Edward P. Costigan

Edward Prentiss Costigan (born July 1, 1874 in King William County , † January 17, 1939 in Denver ) was an American politician ( Republican Party , Progressive Party and Democratic Party ) who represented the state of Colorado in the Senate from 1931 to 1937 .

Life

He graduated in law at Harvard University in 1899 and began his work as a lawyer in Denver in 1900's.

Costigan was a founding member of the Colorado Progressive Party in 1912 but lost the governor election . President Woodrow Wilson named him a member of the United States Tariff Commission in 1917. He was elected a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1930. Oscar L. Chapman directed his election campaign .

Costigan-Wagner law

Costigan and Robert F. Wagner promoted a nationwide anti- synch law . In 1935 attempts were made to get President Franklin D. Roosevelt to support the Costigan-Wagner Act. Roosevelt, however, refused to support this bill , the sheriffs who are not prisoners before a lynch mob to protect, punish. He believed that doing so would lose the support of white voters in the south , thus losing the 1936 presidential election .

The Costigan-Wagner bill received support from many members of Congress , but the southern opposition managed to prevent it. However, a national debate started drawing attention to the crime of lynching.

literature

• Fred Greenbaum: Fighting Progressive. A Biography of Edward P. Costigan . Public Affairs Press, Washington, DC, 1970.

Web links

• Edward P. Costigan in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Edward P. Costigan in the database of Find a Grave (English)