Their mission was to support residential mortgage lending and community investment by providing credit to savings and loan associations.Charles Curtis is a big reason FHLBank Topeka is in our community. The act created a central reserve credit system made up of 12 banks located across the country. Alarmed by the failures, and deeply troubled by signs that homeownership was beginning to erode, Hoover urged Congress to find ways to restore liquidity to the system.The result, the Federal Home Loan Bank Act was signed into law on July 22, 1932. With the home lending market in peril, President Hoover called for innovative measures to reform the system. This economic shock exposed major weaknesses in the foundation of home financing and homeownership in the U.S. In 1931, at the height of the Great Depression, hundreds of thousands of American families were losing their savings and their homes, as lending institutions collapsed. In fact, we wouldn’t be here in Topeka if it wasn’t for him. "Charles Curtis has a special place in FHLBank Topeka history. In a statement made in 2016 during the dedication of a statue made in Curtis' image, Pat Doran, executive vice president, FHLBank Topeka, remarked: In 1932, his work led to the creation of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLBank), and its location in Topeka is his doing. Of his many personal crusades as Vice President, Curtis wanted to help breath new life into the economy. The duo won the race and served a single term, 1929-1933 a major contributor to their reelection loss being their ties to the Great Depression period. Although at one point he had his sights on the presidency as well, Curtis was eventually nominated as Hoover's running mate in 1928. By this time, Curtis had caught the attention his Republican party members, including presidential hopeful, Herbert Hoover. He was elected to majority leader in 1925. After filling a vacant Senate seat from 1907-1913, he won his seat in 1914. Curtis, in total, served eight terms in the House of Representatives, establishing his "elder stateman" status.ĭuring his time in Legislature, Curtis was able to work on Native American rights as well as help pass the 19th amendment in support of women's right to vote. House of Representatives in 1892 a election victory that would garner him national acclaim. After serving as county prosecutor, Curtis would go on to serve on the U.S. It was at this time that Curtis married Annie Elizabeth Baird they would go on to have three children. 3 His foray into politics came when he was elected county prosecutor in 1884. Case, eventually becoming a partner at the firm. It was in Topeka that his career gained momentum. Just starting off, Curtis read law while working under attorney A. As a young man, Curtis returned to Topeka to live with his paternal family. His native languages were a mix of French and Kaw, and he later added English as he continued his education and growth. His mixed heritage provided him the opportunity to diversify his knowledge, skills and future. First learning to ride horses bareback on the reservation, he would go on to ride as a jockey for his grandfather and other owners. 2Following the death of his mother in 1863 and the unstable circumstances Curtis' father found himself in following the Civil War, a young Charley would spend much of his youth on the Kaw Reservation in Council Grove, Kansas with his maternal grandparents. From childhood, Curtis began making a name for himself. Curtis was the great-great grandson of White Plume, a Kansa-Kaw chief who had offered assistance to the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804. His father, Orren Curtis, a white man from an well-off family, and his mother, Ellen Pappan, a member of the Kaw Nation and decedent of the founders of Pappan's Ferry, began their family in Topeka. Curtis is joined by Kamala Harris, historically the country's first female Vice President, and the first person of African and South Asian descent.Ĭharles Curtis (b. January 25, 1860) came from a mixed-race family. He is also the first Native American to hold the office. His ultimate legacy is that of "a champion of the American farmer, an advocate for women's suffrage, and a standard bearer of granting citizenship to Native Americans." 1 The first person of color to serve as Vice President of the United States of America was Topekan Charles Curtis. The Charles Curtis story begins with Topeka and culminates with his role as the United States' first Vice President of color.
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