Charles A. Halleck

Charles Abraham Halleck
12th & 14th Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives
In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955
Deputy	Leslie C. Arends
Preceded by	John W. McCormack
Succeeded by	John W. McCormack
15th Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives
In office January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1965
Deputy	Leslie C. Arends
Preceded by	Joseph W. Martin
Succeeded by	Gerald Ford
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 2nd district
In office January 29, 1935 – January 3, 1969
Preceded by	George R. Durgan
Succeeded by	Earl F. Landgrebe
Personal details
Born	August 22, 1900(1900-08-22) DeMotte, Indiana
Died	March 3, 1986(1986-03-03) (aged 85) Lafayette, Indiana
Political party	Republican
Profession	Lawyer
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Battles/wars	World War I

Charles Abraham Halleck (August 22, 1900 – March 3, 1986) was a Republican leader of the United States House of Representatives from the second district of Indiana.

Halleck was born near DeMotte, in Jasper County, Indiana, the son of Abraham and Lura (née Luce) Halleck. He served in the Infantry of the United States Army, during World War I. After military service, Halleck attended Indiana University at Bloomington. In 1924 Halleck was admitted to the bar and began practicing in Rensselaer. From 1924 and 1934 he was the Prosecuting Attorney for the thirteenth district court.

Following the death of the congressman-elect Frederick Landis in 1935, Halleck replaced him and remained in that position until 1969. A prominent member of the Conservative coalition, he served as the House Majority Leader after the elections of 1946 and 1952; he was House Minority Leader 1959-1964.

Halleck noted that a highlight of his career came at the 1940 Republican convention when he nominated another politician from Indiana, Wendell Wilkie. Noting the mixed reception he got, Halleck said, "I got more brickbats and more bouquets over that speech than any other I've ever made."

According to Halleck, he was rumored to be Thomas Dewey's vice-presidential nominee in 1948 on the condition that Halleck guarantee the support of the Indiana delegation at the Republican convention. In the end, Dewey selected Earl Warren from California, with that duo suffering a stunning upset defeat that November to the Democratic ticket of Harry Truman and Alben Barkley.

He was a strong opponent of the liberal social proposals of Democrats John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, but supported the Vietnam War and was one of the strongest advocates for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Along with Senator Everett Dirksen he was the face of the Republican Party during most of the 1960s, and made frequent appearances on television news and talk programs. The press jocularly nicknamed his joint appearances with Mr. Dirksen the "Ev and Charlie Show."

After the 1964 election, Halleck was defeated in his bid to remain Minority Leader by Gerald Ford, who was the leader of a younger faction.

Charles Halleck was married to Blanche Annetta White, who died in 1973. They had two children. Halleck died in Lafayette, Indiana on March 3, 1986 and is buried next to his wife in Rensselaer.

In Media

Halleck was portrayed by actor Arthur Franz in the 1974, made for TV film, The Missiles of October.

References

• Peabody, Robert L. The Ford-Halleck Minority Leadership Contest 1966;
• Scheele, Henry Z. Charlie Halleck: A Political Biography. Exposition Press, 1966.

External links

• Charles A. Halleck at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Charles A. Halleck at Find a Grave

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by George R. Durgan	U.S. Representative of Indiana's 2nd Congressional District 1935–1969	Succeeded by Earl F. Landgrebe
Party political offices
Preceded by John W. McCormack	House Majority Leader 1947–1949; 1953–1955	Succeeded by John W. McCormack
Preceded by Joseph W. Martin	House Minority Leader 1959–1965	Succeeded by Gerald Ford