Known as the “Lion of Idaho”, Senator William E. Borah represented Idaho in the United Stated Senate for over thirty-three years. Senator Borah was born in Fairfield, Illinois on 29 June 1865. He attended schools in Illinois and finally attended law school at the University of Kansas, in Lawrence. He passed his bar exams in 1890 and practiced law in Lyons, Kansas, before deciding to move west and settle in Boise, Idaho in 1891. He became the most popular lawyer in Idaho.

Borah wanted to enter the political area by running on the “Silver Republican Ticket” in 1896, and failed to attain a seat in Congress in 1896. He then attempted to run for the Senate in 1903 but was successful in 1907. He was a United States Senator from 1907 until his death in 1940. Borah was married to Mary McConnell, the daughter of Governor William McConnell of Idaho. The couple had no children but as curious note, Senator Borah did have one daughter with the oldest daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, Alice Roosevelt.

While he was an acting senator in 1907, Senator Borah was appointed as the prosecuting attorney in the Governor Frank Steunenburg assassination case that involved “Big Bill” Haywood and the assassin, Harry Orchard. Famed orator and lawyer Clarence Darrow represented Haywood and Orchard. Hayward was acquitted, but Orchard was convicted.

In the Senate , Senator Borah clashed with President Woodrow Wilson for his staunch opposition for ratifying the Treaty of Versailles and totally against the League of Nations. Borah led this fight to other states, being very vocal in his opposition.

After Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to the presidency, Borah supported many of the acts that constituted the “New Deal”, but he opposed some. He was in favor of old age pensions for the elderly.

In 1936, he unsuccessfully ran for President of the United States, but the nomination went to Alf Landon. He wanted to represent the progressives in the Republican party, but it did not fare well, he only won one state, surprisingly, Wisconsin.

On 19 Jan 1940, Senator Borah died as the result of a cerebral hemorrhage. He served the state of Idaho and the United States most of his adult life. In his honor, the highest peak in Idaho is named after him, and so is a high school in Boise. He was interred in the Morris Hill Cemetery.

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=b000634 http://www.nndb.com/people/860/000171347/ http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/borah.cfm