Frederick William Lehmann
| Frederick W. Lehmann | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
February 28, 1853 Prussia |
| Died | September 12, 1931 (aged 78) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Frederick William Lehmann (February 28, 1853 – September 12, 1931) was a prominent American lawyer, statesman, United States Solicitor General, and rare book collector.
He was born February 28, 1853 in Prussia. His father Friedrich Wilhelm Lehmann emigrated to Cincinnati, Ohio, when Frederick was two, where he ruled the family with an iron hand. His mother Sophia died young.
At age 10, Frederick ran away from home forever. As a vagabond, selling newspapers, working on farms, and herding sheep, he wandered across the Midwest, rarely going to school. In his teens, at the urging of his fellow sheep men, he took the stump for presidential candidate Horace Greeley and gave his first political speech.
At 17 he worked as a farm-hand for Judge Epenetus Sears of Tabor, Iowa. Sears was impressed with the boy's ability and sent him to Tabor College, where he graduated in 1873. After "reading law" in his benefactor's office, Lehmann practiced in Tabor, Sidney, Nebraska City, and Des Moines, Iowa. He married Nora Stark of Indianola on December 23, 1879, and he represented the Wabash Railroad.
A noted orator, he was active in Iowa politics, including the election of Governor Horace Boies. In 1890 he moved with his family to St. Louis, Missouri and continued to represent the Wabash while building a general law practice. In 1908 he was elected president of the American Bar Association and served twice.
President William Howard Taft named Lehmann as United States Solicitor General in 1910. In the Supreme Court of the United States Lehmann established the right to tax corporation incomes. He considered national bank affiliates to be illegal. About Lehmann's oral arguments, Justice Louis Brandeis said: "He was so eloquent, you hated to rule against Lehmann; you felt as though you were ruling against God."
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