Favorable or Unfavorable #207: Charles Curtis

[vcczar]

VP Charles Curtis (KS-R) was the first and only Native American VP. He was 3/8 Native American and 5/8 of European Ancestry. His mother was 3/4ths Native American. He's called the first mixed-race VP until Kamala Harris. 

As a politician Curtis was what was called a "stand patter," because he just voted the party line. He was as establishment as one could be. His proposal for an Equal Rights Amendment below is an outlier. One reason he rose so high in the ranks in the US Senate was because he was kind of like an encyclopedia with people. He had a notecard system that he wrote the names and facts of every potentially politically important person he met, so that he'd memorize these and build a connection with them quickly. He was said to be likable and was capable of reconciling progressives with conservatives. If he had any real weakness, it was that he rarely asserted himself independently. He was kind of a perfect VP and party player. 

His actions:

Curtis, Charles	1898	Introduces Curtis Act, which broke up tribal gov'ts to prepare for OK Statehood
Curtis, Charles	1921	Influential Senate Rules Committee Chair. Serves as both parties begin forming protocol around party leaders in the Senate
Curtis, Charles	1923	co-proposer of the 1st version of the Equal Rights Amendment
Curtis, Charles	1924	Role in overriding veto of 1924 Bonus Bill
Curtis, Charles	1925	Sen Maj Ldr
Curtis, Charles	1928	A leader of the anti-Hoover faction at GOP conv, who thought Hoover too progressive
Curtis, Charles	1928	VP on Hoover's winning ticket, first of Native American ancestry; also pres cand
Curtis, Charles	1929	1st VP to take the oath of office w/ a Bible in the same manner as the president
Curtis, Charles	1932	1st VP to ever open the Olympic Games
Curtis, Charles	1932	re-nominated as Hoover's VP (took 2 ballots), although the ticket loses in a landslide

[OrangeP47]

While as an actual political figure he's kind of generic, he is one of my favorite political figures for historical facts and the situation he was in.  That said too, Hoover is one of my favorite Republicans as well so that helps.

Edited October 7 by OrangeP47