Andrew Volstead
Andrew Volstead, the son of Norwegian immigrants, was born in Kenyon, Minnesota, on 31st October, 1860. Educated at the Decorah Institute, Iowa, he was admitted to the bar in 1883 and opened an office in Grantsburg, Wisconsin.
In 1886, he moved to Granite Falls, Minnesota, where he served as city attorney and mayor (1886-1902). A member of the Republican Party, Volstead was elected to Congress in 1903.
Volstead was a strong supporter of the civil rights movement and in Congress was one of the few politicians willing to argue for federal legislation against lynching. He was also concerned about the growing consumption of alcohol. In 1919 his National Prohibition Act (also known as the Volstead Act), was passed by Congress. The law prohibited the manufacture, transportation and sale of beverages containing more than 0.5 per cent alcohol. The act was condemned by a large number of the American population who considered it a violation of their constitutional rights.
Volstead was defeated in the 1922 election and returned to Minnesota where he worked as a lawyer. Andrew Volstead died in Granite Falls, Minnesota, on 20th January, 1947.
One of the consequences of the National Prohibition Act was the development of gangsterism and crime. Enforcement of prohibition was a difficult task and a growth in illegal drinking places took place. People called moonshiners distilled alcohol illegally. Bootleggers sold the alcohol and also imported it from abroad. The increase in criminal behaviour caused public opinion to turn against prohibition. In 1933 prohibition was repealed by the adoption of the 21st Amendment.