1. Donald Randall Richberg was an American attorney, civil servant, and author who was one of President Franklin D Roosevelt's key aides and who played a critical role in the New Deal.
24 Facts About Donald Richberg
1. 2.
Donald Richberg co-wrote the National Industrial Recovery Act, was general counsel and executive director of the National Recovery Administration.
3.
Donald Richberg co-authored the Railway Labor Act, the Norris-LaGuardia Act, and the Taft-Hartley Act.
4.
Donald Richberg was born in July 1881 in Knoxville, Tennessee, to John Carl and Eloise Olivia Richberg.
5.
Donald Richberg's grandfather set up shop as a merchant in New York City before moving to Chicago, Illinois, in 1854 and starting a meatpacking business.
6.
Donald Richberg graduated from a Chicago public high school, received a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago in 1901, and a JD from Harvard University in 1904.
7.
Donald Richberg met Elizabeth Harriet Herrick while at Harvard, and they married in 1906; they separated in 1915, and divorced in 1917 after she left him.
8.
Donald Richberg soon married Lynette Mulvey, but they divorced in 1924.
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Donald Richberg was named a special state's attorney from 1913 to 1915 and assisted the City of Chicago with its extensive litigation against the People's Gas Company, and from 1916 to 1919 was a special master for a Chicago city court of chancery.
10.
In 1922, Donald Richberg became nationally famous for his involvement in the Great Railroad Strike.
11.
In 1920, Donald Richberg became general counsel for the Railway Employees' Department.
12.
In 1926, Donald Richberg became counsel for the Railway Labor Executives' Association, a lobbying group of railway unions.
13.
Donald Richberg's experiences drafting these successful federal laws led many to consider Richberg to be the foremost expert on labor law by 1932.
14.
Donald Richberg greatly feared that the Act he had helped author was unconstitutional, and spent much of his time in office trying to avoid bringing cases to trial or allowing them to advance through the appellate courts As general counsel, Donald Richberg was tasked with implementing and defending Section 7.
15.
Donald Richberg openly opposed the National Labor Board and its successor agency.
16.
On June 30,1934, President Roosevelt announced that Donald Richberg was taking a leave of absence from the NRA to become director of the newly created Industrial Emergency Committee.
17.
Donald Richberg created an Executive Council on July 11,1933, composed of most Cabinet heads and the leaders of most newly created economic recovery agencies "to provide for the orderly presentation of business and to coordinate inter-agency problems of organization and work of the new governmental agencies".
18.
Johnson's increasingly erratic behavior, frequent policy about-faces, and abusive behavior toward subordinates aliented Donald Richberg, who began asking President Roosevelt to fire or replace the Administrator.
19.
Three days later, Roosevelt replaced the position of Administrator with a new National Industrial Recovery Board, of which Donald Richberg was named Executive Director.
20.
For example, although a majority of the National Industrial Recovery Board had agreed to let the automobile industry code lapse and to abolish the Automobile Labor Board, Donald Richberg overruled the majority and persuaded Roosevelt to continue the status quo.
21.
Donald Richberg attempted in 1936 to establish his own law firm in Washington, DC, but this failed.
22.
Donald Richberg was frequently consulted by members of Congress for his expertise in drafting legislation, and played a major role in authoring the Taft-Hartley Act.
23.
Donald Richberg died at his home in Charlottesville, Virginia, on November 27,1960.
24.
Donald Richberg was a widely published essayist, novelist, poet, and non-fiction author.