Morse, Wayne Lyman

Morse, Wayne Lyman (1900-1974), served as United States senator from Oregon, first as a Republican, then as a Democrat. He was elected in 1944 and in 1950 as a Republican. Calling himself an "independent Republican," Morse withdrew from the Republican Party in 1952 and supported the Democratic Party's presidential candidate Adlai E. Stevenson. Morse became a Democrat in 1955, and was reelected to the Senate as a Democrat in 1956 and 1962. He lost bids for reelection in 1968 and 1972. His major interests in the Senate included labor-management relations, Latin-American affairs, and international law. In the 1960's, Morse became one of the most outspoken critics of United States involvement in the Vietnam War.