Styles Bridges

Henry Styles Bridges ( born September 9, 1898 in Pembroke, Washington County, Maine, † November 26, 1961 in Concord, New Hampshire ) was an American politician and 1935-1937 Governor of the State of New Hampshire. Between 1937 and 1961 he represented his state in the U.S. Senate.

Early years and political rise

Styles Bridges, as he was known, attended the local schools of his home and thereafter until 1918, the University of Maine. Prior to his political career, he worked as a teacher, a magazine publisher and banker. In addition, he was twelve years of reserve officer in the U.S. Army.

Bridges was a member of the Republican Party. Between 1930 and 1934 he was a member of the Public Service Division of New Hampshire, a committee which addressed matters of public service. Bridges rapidly gained reputation in his party and was nominated by this in 1934 as a candidate for the gubernatorial election; in November of the same year, the victory was followed in the general election.

Governor of New Hampshire

Styles Bridges took up his new post on January 3, 1935. In his two-year tenure, the state gradually recovered from the global economic crisis. His government took measures to support vulnerable children and disadvantaged mothers. At that time a new Unemployment Insurance Act was passed. In addition, for the first time a woman was appointed as a judge. Otherwise Governor Bridges was very frugal with its resources in order to save the budget.

Bridges in the U.S. Senate

In the 1936 elections Bridges was elected as a candidate of his party in the U.S. Senate. He succeeds Henry W. Keyes, who had also been governor of New Hampshire Senator before his time in the years 1917 until 1919. After he was re-elected in the next elections, respectively, Bridges could remain from 3 January 1937 until his death in 1961 at the Congress. Between 1952 and 1953 he was group leader of the Republican senators. And from 1953 to 1955, he served as President Pro Tempore Chairman of this committee. Bridges was also chairman of the Joint Committee on External Cooperation. He was also a member of other committees such as the Committee, which dealt with the inaugurations of Presidents, the Budget Committee and the Policy Committee of the Republicans.

In Congress, Bridges was considered conservative to reactionary. In 1954, he forced the democratic Senator Lester C. Hunt from Wyoming to resign by threatening otherwise to make the homosexuality of his son in public. Hunt subsequently announced his resignation and committed suicide. Bridges was married three times and had three children. After his death, Maurice J. Murphy took over his seat in the Senate.