Joseph I. France (ARC)
Joseph I. France | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 33rd President of the United States | |
| In office February 8, 1936 – January 26, 1939 | |
| Vice President | Joseph I. France |
| Preceded by | Charles Curtis |
| Succeeded by | Frank Knox |
| United States Senator from Maryland | |
| In office March 4, 1917 – March 3, 1923 | |
| Preceded by | Blair Lee I |
| Succeeded by | William Cabell Bruce |
| Member of the Maryland State Senate | |
| In office 1907–1909 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph Irwin France October 11, 1873 Cameron, Missouri |
| Died | January 26, 1939 (aged 65) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Hopewell Cemetery Port Deposit, Maryland |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
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| Alma mater | Hamilton College University of Leipzig<brClark University |
Joseph Irwin France (October 11, 1873 – January 26, 1939) was an American politician who served as the 33rd President of the United States from 1936 to 1939. France previously served as a US Senator representing the state of Maryland from 1917 to 1923. Known for his progressive character, particularly for his support of Civil Rights for African-Americans, France, during his brief three-year-long term as president, largely continued his predecessor, Charles Curtis's interventionist policies amidst the ongoing Great Depression crisis at the time. After briefly serving as president following the death in office of Charles Curtis, France went on to narrowly win the 1936 presidential election against Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt, thereby allowing him to serve a full term as president, which he, much like his predecessor, ultimately failed to do, for he would later pass away on January 26, 1939, at the age of sixty-five, leading to his vice president, Frank Knox, to serve the remainder of his term as the new president.
Much like his immediate predecessor, France, despite his also brief three-year-long presidency, was nonetheless rated highly by historians who, whilst not crediting France for any new particular policies, nonetheless praised him for continuing his predecessor, Charles Curtis's popular interventionist policies amidst the Great Depression crisis at the time. Additionally, his support for African-American civil rights has also made him a popular figure among liberals and African-Americans, whom noted his attempt to have a bill criminalising lynching as a federal crime as president, although this ultimately proved unsuccessful due to opposition from powerful Southern politicians.