Penrose, Boies

Penrose, Boies (boiz), 1860–1921, American political leader, b. Philadelphia. A lawyer, he was (1884–97) a member of the Pennsylvania legislature and coauthored a scholarly work, The City Government of Philadelphia (1887). His talent for political organization was soon employed for the state Republican party machine; he became the henchman of Matthew S. Quay, the state boss. He was elected (1896) to the U.S. Senate, and after Quay's death (1904) Penrose became the Republican leader of Pennsylvania. He served until his death in 1921 in the Senate and there dominated the finance committee; he consistently supported a high protective tariff. He played a leading role in Republican national politics and, after the retirement of Nelson W. Aldrich, became Republican leader of the Senate, where his service was not notable.

Bibliography

See biography by R. D. Bowden (1937, repr. 1971).

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Penrose, Boies (1860–1921) U.S. senator; born in Philadelphia, Pa. After graduating from Harvard (1881), he published a scholarly text, The City Government of Philadelphia (1887). He then turned to politics, and although a member of a prosperous upper-class Philadelphia family, he proved to be as tough as any boss, running the Pennsylvania Republican machine from 1904 until his death. As a member of the U.S. Senate (Rep., Pa.; 1897–1921), he was ineffective as a Speaker, but was good at conferences and committee work. A conservative, he favored high tariffs and opposed women's suffrage and progressive policies in general.