George William Norris

Norris, George William (1861–1944), U.S. legislator and reformer. As a liberal Republican U.S. Representative from Nebraska (1903–13), he led the fight to reform House rules and oust Speaker Joseph Cannon. As a U.S. Senator (1914–43), he opposed U.S. entry into World War I, wrote the 20th amendment to the Constitution (1932), helped set up the Tennessee Valley Authority (1933), and cosponsored (1932) the Norris-LaGuardia Act regulating labor disputes. He also supported farm relief and abolition of the poll tax.