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Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. was born in Nahant, Massachusetts (1902). He was a member of a legendary political family. His father was George Cabot Lodge, a poet. His grandfather was was Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, great-great-grandson of Senator Elijah H. Mills, and great-great-great-grandson of Senator George Cabot. Lodge attended St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Middlesex School. He graduated cum laude from Harvard University (1924). He was elected to the Senate, a rare Republicn victory in a Democrtic landslide (1936). He served with desinction in Europe during World War II. He helped convince Gen. Eisenhower to run for president (1952). Eisenhower appointd him to be the United Nations ambassador. Vice-President Nixon did not attempt to placate the conservatives at the 1960 Republican Convntion, believing that his anti-Communist record guaranteed their support. He chose Lodge for his vice-presidential running mate.
The Lodge name had deep roots in the Republican Party. Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. was a member of a legendary political family. His father was George Cabot Lodge, a poet. His grandfather was Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, great-great-grandson of Senator Elijah H. Mills, and great-great-great-grandson of Senator George Cabot. Senator Henry CAbot Lodge Sr. is best known for opposing President Wilson's Treaty and the League of Nations. In fact Lodge could have been brought around if President Wilson had agred to amendments (the Lodge Reservations). They were realtively minor concessions. The President was, however, adamently opposed to any tinkering with 'his' Treaty. Many historians attribute Wilson's instragigence to his illness. His mother, Mathilda Elizabeth Frelinghuysen Davis also came from a prestigious family. Through her Henry was a great-grandson of Senator Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen, and a great-great-grandson of Senator John Davis. Henry had two wo siblings: John Davis Lodge (1903–1985) and Helena Lodge de Streel (1905-1998). John also pursued a political career and ws elected governor of Connecticut.
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. was born in Nahant, Massachusetts (1902). We di notbknow much about his childhood, but he grew up in wealhy Boston family. His father was a poet, but Henry developed the more political inteests of othervfmly mmbers. Here we see him with his father at about age 5 years (figure 1). e think he is earing a tinic suit, although it is nt very clear. His father died shortly after the photograph was taken.
Lodge attended St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Middlesex School. He graduated cum laude from Harvard University (1924).
He was elected to the Senate fom Massaxgusetts, a rare Republican victory in a Democrtic landslide (1936). He defeted James Michael Curley, legend in Massachusetts politics. This was part of extended political campigns between the long estblished Anglican Lodges and immigrant Catholic Irish candidates.
Lodge married Emily Esther Sears (1926). We know nothing about Emily except that she was also from Massachusetts. They had two children: George Cabot Lodge II (1927- ) and Henry Sears Lodge (1930-2017). George graduated from Groton School. He served in the U.S. Navy (1945–46) and then entered Harvard College, graduating cum laude (1950) George pursued a career in the Federal civil service. He ran against Ted Kennedy for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Kennedy. Geiorge then pursued an academic cartter. He went on to be a published professor emeritus at Harvard Business School. Henry married Elenita Ziegler of New York City and pursued a business career. He was elected an honorary member of the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati (1966).
Lodge served with distinction during World War II. He reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. He had two tours of duty. The first enteresd the srb=cive fter Pearl Harbor while still serving in the Senate (1942).
At the time he was an Army Reserve Officer. He served as a major in the 1st Armored Division. As part of his Senatorial funcion, he went to observe British troops serving in Egypt and Libya and had to retreat with the British from Tobruk. His first tour ended after only a few months when President Roosevelt ordered congressmen serving in the military to resign one of the two positions (July 1942). Lodge chose to remain in the Senate and Secretary of War Henry Stimson ordered him back to Washington. The ran for relection and won (November 1942).
His second tour of duty was associated with the campaign in Italy and France Europe (1944-45). Lodge served the first year of his new Senate term but then resigned his Senate seat (February 1944) and returned to active durty. He was the first U.S. Senator to do this since the Civil War. He saw action in Italy and France.
