Owen Brewster

Ralph Owen Brewster

Ralph Owen Brewster (born February 22, 1888 in Dexter , Penobscot County , Maine , † December 25, 1961 in Brookline , Massachusetts ) was an American politician and governor of Maine from 1925 to 1929 . He also represented this state in both chambers of Congress .

Early years and political advancement

Ralph Owen Brewster attended Bowdoin College until 1909 . He then studied law at Harvard University until 1913 . After his admission to the bar, he worked for a law firm in Portland. Between 1917 and 1918 Brewster was an MP in the Maine House of Representatives . But he ended his last term of office prematurely because he joined the National Guard during the First World War . There he made it to the captain . After his military service, Brewster returned to the political scene. Between 1921 and 1923 he was again a member of the Vermont House of Representatives; from 1923 to 1925 he was a member of the State Senate . In 1924 he was elected as the Republican Party candidate for the new governor of his state.

Governor of Maine

Brewster took up his new office on January 8, 1925. After re-election in 1926, he was able to remain in office until January 2, 1929. During his tenure, the state's motorway network was expanded in view of the increasing traffic. A commission for the further development of the state was established and electrification was promoted. In 1925, a joint committee of all New England states was created. In 1928, Brewster applied unsuccessfully for a new nomination by his party.

Another résumé

Brewster applied equally unsuccessfully in 1932 for a seat in the US House of Representatives . In 1934 he was more successful and he was able to spend the years 1935-1941 on this body in Washington, DC as a member of his state. In 1941 he moved to the US Senate , where he remained until 1952. He was temporarily chairman of a special committee dealing with national defense. During this time he fought as a member of a congressional committee a fight with Howard Hughes , one of the richest men in America, whom he accused of dishonesty in the settlement of armaments contracts, but Hughes could not be proven. He used his influence to prevent Brewster's re-election to the Senate in 1952. Brewster then retired, but became a member of several conservative organizations. Supposedly he was also close to the Ku Klux Klan , although he always denied that. On December 25, 1961, Brewster died of cancer. He was married to Dorothy Foss, with whom he had two children.

Web links

• Owen Brewster in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Owen Brewster in the National Governors Association (English)
• Owen Brewster in the database of Find a Grave (English)