Theodore F. Green

Theodore F. Green

Theodore Francis Green (born October 2, 1867 in Providence , Rhode Island , †  May 19, 1966 ) was an American politician and governor of the state of Rhode Island from 1933 to 1937 . Between 1937 and 1961 he represented his state in the US Senate .

Early years

Theodore Green attended Brown University until 1890 . He then studied law at Harvard University . He finished his studies at the German universities in Bonn and Berlin . After his admission to the bar in 1892, he began working in this profession in Providence. Between 1894 and 1897 he taught Roman law at Brown University. Brown served in the American armed forces during both the Spanish-American War and World War I.

Political rise

Theodore Green was a member of the Democratic Party . In 1907 he was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives. In 1912, 1928 and 1930 he ran unsuccessfully for the office of governor of Rhode Island. In 1920 his candidacy for a seat in the US Congress failed . Between 1917 and 1919 he was a member of the Providence Town Planning Commission.

Green was also successful in business. He was President of JP Coats Company from 1912 to 1923 and also President of the Morris Plan Bankers Association from 1900 to 1929 . In 1932, as his party's candidate in the general federal trend, he was elected governor of his state. The election coincided with the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt as US President.

Governor of Rhode Island

In 1933 Green was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . He took up his new post as governor on January 3, 1933. After re-election in 1934, he was able to remain in office until January 5, 1937. These years were marked by the consequences of the global economic crisis. With the help of the federal government and its New Deal program, but also with its own job creation measures, Rhode Island gradually managed to master the crisis. In Green's second term, the governor's position was strengthened by transferring some of the executive functions previously to the legislature.

Green in the US Senate

In 1936, Green was elected US Senator to succeed Jesse H. Metcalf . There he was able to complete four legislative terms between January 3, 1937 and January 3, 1961. During this time he was temporarily chairman or member of various committees. Among other things, he was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Election Committee. In the Senate he supported the respective democratic presidents and their policies. He also advocated the civil rights movement as well as a strong American military presence in other parts of the world.

As early as 1938, on the initiative of Governor Robert E. Quinn, Providence Airport, the capital of the state of Rhode Island, was renamed TF Green Airport in Green 's honor .

Another résumé

After his tenure in the Senate ended, Green retired from politics. He died in May 1966 at the age of 98.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 4, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Theodore Green in the National Governors Association (English)
• Theodore F. Green in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Theodore F. Green in the database of Find a Grave (English)