Herman Phleger
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Herman Phleger | |
|---|---|
| 5th Legal Adviser of the Department of State | |
| In office February 2, 1953 – April 1, 1957 | |
| Preceded by | Adrian S. Fisher |
| Succeeded by | Loftus Becker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 5, 1890 |
| Died | November 21, 1984 (aged 94) |
| Resting place | Cypress Lawn Memorial Park |
| Spouse | Mary Elena (nee Macondray) |
| Parent(s) | Charles Wilhelm Phleger Mary Phleger (nee McCrory) |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley Harvard University |
Herman Phleger (September 5, 1890 – November 21, 1984) was an American attorney and politician who served as Legal Adviser of the Department of State from February 2, 1953, to April 1, 1957, under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.[1][2] He succeeded Adrian S. Fisher and was succeeded by Loftus Becker. In 1959, he negotiated and signed the Antarctic Treaty on behalf of the United States. He is the namesake of the Phleger Estate.
Herman Phleger was born in Sacramento, California, on September 5, 1890.[3] His mother, Mary McCrory, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, around 1866, to an Irish immigrant mother and an unknown Confederate soldier.[3] His father, Charles Wilhelm Phleger, was born in Findlay, Ohio, around 1857, to German immigrant parents. Charles and Mary met in Sacramento in about 1885, where he managed ranches for Senator James Graham Fair, and she worked as a housekeeper in the Union House Hotel. The couple had three children.[4]
On March 12, 1892, when Herman was two years old, his father was murdered in a Sacramento saloon. The family was left with little cash, but significant real estate interests.[5] Herman's mother Mary worked as a schoolteacher.[5] The family lived in the center of town, providing the children with significant exposure to social and political life.[5] As a boy, Herman saw "prize fights" between Joe Gans and Stanley Ketchel, and speeches by William Jennings Bryan.[5] He also enjoyed minstrel shows, particularly the work of the local Looney Minstrels troop.[6]
Herman was baptized Catholic, but never practiced Catholicism, and grew up attending Sunday school at the local Congregational Church.[5] His attendance was primarily due to "the prospect of winning some sort of reward," and he described himself as "not much of a prospect for religion."[7]
As a young man, Herman delivered newspapers for the San Francisco Examiner, and worked part time as a bill collector.[5] For two years in high school, he was head chainman of a state surveying crew working on what is now U.S. Route 50.[5] During the summers, he operated a hand truck at the Central California Canneries at 6th and B Streets.[5] In the summer of 1906 he was hired by the Southern Pacific Railroad to list and identify incoming west-bound freight cars at the Rocklin junction.[5]
Herman demonstrated an interest in politics from a young age. As a boy, he "participated in most elections to the extent of passing out bills and pamphlets."[5] As a teen, he enjoyed watching California State Legislature proceedings from the gallery, where he met Governors James N. Gillett, George C. Pardee, and Hiram Johnson.[5]
Education
As a child, Herman attended Sacramento public schools.[5] While in grammar school, he met future National Park Service Director Newton Drury, and the two remained lifelong friends.[5]
Herman attended the University of California, Berkeley, from 1910 to 1914, where he befriended General Leroy Hunt and future Chief Justice Earl Warren, whom he described as a "late bloomer."[5] During his senior year, he began studying law at Boalt Hall.[5] After two years, he transferred to Harvard Law School, where he completed his final year.[5] However, due to Harvard's strict policy that students must have completed all three years at Harvard Law, Herman never actually received a law degree.[5]
World War I
World War I began shortly after Herman's graduation from Harvard, while he was on vacation with his family in Europe.[5] For the next two years, as his law practice grew, Herman watched the events in Europe closely. On July 22, 1916, he participated in the Preparedness Day Parade, and was near Second and Market Streets when the Preparedness Day Bombing occurred.[5]
Following the United States' declaration of war on April 6, 1917, Herman enlisted in the U.S. Navy, and was made an ensign on June 17, 1917.[5] He was ordered to report to the San Diego Naval Training Center, where he taught close order drill for several months.[5] On October 11, 1918, he joined the second class in the "ninety-day wonder" program, a three-month expedited course at the Officer Candidate School.[5] Upon completion of the program, he was assigned to the destroyer USS Beale based in Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland, where he arrived in February 1918.[5] The ship's principal assignment was to escort troop transports and merchant ship convoys into English harbors.[5] In 1919, the ship participated in the escort of the SS George Washington, which carried President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference.[5]
Herman resigned from the Navy upon his return to the United States shortly after Christmas 1919, and returned to California to practice law.[5]
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