Robert N. Stanfield

Robert N. Stanfield Jr
Robert N. Stanfield Jr
United States Senator; from Oregon
	In office; March 4, 1921 – March 4, 1927
Preceded by	George E. Chamberlain
Succeeded by	Frederick Steiwer
27th Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives
	In office; 1917–1918
Preceded by	Ben Selling
Succeeded by	Seymour Jones
Constituency	Umatilla County
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
	In office; 1912-1918
Personal details
Born	July 9, 1877; near Umatilla, Oregon
Died	April 13, 1945 (aged 67); Weiser, Idaho
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Inez Hill
Children	Barbara Stanfield
Profession	Sheep and Cattle Rancher

Robert Nelson Stanfield Jr (July 9, 1877 – April 13, 1945) was an American Republican politician and rancher from the state of Oregon who served in the Oregon House of Representatives (1912–18) including as Speaker (1917–18) and was later elected United States Senator for Oregon (1921–27).

Early life[]

Robert Nelson Stanfield Jr was born near the city of Umatilla, in Eastern Oregon on July 9, 1877,^[1] the first son of Harriet Thankful Townsend and Robert N. Stanfield Sr, the owner of a livery stable and freighting company.^[2] He lived in Umatilla until 1882 when his family moved to Pendleton, where his father ran a freight forwarding business. In 1885, the family moved to the former Buel Atwood place on Butter Creek, near Echo, Oregon. After the family moved to Butter Creek, he attended school at the Thomson School and then at the Butter Creek School built on land his father donated to the school district.^[3]

In the fall of 1895, he enrolled in the state normal school at neighboring Weston.^[1] His education was interrupted by the death of his father, Robert N. Stanfield Sr, on April 15, 1896. He left school in 1897, after completing two years, and took over management of the Stanfield ranch on Butter Creek from his mother. From the original ranch on Butter Creek, he and his brothers built up a large livestock operation with multiple ranches.^[4] He was also involved in banking in Echo and Baker.^[1] He started with cattle and then switched mainly to sheep.^[5] During World War I his flocks were estimated to include 350,000 head of sheep, making him the world's largest sheep rancher.^[5]

Political career[]

In 1912, Stanfield was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives as a Republican representing District 22 which included Morrow and Umatilla counties.^[6] He continued in the state house through 1917, serving as Speaker during the 1917 session.^[1] The next year, he ran against Charles L. McNary for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate, losing in the May primary.^[5]

Stanfield in 1924

In 1920, Stanfield was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1921, to March 4, 1927.^[1] While in the Senate he was chairman of the Committee to Examine Branches of the Civil Service (Sixty-eighth Congress) and a member of the Committee on Public Lands and Surveys (Sixty-ninth Congress).^[1] During his time in Congress, he took hearings about public land use to the western states for the first time. He considered his greatest success the construction of the Owyhee Dam and irrigation projects in Malheur County, one of the first desert land reclamation projects. His reputation was rough and ready. In the midst of prohibition, he was arrested following a drunken bar fight in Baker, Oregon.^[7] When he ran for re-election, his major opponents were the WCTU and the KKK. His admiring cowboy constituency could not elect him.^[8]

Later years[]

He ran for the Republican nomination in 1926. He lost in the May primary election to Frederick Steiwer. He then earned a position on the general election ballot as an independent candidate.^[8] He lost to Steiwer a second time. He ran in the 1928 primary to be a candidate for Representative and was defeated again.^[9]

After Congress he returned to Oregon and resumed his former business pursuits, and in 1945 died in Weiser, Idaho.^[1] Robert Stanfield was buried in Hillcrest Cemetery.^[1] He was survived by his wife, Inez Hill and one daughter, Barbara.^[9]

