Kenneth Romney

Kenneth Romney
Kenneth Romney in front of the Mace of the Republic, 1938
25th Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives
In office
December 7, 1931 – January 3, 1947
LeaderJohn Nance Garner
Henry Thomas Rainey
Jo Byrns
William B. Bankhead
Sam Rayburn
Preceded byJoseph G. Rodgers
Succeeded byWilliam F. Russell
Personal details
Born(1885-10-20)October 20, 1885
Missoula, Montana
DiedApril 6, 1952(1952-04-06) (aged 66)
Arlington, Virginia
Resting placeRiverview Cemetery, Hamilton, Montana
SpouseEdith Romney
EducationUniversity of Washington
George Washington University

Kenneth Romney (abt 1883[1]—1952) was a journalist and editor and the 25th Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives, from 1931 to 1947.

He was later found to have embezzled $143,863 from office accounts together with former Representative John H. Smithwick of Florida, who could not be indicted. Romney was sentenced to one and three years in prison for the shortfall and operating a bank with no legal authority.[1]

Early career

Romney was born in 1886 in near Hamilton, Montana in the Bitterroot Valley.[2][3] He graduated from the journalism school of the University of Washington at Seattle.[2][4][5]

Romney began his career as a journalist[2] and editor.[6][7] In 1914, he left Montana to take up a position as bill clerk with the US House of Representatives on a salary of $1,500/year.[2] In 1915 he became Assistant Sergeant at Arms; a position he held until 1917. In 1917, he became cashier to the House of Representatives;[8] he worked in the cashier's office until 1930.[9][3]

In 1919, while in the cashier's office, Romney co-founded the Little Congress,[10][11] a venue for congressional Staff members to learn parliamentary procedure. Lyndon Johnson would become a member.[10]

Romney was appointed Sergeant at Arms in December 1931.[5][12][13] Romney also operated his office as a bank for members of the House of Representatives.[14]

Romney also served as chief tally clerk for the 1932[4] and 1936 Democratic National Conventions,[15] gaining a motion of appreciation in 1936 for his work.[16]

In 1940, Romney wrote The Mace of the House of Representatives of the United States, a short history of the Mace of the Republic.

Criminal Charges

Romney was caught concealing a $143,863 shortage in his office accounts due to transactions with former Representative John H. Smithwick of Florida, who could not be indicted due to the statute at limitations.

A criminal case against Romney was started in 1947,[17] and he was convicted and sentenced to between one and three years in prison for the shortfall and operating a bank with no legal authority.[1] While in office in 1931, he was found to have written to Smithwick "we have been jointly guilty of fraud"[18]

He later lost an appeal of his conviction.[1][14] Justice Alexander Holtzoff, who presided over the case in district courts, offered him a relatively lenient sentence[19] due to the others involved in the crime being beyond the statute of limitations.[20]

Recognition

For his work as the chief tally clerk for the 1932 and 1936 Democratic National Conventions, the convention resolved in 1936:

"RESOLVED: That the thanks of this convention should be extended to Mr. Kenneth Romney, Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives and Chief Tally Clerk of the Democratic Convention, for the careful and intelligent manner in which he has exercised his duties during the convention."[16]

Personal Life

Romney married Edna Fullerton in 1910.[21] The couple had one son, Kenneth Jr.[2][3][15] Romney died on 6 April 1952 of a heart attack in Arlington, Virginia.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Romney Conviction Upheld by Court". The Billings Gazette. Associated Press. 23 March 1948. p. 14. Retrieved 18 December 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Kenneth Romney Goes to Washington DC". The Western News. Hamilton, Montana. 27 January 1914. p. 1. Retrieved 18 December 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c "Returns from Capital for Vacation at Home". The Daily Missoulian. 11 Sep 1930. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved 19 December 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Kenneth Romney Praised by Texan". The Western News. 20 July 1933. p. 5. Retrieved 19 December 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "Seniors in US Service". Evening star. Washington DC. Dec 12, 1943. Retrieved 19 Dec 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "(Editorial Masthead)". The Western News. 14 October 1910. p. 4. Retrieved 18 December 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "(Editorial Masthead)". Miles City American. 2 November 1915. p. 4. Retrieved 18 December 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Kenneth Romney Promoted Cashier of the House". The Western News. Nov 29, 1917. p. 1. Retrieved 19 December 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Romney, Kenneth (Extended Biography)". United States House of Representatives. History, House, and Archives. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  10. ^ a b Glass, Andrew (19 December 1919). "Hill staff founds 'Little Congress'". Politico.
  11. ^ "Little Congress Celebrates its 20th Birthday". Evening star. Washington, DC. 27 March 1939. p. 1 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "(Kenneth Romney today elected sergeant at arms)". The Independent-Record. Associated Press. 8 December 1931. p. 6. Retrieved 19 December 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Kenneth Romney Serving 8th Term". Ravalli Republic. Hamilton, Montana. 2 March 1945. p. 2 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b "Romney Conviction Is Upheld". New York Times. March 23, 1948. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Auto Theft Stops Rehearsal But Everything Ends Right". The Evening star. Washington, DC. 3 August 1932. p. 1. Retrieved 18 December 2025 – via newspapers.com. Romney's father, Kenneth Romney Sr, is well-known in political circles, and served as chief tally clerk at the recent Democratic Convention in Chicago.
  16. ^ a b Quayle, Oliver (1936). Official Report of the Proceedings of the Democratic National Convention. Washington: The Master Reporting Company, Inc. pp. 27, 327, 423.
  17. ^ "Former House Banker Faces Shortage Trial: Grand Jury Indicts Kenneth Romney on Three Counts". The Flint Journal. Flint, Michigan. United Press. 10 February 1947. p. 1 – via newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Fraud by Romney is Told in Letter". May 14, 1947. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  19. ^ "Romney Sentenced on House Shortage: Ex-Sergeant-at-Arms Gets One to Three Years in Prison Over Missing $143,863". New York Times. May 24, 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  20. ^ "Romney Gets 1 to 3 Years". San Pedro News Pilot. Vol. 20, no. 68. Associated Press. 23 May 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  21. ^ "Kenneth Romney Wed Edna Fullerton". The Western News. Hamilton, Montana. 30 September 1910. p. 1. Retrieved 18 December 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Romney, Long House Figure, is Dead at 66". Times Herald. Washington, DC. 7 April 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 19 December 2025 – via newspapers.com.
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