When Congress adjourned today, it marked the end of a brief period in the national spotlight for two of the most rabid and vociferous anti-Semites in this country, Representatives Jacob Thorkelson of Montana and John C. Schaefer of Wisconsin, both Republicans, elected for the first time in 1938. Both were defeated in reelection attempts. Neither was on hand when the House adjourned.
Thorkelson was defeated by former Congresswoman Jeanette Rankin, while Schaefer, who made loud and frequent pro-Nazi speeches, was defeated in his strongly Germanic Milwaukee constituency by T.F.B. Wasielewski, a Democrat.
Thorkelson filled the Congressional Record with thousands of words of “extended remarks,” most of which dwelt on the theme. “international Jewish” control of banking and Great Britain which led to Germany’s “holy crusade” to free the world of this domination. Although no exact estimate could be made, House Printing Committee aids estimated that the total bill to Uncle Sam for printing and distributing Thorkelson’s insertions in the Record during his two-year career will run well over $10,000.
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