{{Short description|American politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = File:1915 Harry Foster Massachusetts House of Representatives (cropped).png | caption = Foster c. 1915 | image_size = | name = Harry C. Foster | birth_date = August 27, 1871 | birth_place = Swampscott, Massachusetts | death_date = March 5, 1917 (aged 45) | death_place = Seward, Alaska | occupation = Civil engineer | party = Republican | spouse = | alma_mater = Massachusetts Institute of Technology | title = Member of the Massachusetts Senate | term_start = 1902 | term_end = 1903 | predecessor = Augustus P. Gardner | successor = Moody Kimball
| title1 = Mayor of Gloucester, Massachusetts | term_start1 = 1912 | term_end1 = 1915 | predecessor1 = Isaac Patch | successor1 = C. Homer Barrett | title2 = Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | constituency2 = 19th Essex district | term_start2 = 1898 | term_end2 = 1898 | predecessor2 = Joseph W. Stocker | successor2 = | constituency3 = 21st Essex district | term_start3 = 1915 | term_end3 = 1916 | predecessor3 = Patrick H. Boyle | successor3 = James E. Tolman }}
'''Harry Choate Foster'''<ref name="A Souvenir of Massachusetts Legislators 1898">{{cite book|title=A Souvenir of Massachusetts Legislators 1898|year=1898|page=[https://archive.org/details/souvenirofmassac1898brid/page/135 135]|url=https://archive.org/details/souvenirofmassac1898brid}}</ref> (August 27, 1871 – March 5, 1917) was an American politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts General Court and as mayor of Gloucester, Massachusetts. He was expelled from the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1916 for conduct unbecoming a member of the General Court after he collected money from people interested in pending legislation.
==Early life== Foster was born on August 27, 1871, in Swampscott, Massachusetts.<ref name="A Souvenir of Massachusetts Legislators 1916" /> He graduated from Gloucester High School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked as a civil engineer and was employed for a time by the Boston Elevated Railway Company.<ref name="Harry C. Foster Victim of Apoplexy" />
==Political career== From 1898 to 1901, Foster was chairman of the Gloucester Republican City Committee. He was a member of the party's state committee from 1900 to 1901.<ref name="A Souvenir of Massachusetts Legislators 1903">{{cite book|title=A Souvenir of Massachusetts Legislators 1903|page=136|url=https://archive.org/stream/souvenirofmassac1903brid#page/136/mode/2up/search/Foster}}</ref> Foster was first elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1898. From 1902 to 1903 he was a member of the Massachusetts Senate.<ref name="A Souvenir of Massachusetts Legislators 1916" /> He represented the 3rd Essex District, which consisted of Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester, Newbury, Newburyport, Rockport, Rowley, and Wenham.<ref name="A Souvenir of Massachusetts Legislators 1903" /> During his second term a Senate committee found Foster guilty of indiscreet, imprudent, and injurious conduct, but no action was taken.<ref name="One Loud Vote Favors Foster" /> He then served as Mayor of Gloucester from 1912 to 1915. In 1915, Foster returned to the Massachusetts House of Representatives.<ref name="A Souvenir of Massachusetts Legislators 1916">{{cite book|title=A Souvenir of Massachusetts Legislators 1916|page=89|url=https://archive.org/stream/souvenirofmassac1916brid#page/88/mode/2up}}</ref>
===Expulsion=== On March 1, 1916, State Representative James M. Lyle appeared before the Legislative Committee on Roads and Bridges and accused Foster of collecting money to be used for lobbying a bill compelling the city of Gloucester and the town of Rockport to contribute about $90,000 towards the construction of a new highway through the legislature.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lyle Attacks His Colleague|newspaper=The Boston Daily Globe|date=March 1, 1916}}</ref> Lyle reiterated his accusation at a session later that afternoon and added that he wanted the matter investigated and that he would present evidence at the proper time. Foster admitted to collecting money, but claimed that it was used to employ counsel on behalf of the bill.<ref>{{cite news|title=Row Started by Lyle and Silva|newspaper=The Boston Daily Globe|date=March 2, 1916}}</ref> On March 3, the House voted in favor of two similar resolutions introduced by Lyle and Foster asking for an investigation of Foster by the Rules Committee.<ref>{{cite news|title=House Votes Foster Probe|newspaper=The Boston Daily Globe|date=March 4, 1916}}</ref> On March 16, the Rules Committee recommended to the House that Foster be expelled. In its report to the House, the committee wrote that "by collecting money from persons he knew interested in legislation before said General Court... in the manner and under the circumstances set forth in evidence... is guilty of conduct unbecoming a member of the General Court and guilty of such conduct that it demands his expulstion from said body as a member."<ref name="House Votes on Foster Today">{{cite news|title=House Votes on Foster Today|newspaper=The Boston Daily Globe|date=March 17, 1916}}</ref> On March 17, the House voted in favor of expelling Foster by a voice vote.<ref name="One Loud Vote Favors Foster">{{cite news|title=One Loud Vote Favors Foster|newspaper=The Boston Daily Globe|date=March 18, 1916}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | publisher = Commonwealth of Massachusetts | date = 1916 | title = Documents Printed by Order of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts During the General Court of 1916 | author = Massachusetts. General Court. House of Representatives | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=uUY7AQAAMAAJ&q=harry+C%2C+foster&pg=PA48-IA153}}</ref>
Foster would be the last member of the Massachusetts House to be expelled until Carlos Henriquez's expulsion on February 6, 2014.<ref>{{cite news|last=O'Sullivan|first=Jim|title=Lawmakers prepare for historic expulsion vote|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/02/06/henriquez-case-weighs-heavily-house-prepares-for-expilsion-vote/ExQDtD2kjdGpdF14VcuoYI/story.html|accessdate=February 7, 2014|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=February 6, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | publisher = bostonglobe.com | date = Feb 6, 2014 | title = Lawmakers prepare for historic expulsion vote | author = Jim O’Sullivan | url = https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/02/06/henriquez-case-weighs-heavily-house-prepares-for-expilsion-vote/ExQDtD2kjdGpdF14VcuoYI/story.html}}</ref><ref name="House Votes on Foster Today"/>
==Death== Foster died on March 5, 1917, in Seward, Alaska, of apoplexy.<ref name="Harry C. Foster Victim of Apoplexy">{{cite news|title=Harry C. Foster Victim of Apoplexy|newspaper=The Boston Daily Globe|date=March 7, 1917}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=1917|journal=Journal of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers|year=1917 |volume=4|page=9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PBdbAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA9|accessdate=February 7, 2014}}</ref> His body was sent to Gloucester, where it arrived on March 22.<ref>{{cite news|title=Body of H. C. Foster Reaches Magnolia Home|newspaper=March 23, 1917|date=March 23, 1917}}</ref> The funeral was held on March 25 at the Magnolia Congressional Church.<ref>{{cite news|title=Funeral of Ex-Mayor|newspaper=The Boston Daily Globe|date=March 26, 1917}}</ref>
==See also== * 1915 Massachusetts legislature * 1916 Massachusetts legislature
==References== {{reflist|2}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Harry C.}} Category:1871 births Category:1917 deaths Category:American civil engineers Category:Expelled members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Category:Republican Party Massachusetts state senators Category:Mayors of Gloucester, Massachusetts Category:Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Category:19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court Category:20th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court