Herbert Lehman

Herbert Lehman was born in New York City on 28th March, 1878. After graduating from Williams College in 1899 Lehman was employed by the textile manufacturers, J. Spencer Turner Company.

During the First World War Lehman served in the United States Army and by 1919 had reached the rank of colonel on the General Staff.

A member of the Democratic Party, Lehman served as lieutenant governor of New York (1929-32), Governor of New York (1933-42) and Director General of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Operations in the State Department (1943-46).

A member of the Public Advisory Boards of the Economic Cooperation Administration, Lehman was elected to the Senate in November 1949, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Robert F. Wagner.

A strong opponent of McCarthyism Lehman was one of the first senators to attack the tactics of Joseph McCarthy. Herbert Lehman , who retired from the Senate in 1957, died in New York City on 5th December, 1963.

Primary Sources

(1) I. F. Stone, I. F. Stone's Weekly (15th March, 1954)

When Ralph Flanders of Vermont attacked McCarthy, the Senate was as silent as it was some weeks earlier when Ellender of Louisiana made a lone onslaught and Fulbright of Arkansas cast the sole vote against his appropriation. Only Lehman of New York and John Sherman Cooper (R.) of Kentucky rose to congratulate Flanders. Nobody defended McCarthy, but nobody joined in with those helpful interjections which usually mark a Senate speech. When the Democratic caucus met in closed session, the Stevenson speech was ignored. Lyndon Johnson of Texas, the Democratic floor leader, is frightened of McCarthy's Texas backers.