Curbing Campaign Cash: Henry Ford, Truman Newberry, and the Politics of Progressive Reform

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In the 1918 Michigan race for the U.S. Senate, auto tycoon Henry Ford faced off against a less well-known industrialist, Truman Newberry. Bent on countering Ford’s fame and endorsement from President Wilson, Newberry’s campaign spent an extravagant amount, in fact much more than the law seemed to allow. This led to his conviction under the Federal Corrupt Practices Act—but also to his eventual exoneration in the first campaign finance case to be decided by the U.S. S...