chairman of State Tax Commission
What was Scott W. Lucas 's occupation from 1933 to 1935?
Scott W . Lucas Scott Wike Lucas ( February 19 , 1892 – February 22 , 1968 ) was an American attorney and politician . A member of the Democratic Party , he represented Illinois in the U.S . House of Representatives ( 1935–1939 ) and the U.S . Senate ( 1939–1951 ) . He was the Senate Majority Leader from 1949 to 1951 . Early life . Lucas was born on a tenant farm near Chandlerville , in Cass County , Illinois . He was the youngest of six children of William Douglas and Sarah Catherine ( née Underbrink ) Lucas . His parents named him after Scott Wike , a Democrat who served a representative from Illinois ( 1875–1877 , 1889–1893 ) . His nephew was Allen T . Lucas who practiced law with Lucas and who served in the Illinois General Assembly . After attending public schools , he began his studies at Illinois Wesleyan University . During college , he was active in athletics . He lettered in football , basketball , and baseball and played semiprofessional baseball in the Three-I League during his summer breaks . Lucas graduated from Wesleyan with a law degree in 1914 and was admitted to the bar the following year . He served as a schoolteacher before entering private practice in Havana . During World War I , he served in the US Army and rose to become a lieutenant . Lucas returned to his law practice following his military service and served as a states attorney for Mason County from 1920 to 1925 . He also worked as a commander of the Illinois Department of the American Legion . In 1932 , he was defeated by William H . Dieterich for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican incumbent Otis F . Glenn for a United States Senate seat from Illinois . Lucas was later appointed chairman of State Tax Commission by Governor Henry Horner , serving from 1933 to 1935 . House . In 1934 , following the death of Speaker of the House Henry Thomas Rainey , Lucas was elected to the House of Representatives from Illinoiss 20th congressional district . He established himself as a strong supporter of Franklin D . Roosevelts New Deal , working to pass the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1936 and the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 . However , Lucas disagreed with Roosevelt over the presidents court-packing plan , which Lucas denounced as useless , selfish , and futile . Senate . In 1938 , after William Dieterich declined to run for re-election , Lucas was elected to the U.S . Senate over Republican Richard J . Lyons , with a 51%–48% victory . He was re-elected in 1944 . Lucas was a favorite son candidate and among twelve nominated at the 1944 Democratic National Convention to serve as Franklin D . Roosevelts running mate in the presidential election that year . With support from Harry S . Truman , he was elected party whip in 1946 . Lucas , a moderate , drew support from both conservative and liberal wings of the party . He took over the Midwest campaign for Truman and was credited with assisting Trumans 1948 re-election and bringing nine Democrats into the Senate . When Alben Barkley became vice-president and resigned his seat , Lucas became majority leader . However , he was unable to build a consensus as Senate Majority Leader with the onset of the anticommunist era , and lost in 1950 , to Republican Everett Dirksen . Lucas had become a target of Republican wrath with loss of political power in the Senate and the White House . His 1950 reelection campaign featured the active intervention into Illinois politics of Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy , who traveled the state with Dirksen saying that Senator Lucas was soft on communism . Dirksen would go on to decisively defeat Lucas with a 54% to 46% victory . Privately , in later years , Dirksen attributed his victory to Lucass responsibilities as Senate Majority Leader , at the apparent expense of his state ; Dirksen was free to campaign locally , often debating Lucass Illinois Democratic Party proxies and calling attention to Lucass prolonged absence from the state .