He single-handedly captured a four-man German patrol (Fall 1944). Lodge spoke excellent French as a result of attending a school in Paris. He was assigned to Jacob L. Devers, the commander of the Sixth United States Army Group, to coordinate activities with the Army Group's First Army commander, Jean de Lattre de Tassigny. He helped carry out surrender negotiations with German forces in western Austria.
The French for his service decorated Legion of Honor and Croix de Guerre with palm. He als was awarded American decorations, including the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal.
Wih the end of the War, Lodge returned to Massachusetts and continued his political career. He also maintained his status as an Army Reserve officer and reached the rank of major general. Lodge ran for the Senate again and defeated Democratic Senator David I. Walsh (1946). He merged as a spokesman for the moderate, internationalist wing of the Republican Party. The conservtive wing led by Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio, son of President Taft, had considerable influence. Taft opposed President Truman's decesion to keep Amrican troops in Europe and oppose Soviet expansion. Lodge got into a major fight over Sentor McCarthy's Communist investigtions, questioning his mthods. Lodge helped persuade General Dwight D. Eisenhower to run for the Republican presidential nomination Lte-1951). Eisenhower was uncertain habing no politicl experience, but was finally consented. Lodge served as his campaign manager and played an important in helping Eisenhower to win the nomination over Senator Taft. In part becuse of his focus on the Eisenhower campaign, he neglected his own reelection campaign and lost to a young Congressman, John F. Kennedy. There is considerable history here. His grandfather, Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr. had defeated Kennedy's grandfather John F. Fitzgerald for the same Senate seat. Lodge's son, George, was defeated by President Kennedy's brother Ted in the 1962 election for President Kennedy's unexpired Snate seat.
Lodge was a war hero and helped convince Gen. Eisenhower to pursue the Republican nomination. Because of his World War II service in Europe, Lodge was closer to President Eisenhower than Nixon was. Lodge was the grandson of Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, a lion of the Senate who played a major role in defeating President Wilson's World War I Peace Treaty and membershiip in the League of Nations. In a irony of history, Lodge was appointed United Nations Ambassador an international organazion comparable to the League of nations his to which his grandfather had such concerns. Lodge was not deeply involved in the debates on domestic issues during the 1950s. In fact, his lack of involvemnt cost him his seat in the Senate. He was defeated by Congressmen John F. Kennedy. He did have extensive experience in foreign affairs. And Nixon's campaign strategy was to focus on foreign policy issues as part of his campaign. The campign unfolded during the most dangerous period of the -- a href="/essay/war/cold/phase/cwp-tp.html Cold War. Anti-Communism was the area where he carved out his career and he wanted to make fireign policy issues the principal issue of the campaign. He believed that Senator Kennedy and the Democrats would have an advantage on domestic issues. He would be surprised that Kennedy would also focus on foreign affairs. Lodge was, however, Nixon's second choice. The Vice-Presidnt had wanted Governor Rockefeller who might help him carry New York or other liberal-leaning statesand was considering other possibilities, including Philip Wilkie, son of thepopula Rebublican 1940 candidate, Wendell Willkie. Political pundits tend to think that Lodge was notbof much help to Nixon. The Republicans did not carry his home state of Masachusetts. Lodge may have actuallybhurt Nixon in the South where conservatives had trouble with his moderate views. He has pledged (made without Nixon's consent) that if elected, Nixon would name at least one African American to a Cabinet post. He though Ralph Bunche would be a good choiice. (As it turned out, Presidnt Kenndy would appoint Nunch to be U.N. Ambassador.) Some conservatives also recalld his criticism of Senator McCarthy.
After the 1952 election and the loss of his Senate seat, President Eisenhower selected Lodge to be the new American United Nations Ambassador (1953). Lodge strongly supported American Cold War policies. He was often engaged in heated debates with Sovit diplomrs in the Security Council. He escorted Soviet Primier Nikita Khrushchev on his highly publicized tour of the United States (1959).
