William N. Doak

The official portrait of William N. Doak in the US Department of Labor

William Nuckles Doak (born December 12, 1882 in Rural Retreat , Wythe County , Virginia , †  October 23, 1933 in McLean , Virginia) was an American trade unionist and politician ( Republican Party ). He was a member of the cabinet of US President Herbert Hoover as Secretary of Labor .

After attending public school and business school , Doak initially worked as a railroad employee. Over time, he increasingly advocated workers' rights and ultimately became vice president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen . Doak was also active in politics. In 1916 he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Chicago , which Charles Evans Hughes nominated as a presidential candidate against incumbent Woodrow Wilson ; In 1932 he again took part in his party's convention, which President Hoover confirmed as a candidate.

In 1920 Doak ran himself as a candidate for political office, but failed in the 6th  District of Virginia in the election to the US House of Representatives . Four years later he ran for the US Senate , but failed again. With 24.2 percent of the vote, he had no chance against the Democrat Carter Glass .

In December 1930 Doak was then appointed by Herbert Hoover to succeed the Senate Labor Minister James J. Davis in his cabinet . He held this office until the end of Hoover's presidency in March 1933. During this time, he advocated the adoption of the Davis-Bacon Act , a bill that had been put in motion by his predecessor , regulating the payment of wages for public sector contracts.

Just a few months after the end of his tenure, William Doak died of complications from cardiovascular disease. He was buried in his birthplace, Rural Retreat.

Web links

• William N. Doak in the nndb (English)
• William N. Doak in the Miller Center of Public Affairs of the University of Virginia (English)
• The Political Graveyard