Leslie Cornelius Arends
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Leslie Cornelius Arends (September 27, 1895 - July 17, 1985) was a Republican politician from Illinois. He was the longest-serving whip in U.S. House of Representatives history, alternately serving as Majority Whip and Minority Whip for House Republicans from 1943 to 1974. Arends was noted for his generally conservative voting record, his successful re-election as whip amid Republican in-fighting after the 1964 election, and his unwavering loyalty to President Richard M. Nixon at all stages of the Watergate scandal.
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[edit] Early life
Arends was born in Melvin, Illinois, a small farming community 100 miles south of Chicago. He remained in the area throughout his life, and it represented the political base of his congressional district. After graduating from Oberlin College in Ohio, Arends returned to his hometown and worked as a farmer and banker. He also served briefly in the Navy during the last phase of World War I. As the president of Commercial State Bank in Melvin, he made his first run for the U.S. House--or any political office--in 1934.
In what was generally a disastrous year for Republicans, Arends earned the distinction of being the only Republican to unseat a Democratic House incumbent. He defeated freshman J. Frank Gillespie by 2,931 votes in Illinois's 17th District.
During his first years in office, Arends voted in line with his fellow midwestern conservatives, opposing most New Deal policies--with the notable exception of agriculture subsidies, and favoring official neutrality in the tense years leading up to U.S. participation in World War II.
[edit] House Leadership
After winning his fifth term in 1942, Arends was elected as House Minority Whip. He was Minority Whip from 1943-1947, 1949-1951, and 1955-1974. During the gaps, Arends was Majority Whip for two brief Republican majorities.
In the 1950s, Arends was a favorite golf partner of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He also worked to advance the president's agenda through Congress, notably echoing the Republican's call for a disentangling of the "military industrial complex" by pushing for cuts to non-military expenditures by the Department of Defense.
Following the Democratic landslide in 1964, moderate House Republicans who survived the onslaught organized a challenge to their conservative leaders. Gerald R. Ford defeated Minority Leader Charles Halleck for the top GOP post and backed New Jersey Rep. Peter Frelinghuysen in a challenge to Arends. Though Halleck lost, Arends proved to be more popular, retaining his post with a 70 to 59 vote. Arends used his victory to punish a young Ford strategist, Rep. Donald Rumsfeld, by denying his bid for a post on the powerful Appropriations Committee. Arends mended his relationship with Ford, however; by 1974, the newly-minted president would attend the congressman's retirement party in Melvin.
In addition to his Whip duties, Arends also rose to become the minority Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee during the height of the Vietnam War.
During Arends's last term, the political landscape in Washington was dominated by the Watergate scandal as politicians of all stripes were forced to choose sides. Arends remained a Nixon loyalist up to and after the president's resignation, and stated publicly that America would have been better served if Nixon completed his term. When Arends announced in 1974 that he would not seek re-election, the Watergate backlash against Republicans even reached his own solidly GOP district. Although Arends remained popular in Illinois, Democrat school teacher Tim Lee Hall won his open seat (but only held it for a single term).
[edit] Retirement
Arends moved to his vacation home in Naples, Florida after leaving Congress and lived there with his wife, Betty, until succumbing to heart failure in 1985. The late congressman's name now adorns the Les Arends Park and Forest Preserve in Kane County, Illinois.
| Preceded by J. Frank Gillespie (D) |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 15th congressional district 1935-1974 |
Succeeded by Tim Lee Hall (D) |
| Preceded by Harry L. Englebright |
House Minority Whip 1943–1947 |
Succeeded by John W. McCormack |
| Preceded by John J. Sparkman |
House Majority Whip 1947–1949 |
Succeeded by J. Percy Priest |
| Preceded by John W. McCormack |
House Minority Whip 1949–1953 |
Succeeded by John W. McCormack |
| Preceded by J. Percy Priest |
House Majority Whip 1953–1955 |
Succeeded by Carl Albert |
| Preceded by John W. McCormack |
House Minority Whip 1955–1975 |
Succeeded by Robert H. Michel |
| Preceded by Harry L. Englebright |
House Republican Whip 1943–1975 |
Succeeded by Robert H. Michel |
| Majority Whips of the United States House of Representatives |  |
|---|---|
| Tawney • Watson • Dwight • Bell • Knutson • Vestal • McDuffie • Greenwood • Boland • Ramspeck • Sparkman • Arends • Priest • Arends • Albert • Boggs • O'Neill • McFall • Brademas • Foley • Coelho • Gray • Bonior • DeLay • Blunt • Clyburn |
| Minority Whips of the United States House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| Underwood • Lloyd • Dwight • Burke • Hamilton • Oldfield • McDuffie • Bachmann • Englebright • Arends • McCormack • Arends • McCormack • Arends • Michel • Lott • Cheney • Gingrich • Bonior • Pelosi • Hoyer • Blunt |
[edit] References
- "Boondoggles." Time. 07/22/1957.
- Pearson, Richard. "Leslie C. Arends, 89, dies." The Washington Post. 07/17/1985. p. C10.
- United Press International. "Ex-Rep. Leslie Arends, 89, House GOP Whip for 30 years." Chicago Tribune. 07/17/1985. p. 3.
