Voting Station

Jerry Voorhis

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U.S. Congressman

The Resume

    (April 6, 1901-September 11, 1984)
    Born in Ottawa, Kansas
    Birth name was Horace Jeremiah Voorhis
    US Representative from California's 12th District (1937-47)
    Defeated by Richard M. Nixon in Nixon's first successful political campaign (1946)
    Executive director of the Cooperative League of the USA (1947-67)
    Wrote 'Confessions of a Congressman' (1947), 'The Christian in Politics' (1951), 'American Cooperatives: Where They Come From, What They Do, Where They Are Going' (1961) and 'The Strange Case of Richard Milhous Nixon' (1972)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was one of the most liberal members of Congress.
    He supported FDR's court-packing scheme.
    He enacted few new laws, with the New York Times writing, 'He was ineffectual in terms of actual results.'
    After his first debate with Nixon, he asked a fellow Congressman how he had done and was told, 'Jerry, he cut you to pieces.'
    During Watergate, he said, 'Sour grapes to criticize the man who beat me, but I just wouldn't be human if I said I liked spending the second half of my life as 'the man who Nixon beat.''

Why he might not be annoying:

    He and Alice Livingston were married for 59 years until his death.
    He was the founder and headmaster of a boys' academy in San Dimas, California.
    The Washington press corps named him the most honest Congressman and fifth most intelligent (1946).
    Nixon won largely by falsely claiming Voorhis had been endorsed by a Communist front political action committee.
    After Nixon's resignation, he said, 'Here is the philosophy of doing-anything-to-win receiving its just and proper reward.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 13 Votes: 38.46% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 72.73% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 25 Votes: 52.00% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 20 Votes: 35.00% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 13 Votes: 46.15% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 58 Votes: 50.0% Annoying