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Robert Nelson Stanfield". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved November 27, 2008.
^ Stanfield family records, Oregon Historical Society, Portland
^ Gerald E. Stanfield, unpublished autobiography (1972), Stanfield Family Papers.
^ G.E.Stanfield
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Neal, Steve (1985). McNary of Oregon: A Political Biography. Portland, Oregon: Western Imprints, pp. 40–46.
^ 1913 Regular Session (27th). Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on November 27, 2008.
^ "Stanfield Defeat, Third In Series, Jolts Old Guard". New York Times. May 23, 1926. p. 1.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Stanfield to run for Senate again; Oregon Senator, Defeated in Primary, Decides to Accept the Nomination Made by Citizens". The New York Times. September 1, 1926.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b G.E. Stanfield

External links[]

Party political offices
Preceded by R. A. Booth	Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Oregon (Class 3) 1920	Succeeded by Frederick Steiwer
U.S. Senate
Preceded by George E. Chamberlain	U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Oregon 1921–1927	Succeeded by Frederick Steiwer

[congbio-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Robert Nelson Stanfield". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved November 27, 2008.

[2] Stanfield family records, Oregon Historical Society, Portland

[3] Gerald E. Stanfield, unpublished autobiography (1972), Stanfield Family Papers.

[4] G.E.Stanfield

[neal-5] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Neal, Steve (1985). McNary of Oregon: A Political Biography. Portland, Oregon: Western Imprints, pp. 40–46.

[6] 1913 Regular Session (27th). Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on November 27, 2008.

[7] "Stanfield Defeat, Third In Series, Jolts Old Guard". New York Times. May 23, 1926. p. 1.

[nyt-8] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Stanfield to run for Senate again; Oregon Senator, Defeated in Primary, Decides to Accept the Nomination Made by Citizens". The New York Times. September 1, 1926.

[G.E._Stanfield-9] Jump up to: ^a ^b G.E. Stanfield

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show v t United States senators from Oregon
Class 2	D. Smith Baker Stark Harding Williams Kelly Grover Dolph McBride Mitchell Gearin Mulkey Bourne H. Lane McNary Mulkey McNary Cordon R. Neuberger Lusk M. Neuberger Hatfield G. Smith Merkley
Class 3	J. Lane Nesmith Corbett Mitchell Slater Mitchell Simon Fulton Chamberlain Stanfield Steiwer Reames Barry Holman Morse Packwood Wyden

show v t Chairmen of the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Public Lands (1816–1921)	Morrow Williams Thomas Barton King Kane Poindexter Ewing Walker Smith Woodbridge Breese Felch Borland Dodge Stuart Johnson Harlan Pomeroy Sprague Oglesby McDonald Plumb Dolph Berry Dubois Hansbrough Nelson Smoot Chamberlain Myers Smoot
Public Lands and Surveys (1921–1947)	Smoot Lenroot Ladd Stanfield Nye Kendrick Wagner Adams Hatch
Interior and Insular Affairs (1947–1977)	Butler O'Mahoney Butler Cordon Murray Anderson Jackson
Energy and Natural Resources (1977–)	Jackson McClure Johnston F. Murkowski Bingaman F. Murkowski Bingaman Domenici Bingaman Wyden Landrieu L. Murkowski Manchin

show v t Chairmen of the United States Senate Committee on Post Office and Civil Service
Post Office and Post Roads (1816–1947)	Wilson Stokes Lanman Johnson Bibb Grundy Robinson Henderson Merrick Niles Rusk Yulee Gwin Collamer Dixon Ramsey Hamlin Ferry Maxey Ferry Hill Conger Sawyer Vilas Wolcott Mason Penrose Bourne Bankhead Townsend Sterling Moses Phipps Oddie McKellar Chávez
Civil Service and Retrenchment (1873–1921)	Wright Clayton Blaine Teller Butler Hawley Chace Wolcott Call Jarvis Pritchard Baker Perkins Cummins Pomerene McKellar Sterling
Civil Service (1921–1947)	Sterling Stanfield Couzens Dale Bulow Downey
Post Office and Civil Service (1947–1977)	Langer Johnston Carlson Johnston Monroney McGee

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