Loading...| Preceded by Chester I. Long |
Joseph L. Bristow US Senator (Class 3) from Kansas  |
Succeeded by Charles Curtis |
Contents |
Biography
Joseph Little Bristow, a Republican politician hailing from the state of Kansas, held office from 1908 to 1914 as a United States Senator. During his tenure, Bristow garnered attention for his unwavering support of various political causes associated with the Progressive era. Following his retirement from politics, Bristow pursued a career as a farmer in Annandale, Virginia.
Bristow's significance in American political history is exemplified by his involvement in a renowned incident. During a Senate speech on the topic of "what the country needs," Bristow managed to captivate Vice President Thomas R. Marshall, who was presiding over the session. In a moment of candidness, Marshall whispered to those nearby, expressing his belief that "What this country truly requires is a high-quality five-cent cigar." This episode has since become a part of political folklore in the United States.
Early life
Joseph Little Bristow, born on July 22, 1861, in close proximity to the hamlet of Hazel Green, Kentucky, was the offspring of William Bristow and Savannah (Little) Bristow.[1] William Bristow, the progeny of a Methodist minister who had transitioned into the same profession, engaged in teaching and served as a Union Army veteran during the American Civil War.[2] Following the demise of his mother in 1868, Bristow was nurtured and educated within the deeply religious household of his grandfather. [3]
In 1876, William Bristow relocated to Kansas, and Joseph Bristow subsequently followed suit.[4] After a brief stint as a farmer, Bristow resolved to embark on a vocation as a Methodist minister. Consequently, in 1882, he and his wife relocated to Baldwin, Kansas, to enable Bristow's enrollment at Baker University. [5]
Career
Bristow's political career commenced during his academic years, subsequent to his decision to forego a career in the clergy. In 1884, he organized the Blaine and Logan club to endorse the Republican nominees for president and vice president in the United States presidential election.[6] Bristow graduated from Baker University in 1886, with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors, [7][8]and later received a Master of Arts degree from the same institution in 1889.[9][10] In recognition of his contributions, Baker University conferred upon him the honorary degree of LL.D. in 1912.[11] During his tenure at Baker University, Bristow was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, and the Biblical Society, which is the oldest of Baker's four student literary societies. [12]He also developed a close friendship with William Alfred Quayle, who later became a bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church.[13]
Following his graduation, Bristow served two two-year terms as clerk of the district court of Douglas County, Kansas.[14] During his tenure as a court clerk, he was also the president of the Young Men's Republican Club of Lawrence.[15] Bristow went on to edit or publish several Kansas newspapers, including the Baldwin Ledger, the Ottawa Herald, and the Daily Republican, Republican-Journal, and Irrigation Farmer, all in Salina.[16][17]
Bristow, in the year 1888, extended his support to Benjamin Harrison's presidential campaign, concurrently securing victory in the election as the secretary of the Kansas Republican Committee.[18] Subsequently, from 1895 to 1897, he assumed the role of private secretary to Governor Edmund Needham Morrill.[19] Demonstrating his commitment to agricultural expansion and environmental conservation, Bristow emerged as a prominent figure in the 1890s, co-founding the esteemed Interstate Irrigation Association.[20]
Sources
- ↑ Onofrio, Jan (2000). Kansas Biographical Dictionary (Second ed.). St. Claire Shores, MI: Somerset Publishers. pp. 49–50. ISBN 978-0-4030-9313-7 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Dreier, Thomas (1910). Heroes of Insurgency. Boston, MA: Human Life Publishing Company. p. 69 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Dreier, Heroes of Insurgency, p. 69.
- ↑ Kansas Biographical Dictionary, p. 50.
- ↑ Dreier, Heroes of Insurgency, p. 69.
- ↑ Dreier, Heroes of Insurgency, p. 74.
- ↑ Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Baker University. Baldwin, KS: Baker University. 1893. p. 91 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Joseph Bristow Papers: Biography". KSHS.org. Topeka, KS: The Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ↑ Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Baker University, p. 91.
- ↑ "Joseph Bristow Papers: Biography".
- ↑ Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Baker University, p. 91.
- ↑ "Joseph Bristow Papers: Biography".
- ↑ "Joseph Bristow Papers: Biography".
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_L._Bristow#CITEREFCatalogue_of_the_Officers_and_Students_of_Baker_University
- ↑ Dreier, Heroes of Insurgency, p. 75.
- ↑ Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Baker University, p. 91.
- ↑ Dreier, Heroes of Insurgency, p. 76.
- ↑ Dreier, Heroes of Insurgency, pp. 75–76.
- ↑ Kansas Biographical Dictionary, p. 50.
- ↑ Green, Donald E. (1973). Land of the Underground Rain: Irrigation on the Texas High Plains, 1910-1970. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-2927-7231-1 – via Google Books.
