Deaths on May 31

Henry F. Ashurst

Died on May 31, 1962

Henry F. Ashurst, American lawyer and politician (b. 1874)

Henry Fountain Ashurst (September 13, 1874 – May 31, 1962) was an American Democratic politician and one of the first two Senators from Arizona. Largely self-educated, he served as a district attorney and member of the Arizona Territorial legislature before fulfilling his childhood ambition of joining the United States Senate. During his time in the Senate, Ashurst was chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs and the Judiciary Committee.

Called "the longest U.S. theatrical engagement on record" by Time,

Ashurst's political career was noted for a self-contradictory voting record, the use of a sesquipedalian vocabulary, and for a love of public speaking that earned him a reputation as one of the Senate's greatest orators. Among the sobriquets assigned to him were "the Dean of Inconsistency", "Five-Syllable Henry", and the "Silver-Tongued Sunbeam of the Painted Desert".

References

Henry F. Ashurst

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Events on 1962

5 Feb

Charles de Gaulle
French President Charles de Gaulle calls for Algeria to be granted independence.
5 Aug

Nelson Mandela
Apartheid in South Africa: Nelson Mandela is jailed. He would not be released until 1990.
15 Sep

Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviet ship Poltava heads toward Cuba, one of the events that sets into motion the Cuban Missile Crisis.
18 Sep

Jamaica
Burundi, Jamaica, Rwanda and Trinidad and Tobago are admitted to the United Nations.
6 Nov

Apartheid
The United Nations General Assembly passes a resolution condemning South Africa's apartheid policies and calls for all UN member states to cease military and economic relations with the nation.

Deaths on May 31

Henry F. Ashurst

Died on May 31, 1962

References

Choose Another Date

Events on 1962

Charles de Gaulle

Nelson Mandela

Cuban Missile Crisis

Jamaica

Apartheid