McNutt, Paul Vories

(1891-1955)

   Paul McNutt was born in Franklin, Indiana, and studied at Indian University and later Harvard Law School in 1913. He gained his law degree in 1916. During World War I, McNutt entered the army and served in the artillery in the United States. After the war, he became a member of the Indiana University Law School. A Democrat, McNutt was elected state governor in 1932. He introduced a series of reforms, including income tax, welfare reform, and state pensions. However, he was criticized because state employees were required to donate 2 percent of their wages to the Democratic Club, and he also sanctioned the use of state troops during labor disputes.

   President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed McNutt high commissioner to the Philippines in 1937. He resigned in 1939 and became director of the Federal Security Agency. McNutt considered running for the presidential and then vice presidential nomination in 1940 but decided to remain at the agency and then became chair of the War Manpower Commission. After the war, he returned to the Philippines as high commissioner, where he helped see through the transition to independence. He then became ambassador to the country until 1947, when he returned to legal practice for eight years.