Weeks, John Wingate, 1860-1926
Biography
John Wingate Weeks was born on April 11, 1860, in Lancaster, NH. Educated in the public schools of Lancaster, he attended the US Naval Academy from which he graduated in 1881. He left the Navy in 1883, and received a position as land commissioner of the Florida Southern Railroad. In 1888, Weeks moved to Boston, where he co-founded the financial firm of Hornblower and Weeks. He also served in the Massachusetts Naval Brigade and joined the Volunteer Navy during the Spanish-American War. In 1899, Weeks became an alderman in Newton, MA, and in 1903, he became mayor. In 1904, he was elected to the House of Representatives where he was a member of the Banking and Currency Committee which shaped the Aldrich-Vreeland Currency Law. He also served as the chairman of the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, figured prominently in the enactment of the White Mountain Appalachian Forestry Law and was the author of the Weeks-McLain Law which protected migratory and insectivorous birds. In 1913, he was elected to the Senate where he served on the Military Affairs Committee and took active part in framing Federal Reserve Act. After failing to be reelected in 1918, Weeks retired from elective politics but continued to play a major part in the Republican Party on a national level. In 1921, he came out of retirement to serve as Secretary of War under Presidents Harding and Coolidge, a post he held until 1925 when a stroke forced him to retire once again. Weeks died in 1926 at the age of 66.
Found in 10 Collections and/or Records:
Bela Young letter
Letter from Bela Young of Lancaster, New Hampshire to John Wingate Weeks, applying for an appointment as 1st Sergeant.
J. Holton letter
Letter from J. Holton of Lancaster, New Hampshire to John Wingate Weeks, saying he is unwell and cannot report for duty.
John Bliss letter
Letter from John Bliss of Haverhill, New Hampshire to John Wingate Weks, advising Captain Weeks that he has the honor of reporting to him as his Lieutenant on orders from Lt. Col. Moody Bedel.
John Bliss letter
Letter from John Bliss in Haverhill, New Hampshire to John Wingate Weeks informing him that he has enlisted Allen Smith to be drummer boy and promised him the job. Asks for Weeks' approval.
John Bliss letter
Letter from John Bliss of Haverhil, New Hampshire to John Wingate Weeks, introducing Allen Smith, candidate for drummer boy. Speaks of opposition to recruiting.
John Bliss letter
Letter from John Bliss of Haverhill, New Hampshire to John Wingate Weeks in which he is forwarding enlistment and receipt blanks and asks for renlistment report by June 1, in Lt. Col. Bedel's name when he visits Haverhill that day.
John Bliss letter
Four-page letter from John Bliss of Concord, New Hampshire to John Wingate Weeks, concerning recruitment and pay for his regiment.
John Bliss letter
Letter from John Bliss of Concord, New Hampshire to John Wingate Weeks, requesting discharge of Samuel Webster on grounds of lunacy.
John W. Weeks papers
John Wingate Weeks (1860-1926), banker, congressman and Secretary of War. The papers consist of personal and professional correspondence, scrapbooks with clippings, photographs, written speeches, articles and biographical materials chronicling his political career as a member of Congress and as Secretary of War. Some genealogical material of the Weeks family is also included.