Andrew Volstead
A small-town congressman whose name became synonymous with America's failed experiment to outlaw alcohol through the Volstead Act.
1860–1947 (age 87)·American politician·Birthday: October 31·The Gilded Age
Biography
Andrew Volstead shepherded the National Prohibition Act of 1919 through Congress, the law universally known by his name. The quiet lawyer from Granite Falls, Minnesota served twenty years in the House of Representatives with little fanfare. Volstead did not author the act's philosophy—that came from the Anti-Saloon League—but his meticulous work on enforcement mechanisms made him the public face of Prohibition. The era of speakeasies and bootlegging fixed 'Volstead' in the American lexicon. After Prohibition's repeal in 1933, he returned to Minnesota, his legacy tied to a law that reshaped the nation's social fabric.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Andrew was born in 1860, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andrew Was Born
The biggest hits of 1860
Andrew's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1860Born
1865Started school
President: Andrew Johnson
1873Became a teenager
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1876Could drive
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1878Could vote
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1881Turned 21
President: Chester A. Arthur
1890Turned 30
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1900Turned 40
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1910Turned 50
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1920Turned 60
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1930Turned 70
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1940Turned 80
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1947Died at 87
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
Key Achievements
- Served as the primary congressional sponsor and namesake of the National Prohibition Act of 1919, the Volstead Act.
- Chaired the House Judiciary Committee, where he drafted the detailed enforcement rules for constitutional Prohibition.
- Represented Minnesota's 7th congressional district for ten consecutive terms from 1903 to 1923.
Did You Know?
He was a skilled violinist and often played at local events in his hometown.
Volstead was defeated in the 1922 election, largely due to public backlash against Prohibition enforcement.
He later served as the city attorney for Granite Falls, Minnesota, after leaving Congress.
“The law is a tool for social order, not a moral sermon.”
