Bloom, Sol

Bloom, Sol (1870–1949) U.S. representative; born in Pekin, Ill. A self-made man, he learned accounting in a brush factory and supervised construction of the Midway Plaisance at the Chicago World Exposition in 1893. He set up music departments in stores (1849–1910) before going into construction in New York City and becoming a Democratic congressman at age 53 (1923–49). As chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee (1939–49), he sponsored the Lend Lease Act and the Marshall Plan.