Gensman, L. M. (Lorraine Michael), U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 6th district (1921-1923), 1878-1954
Person
Biographical:
Lorraine Michael "Nick" Gensman was born August 26, 1878, in Andale, Kansas, a small town near Wichita. Educated in Kansas, he graduated from law school at the University of Kansas in 1901. He was admitted to the bar in Douglas, Kansas, and practiced law in Lawrence, Kansas, for less than a year before moving to Oklahoma.
Gensman arrived in Lawton, Oklahoma, on July 23, 1901, two weeks before the city was opened for settlement. He immediately opened a law office and served as a federal referee in bankruptcy cases from 1902-1907. In 1918 Gensman married Lucia Van Cleef, an alumna of the University of Kansas. That same year, he became the first Republican elected as the prosecuting attorney of Comanche County and was only the second elected official in Comanche County from the Republican Party.
The Republican landslide of 1920 helped Gensman to defeat Elmer Thomas for the Sixth District U.S. Congressional seat. In so doing, he became the first Republican to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from the Sixth District. Representative Gensman served on the Committee on Committees, the Committee on Indian Affairs, and the Committee on Insular Affairs in the Sixty-seventh Congress. In 1922 he was defeated by Thomas in a bid for reelection. He served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1924. In 1936 Gensman again ran for Congress but was defeated by Jed Johnson. After the election, Gensman began work in the oil business and eventually resumed the practice of law until his retirement in 1953.
Gensman and his wife traveled extensively, including several cruises around the world and many trips to Europe. From 1942 to 1945, he hosted a weekly radio broadcast on KSWO radio station in Lawton, discussing the world as seen through the eyes of a traveler. Active in various civic organizations, including the Masons, Elks, and the Guthrie Consistory, he was also a member of the Oklahoma and Comanche County Bar Associations. Gensman died in Lawton on May 27, 1954. His estate included a bequest of $87,586 to the University of Kansas School of Law, the largest single gift the school had received to that time.
Gensman arrived in Lawton, Oklahoma, on July 23, 1901, two weeks before the city was opened for settlement. He immediately opened a law office and served as a federal referee in bankruptcy cases from 1902-1907. In 1918 Gensman married Lucia Van Cleef, an alumna of the University of Kansas. That same year, he became the first Republican elected as the prosecuting attorney of Comanche County and was only the second elected official in Comanche County from the Republican Party.
The Republican landslide of 1920 helped Gensman to defeat Elmer Thomas for the Sixth District U.S. Congressional seat. In so doing, he became the first Republican to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from the Sixth District. Representative Gensman served on the Committee on Committees, the Committee on Indian Affairs, and the Committee on Insular Affairs in the Sixty-seventh Congress. In 1922 he was defeated by Thomas in a bid for reelection. He served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1924. In 1936 Gensman again ran for Congress but was defeated by Jed Johnson. After the election, Gensman began work in the oil business and eventually resumed the practice of law until his retirement in 1953.
Gensman and his wife traveled extensively, including several cruises around the world and many trips to Europe. From 1942 to 1945, he hosted a weekly radio broadcast on KSWO radio station in Lawton, discussing the world as seen through the eyes of a traveler. Active in various civic organizations, including the Masons, Elks, and the Guthrie Consistory, he was also a member of the Oklahoma and Comanche County Bar Associations. Gensman died in Lawton on May 27, 1954. His estate included a bequest of $87,586 to the University of Kansas School of Law, the largest single gift the school had received to that time.