passed eugenics and sterilization laws , and ordered state institutions not to follow them. He was an early, high-profile opponent of eugenics laws, and he carried his opposition into the vice-presidency. His governorship was the first in which no state executions took place, due to his opposition to capital punishment and his practice of pardoning and commuting

12120-558: Was an American lawyer and politician from Alabama , and also a candidate for President of the United States in 1912 and 1924. He was the first formally designated floor leader in the United States Senate , and the only individual to serve as the Democratic leader in both the Senate and the United States House of Representatives . Born in Louisville, Kentucky , Underwood began a legal career in Minnesota after graduating from

12240-420: Was an important swing state , and Wilson hoped that Marshall's popularity would help him carry it in the general election. He had his delegates support Marshall, giving him the vice presidential nomination. Marshall privately turned down the nomination, assuming the job would be boring given its limited role. He changed his mind after Wilson assured him that he would be given plenty of responsibilities. During

12360-408: Was cautious in accepting their support. After consulting with his wife and his long-time personal adviser, Mark Thistlethwaite, he privately refused to assume Wilson's duties and become acting president . The process for declaring a president incapacitated was unclear at that time, and he feared the precedent that might be set if he forcibly removed Wilson from his powers and duties. Marshall wanted

12480-412: Was chronically ill. The child's parents were unable to get adequate treatment for their son's condition. Lois formed a close bond with the baby, named Clarence Ignatius Morrison, and offered to take him and help him find treatment. She and Marshall were unable to have children, and when she brought the baby home, Marshall told her that she could "keep him, provided he did not squall". Marshall grew to love

12600-413: Was either unwilling or unable to make the concessions, and debate on the bill had resulted in a deadlock. On December 4, Lansing announced in a Senate committee hearing that no one in the cabinet had spoken with or seen Wilson in over sixty days. The senators seeking to elevate Marshall requested that a committee be sent to check on Wilson's condition, hoping to gain evidence to support their cause. Dubbed

12720-582: Was elected in March 1903. The current conference secretary is Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, who assumed the office in January 2017. On December 8, 2022, Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii was elected to the newly created position of Deputy Caucus Secretary , assuming the office at the beginning of the 118th Congress on January 3, 2023. This was an elevation from his previous leadership role as Senate Democratic Chief Deputy Whip. Oscar Underwood Oscar Wilder Underwood (May 6, 1862 – January 25, 1929)

12840-510: Was elected to Phi Beta Kappa during his final year at college. He graduated in June 1873, receiving the top grade in fourteen of his thirty-six courses in a class of twenty-one students. Because of his libel case, he had become increasingly interested in law and began seeking someone to teach him. At that time, a common way to become a lawyer was to apprentice under a practicing attorney. Marshall's great-uncle Woodson Marshall began to help him, but

12960-477: Was even farther from the volatile border region. On settling in Pierceton, Indiana , Marshall began to attend public school. His father and grandfather became embroiled in a dispute with their Methodist minister when they refused to vote Republican in the 1862 election. The minister threatened to expel them from the church, to which Marshall's grandfather replied that he would "take his risk on hell, but not

13080-585: Was gratefully paid for by the Scottish Rite NMJ Supreme Council. In 1906, Marshall declined his party's nomination to run for Congress. He hinted, however, to state party leaders that he would be interested in running for Indiana governor in the 1908 election. He soon gained the support of several key labor unions , and was endorsed by Louis Ludlow, a reporter for the Indianapolis Star . Despite this support, Marshall

13200-418: Was in Europe during peace negotiations. As he was president of the United States Senate , a small number of anti-war Senators kept it deadlocked by refusing to end debate. To enable critical wartime legislation to be passed, Marshall had the body adopt its first procedural rule allowing filibusters to be ended by a two-thirds majority vote—a variation of this rule remains in effect. Marshall's vice presidency

13320-436: Was kept secluded by his wife and personal physician and only his close advisers were allowed to see him; none would divulge official information on his condition. Although Marshall sought to meet with Wilson to determine his condition, he was unable to do so. He instead relied on vague updates received through bulletins published by Wilson's physician. Believing that Wilson and his advisers would not voluntarily transfer power to

13440-529: Was known for his wit and sense of humor. One of his most enduring jokes provoked widespread laughter from his Senate colleagues during a floor debate. Responding to Senator Joseph Bristow 's catalog of the nation's needs, Marshall quipped that, "What this country needs is a really good five-cent cigar." After his terms as vice president, he opened an Indianapolis law practice where he authored several legal books and his memoir, Recollections . He continued to travel and speak publicly. In 1925, Marshall died following

13560-616: Was known to greet citizens walking by his office on the White House tour by saying to them, "If you look on me as a wild animal, be kind enough to throw peanuts at me." This prompted Wilson to move Marshall's office to the Senate Office building, where the Vice President would not be disturbed by visitors. In response to Alexander Graham Bell 's proposal to the board of the Smithsonian Institution to send

13680-414: Was later apprehended and confessed to attempted assassination of the vice president. Marshall was offered a personal security detachment after the incident, but declined it. Marshall had been receiving written death threats from numerous "cranks" for several weeks. "Some of them were signed," Marshall told the press, "but most were anonymous. I threw them all into the waste basket." Marshall added that he

13800-568: Was likely the first lady with the help of the presidential advisers. Marshall had his name entered as a candidate for the presidential nomination at the 1920 Democratic National Convention. He made arrangements with Thomas Taggart to have a delegation sent from Indiana to support his bid, but was unable to garner support outside of the Hoosier delegation. Ultimately he endorsed the Democratic nominees, James M. Cox for president and Franklin D. Roosevelt for vice president, but they were defeated by

13920-521: Was near death. Marshall later said that "it was the first great shock of my life", but without an official communication on Wilson's condition, he didn't believe he could constitutionally assume presidential powers and duties. On October 5, Secretary of State Robert Lansing was the first official to propose that Marshall forcibly assume presidential powers and duties. Other cabinet secretaries backed Lansing's request. Congressional leaders of both parties also sent private communications to Marshall, who

14040-497: Was not offended by Wilson's lack of interest in his ideas, and considered his primary constitutional duty to be in the Senate. He viewed the vice presidency as a legislative role, not an executive one. When he presided over the Senate, emotions sometimes ran high. During a debate on the Mexican border crisis in 1916, Marshall threatened to expel certain senators from the chamber for their raucous behavior, but did not carry through on

14160-606: Was still a young boy, his family moved several times searching a good climate for Daniel to attempt different "outdoor cures" on Martha. They moved first to Quincy, Illinois in 1857. While the family was living in Illinois, Daniel Marshall, a supporter of the American Union and a staunch Democrat, took his four-year-old son, Thomas, to the Lincoln and Douglas debate in Freeport in 1858. Marshall later recalled that during

14280-495: Was unable to keep his addiction secret in his small hometown. His wife helped him to overcome his drinking problem and give up liquor after she locked him in their home for two weeks to undergo a treatment regimen. Thereafter, he became active in temperance organizations and delivered several speeches about the dangers of liquor. Although he had stopped drinking, his past alcoholism was later raised by opponents during his gubernatorial election campaign. Marshall remained active in

14400-447: Was viewed as a somewhat comic figure in Washington because of his sense of humor, a number of Democratic party leaders wanted him removed from the 1916 reelection ticket . Wilson, after deliberating, decided keeping Marshall on would demonstrate party unity; thus in 1916 Wilson won reelection over the still divided Republican Party. Marshall became the first vice president re-elected since John C. Calhoun in 1828. Wilson and Marshall were

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