Sinclair Weeks

Sinclair Weeks
13th United States Secretary of Commerce
In office January 21, 1953 – November 10, 1958
President	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	Charles W. Sawyer
Succeeded by	Lewis L. Strauss
United States Senator from Massachusetts
In office February 8, 1944 – December 19, 1944
Appointed by	Leverett Saltonstall
Preceded by	Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Succeeded by	Leverett Saltonstall
Chairperson of the Massachusetts Republican Party
In office 1936–1938
Preceded by	Vernon W. Marr
Succeeded by	Carroll Meins
Mayor of Newton
In office 1930–1935
Preceded by	Edwin O. Childs
Succeeded by	Edwin O. Childs
Personal details
Born	(1893-06-15)June 15, 1893 Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	February 7, 1972(1972-02-07) (aged 78) Concord, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting place	Summer Street Cemetery in Lancaster, New Hampshire, U.S.
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Beatrice Dowse Weeks Jane Tompkins Rankin
Children	Frances Lee Weeks Lawrence John Wingate Weeks, II Martha Sinclair Weeks Sherrill Sinclair Weeks, Jr. Beatrice Dowse Weeks Bast William Dowse Weeks
Parents	John Wingate Weeks Martha Aroline Sinclair Weeks
Alma mater	Harvard University
Occupation	Banker
Profession	Government
Military service
Service/branch	United States National Guard United States Army
Battles/wars	World War I

Charles Sinclair Weeks (June 15, 1893 – February 7, 1972), better known as Sinclair Weeks, served as United States Secretary of Commerce from 1953 until 1958, during President Eisenhower's administration.

Biography

Weeks was born in West Newton, Massachusetts, to John Wingate Weeks, who was a United States congressman, and Martha Aroline (née Sinclair). Weeks graduated from Harvard University, served on the U.S.-Mexico border with the U.S. National Guard in 1916, and served in the World War I. He was a businessman in various industries for much of his adult life.

He was also the mayor of Newton, Massachusetts from 1930 to 1935. He was a United States Senator from Massachusetts from February 8, 1944, when he was appointed by Governor Leverett Saltonstall following the resignation of Henry C. Lodge, Jr., who went to serve in World War II, until December 19, 1944, when a new senator was elected. Weeks did not run in that election. Weeks was a member of the United States Republican Party and served as the member of a Republican National Committee from 1941 to 1953. He was the treasurer of the party from 1940 to 1944. Weeks was the president of the American Enterprise Association from 1946 to 1950.

President Dwight Eisenhower appointed him the United States Secretary of Commerce from January 21, 1953 until November 10, 1958.

Weeks married the former Beatrice Dowse on December 4, 1915. They had three sons and three daughters, Frances W.H. Lawrence, John W. Weeks II, Martha Sinclair Weeks Sherrill, Sinclair Weeks II, Beatrice Weeks Bast, and William D. Weeks. Weeks married Jane Tompkins Rankin on January 3, 1948. Sinclair and Jane Weeks had no children.

He died on February 7, 1972, at age 78, in Concord, Massachusetts. He is buried in Summer Street Cemetery in Lancaster, New Hampshire.

External links

• United States Congress. "Sinclair Weeks (id: W000248)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. 
• Sinclair Weeks at Find a Grave
• Finding aid for the Sinclair Weeks Oral History, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library

United States Senators from Massachusetts
Class 1	Dalton Cabot Goodhue Mason Adams Lloyd Gore Ashmun Mellen Mills Webster Choate Webster Winthrop Rantoul Sumner Washburn Dawes Lodge, Sr. Butler Walsh Lodge J. Kennedy Smith E. Kennedy Kirk Brown Warren
Class 2	Strong Sedgwick Dexter Foster Pickering Varnum Otis Lloyd Silsbee Davis Bates Davis Everett Rockwell Wilson Boutwell Hoar Crane J. Weeks Walsh Gillett Coolidge Lodge S. Weeks Saltonstall Brooke Tsongas Kerry Cowan Markey

United States Secretaries of Commerce
Secretaries of Commerce and Labor	Cortelyou Metcalf Straus Nagel
Secretaries of Commerce	Redfield Alexander Hoover Whiting Lamont Chapin Roper Hopkins Jones Wallace Harriman Sawyer Weeks Strauss Mueller Hodges Connor Trowbridge Smith Stans Peterson Dent Morton Richardson Kreps Klutznick Baldrige Verity Mosbacher Franklin Brown Kantor Daley Mineta Evans Gutierrez Locke Bryson Pritzker Ross (nominee)

Cabinet of President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–61)
Vice President	Richard M. Nixon (1953–61)
Secretary of State	John Foster Dulles (1953–59) Christian A. Herter (1959–61)
Secretary of the Treasury	George Magoffin Humphrey (1953–57) Robert B. Anderson (1957–61)
Secretary of Defense	Charles E. Wilson (1953–57) Neil H. McElroy (1957–59) Thomas S. Gates Jr. (1959–61)
Attorney General	Herbert Brownell Jr. (1953–57) William P. Rogers (1957–61)
Postmaster General	Arthur E. Summerfield (1953–61)
Secretary of the Interior	Douglas McKay (1953–56) Fred A. Seaton (1956–61)
Secretary of Agriculture	Ezra Taft Benson (1953–61)
Secretary of Commerce	Sinclair Weeks (1953–58) Lewis L. Strauss (1958–59) Frederick H. Mueller (1959–61)
Secretary of Labor	Martin P. Durkin (1953) James P. Mitchell (1953–61)
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare	Oveta Culp Hobby (1953–55) Marion B. Folsom (1955–58) Arthur S. Flemming (1958–61)