Rufus C. Holman

Infobox_Senator
name=Rufus Cecil Holman


imagesize= 130px
office=United States Senator from Oregon
state= Oregon
term= January 3 1939-January 3 1945
preceded= Alexander G. Barry
succeeded= Wayne Morse
date of birth= birth date|1877|10|14|mf=y
place of birth= Portland, Oregon
date of death= death date and age|1959|11|27|1877|10|14
place of death= Portland, Oregon
spouse=
profession=businessman
religion=
party=Republican|

Rufus Cecil Holman (1877-1959) was a Republican United States Senator and state treasurer from Oregon in the 20th century. A native of Oregon, he served a single term in the Senate during World War II.

Early life

Rufus Holman was born Portland, Oregon, on October 14 1877. [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000731 Rufus C. Holman.] Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on November 11 2007.] There he received his education in the public schools and became a teacher in 1896. After leaving teaching in 1898, he worked in various fields from farming and operating a steamboat, to pursuits related to the accounting field until 1910. That year Holman began making record keeping books and paper boxes in Portland. He then worked in the cold storage business and was active in civic affairs.

Politics

Holman won his first election to political office in 1918, when he was elected to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, where he served one four-year term. In 1931, Oregon Governor Julius L. Meier appointed him as State Treasurer after Thomas B. Kay died in office. [http://bluebook.state.or.us/state/elections/elections26.htm Treasurers of Oregon.] Oregon Blue Book. Retrieved on November 11 2007.] Holman began in office on May 1 1931, winning election to a full four-year term in 1932, and winning re-election in 1936. He resigned from the office in 1938, leaving on December 27 1938.

Although a strong conservative on most issues, he was concerned about the environment long before it was a publicized issue. In 1937, he won publicity when he demonstrated the polluted state of the Willamette River by briefly holding a cage of salmon in the water, then quickly pulling them out dying to a shocked audience. [Appell, David [http://www.portlandtribune.com/sustainable/story.php?story_id=115257866592375100 A long row to recovery.] "The Portland Tribune", July 18 2006.] In 1938, he was elected to the United States Senate. As Senator, he was critical of the foreign policy of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, although he supported World War II, and was identified as an isolationist. He also denounced organized labor and supported the detainment of Japanese citizens. He was defeated in the Republican primary in 1944 by Wayne L. Morse, who was a progressive and internationalist.

Later life

After his defeat, he returned to private life and never sought public office again. Holman returned to managing the Portland Paper Box Company in Portland, and returned to his farm near Molalla, Oregon. Rufus Cecil Holman died on November 27 1959, in his home town of Portland. He was buried at River View Cemetery in Portland. [ [http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/OR/MU.html#R9T0XKHY7 Political Graveyard: River View Cemetery] ]

References