Nebraska has historically been a Republican state, but it hasn’t always been a conservative state. Although the voters were at heart social conservatives, they could embrace politicians who pushed reform from the left, most notably the populistic three-time presidential contender William Jennings Bryan and Senator George W. Norris. Bryan served to inspire many aspects of the New Deal while Norris was a strong supporter and was central to the passage of the Tennessee Valley Authority. However, all was not well for liberalism in Nebraska in the 1930s. The New Deal was declining in popularity in Nebraska, including on agricultural policy that was touted as helping the Midwest. The 1938 midterms were a conservative wave, and Curtis, who had switched from Democrat to Republican in 1936, was one of the beneficiaries, defeating populistic Democrat Charles Binderup for reelection.
Curtis stood for lower taxes, limited federal government, and against social welfare measures, and voted that way in Congress. The New York Times (2000) described him as a “…spirited critic of the New Deal and any program that smacked of social welfare. He opposed the school lunch program, for example, saying his own character had been bettered for having had to carry his own lunch to school as a youth”. He was also against American involvement in European wars, voting against all major Roosevelt Administration measures prior to Pearl Harbor. Unlike many Republicans who had taken such stances, Curtis remained firm after World War II, voting against aid to Greece and Turkey in 1947 and against the Marshall Plan in 1948.
Curtis would be elected to the Senate in 1954, and would only grow his conservative reputation from there. He voted against the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, food stamps, and Medicare. Curtis led the push in the Senate to defeat the latter, but was way outnumbered in the Great Society Congress. He also regarded organized labor as having become too powerful because of the 1935 Wagner Act and voted for efforts to curb their power, including the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947. Although a staunch conservative, Curtis didn’t forget the folks at home. He would vote at times for federal programs to aid farmers, and counted among his accomplishments bringing flood control and irrigation to the Midwest (Barnes). He frequently received scores between 90-100% from the conservative Americans for Constitutional Action and between 0-10% from the liberal Americans for Democratic Action.
Curtis and Civil Rights
Interestingly, Carl Curtis had a bit of a change in mindset on the subject of civil rights; in his early career in the House, he voted against anti-lynching legislation in 1940 as well as anti-poll tax legislation in 1943 and 1945. However, as a senator he would prove considerably more supportive. Curtis’ votes for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, retaining the public accommodations section of the 1964 act, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were the only votes that prevented him from scoring 100% by Americans for Constitutional Action in those years. In 1972, he was one of 84 senators to vote for the Equal Rights Amendment.
Curtis vs. Organized Labor
Carl Curtis was on the McClellan Committee investigating racketeering in labor unions and there became known for his piercing questions to witnesses on television. He supported numerous measures to counter union corruption, including the McClellan Union “Bill of Rights” amendment, which provided for freedom of speech of union members and fair elections for union leaders. Curtis was strongly opposed by organized labor for his repeated votes against strengthening unions as well as his opposition to strong minimum wage legislation.
Accomplishments
In addition to flood control and irrigation for the Midwest and his part in the McClellan Committee, Senator Curtis introduced the bill which would eventually become the Independent Retirement Act, resulting in the creation of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA), but would in his later years lament that most people eligible for IRAs didn’t use them (Schnert). Anyone who has an IRA has Curtis, among others, to thank for this wonderful way of growing their wealth for a secure retirement.
Curtis in the 1970s and Beyond
Although Curtis was distinctly to President Nixon’s right and most of the time voted against him when he took a liberal position. This included a busing compromise in 1969 as well as voting against ratifying the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 1969. He was also one of the foremost defenders of Nixon on Watergate. Curtis regarded Nixon as being held to a different standard, stating in 1975, “I believe Watergate was played all out of proportion. I believe a different yardstick was used in dealing with Mr. Nixon than was used on other presidents and officials” (The New York Times).
Although the most notable inner party development in 1975 was the ousters of Southern Democratic chairmen by the Watergate babies, a smaller albeit significant development occurred in the GOP. Curtis’ defeat of liberal Senator Jacob Javits (R-N.Y.) for the chairmanship of the Senate Republican Caucus was a sign of what direction the GOP was moving (The New York Times). However, he didn’t stay in the Senate much longer, choosing to retire in 1978.
For conservatives, one of the elements of Curtis’ greatness was his longevity in fighting liberalism. His memoir was appropriately titled, “40 Years Against the Tide”. It was rather to Curtis’ dismay that Nebraska’s two senators from 1979 to 1997, with a sole two year exception, were Democrats, including his successor J. James Exon. However, like his career, he lived long. Upon the election of Republican Chuck Hagel to the Senate in 1996, the 91-year-old Curtis said, “Now I can die a happy man” (Schnert). He died on January 24, 2000, at the age of 94.
The quality of Curtis as a man in politics can be described by his political opponent, Frank Morrison, “Carl and I have always been good friends. I considered him a man of integrity, and I believe that he saw me in the same light. I liked him. We had a great deal in common. We both felt that in our own way we were helping Nebraska and the United States. We disagreed on the way things ought to be done” (Schnert).
References
Barnes, B. (2000, January 26). Carl T. Curtis Dies at 94. The Washington Post.
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Sehnert, W. (2004, February 9). Carl Curtis, father of the IRA. McCook Gazette.
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https://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1061637.html
Senator Carl T. Curtis, 94, Staunch Nixon Ally. (2000, January 26). The New York Times.
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Mad Politics: The Bizarre, Fascinating, and Unknown of American Political History 