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Show rMiliil TAKES0WN LIEE FRANK BRANDEGEE OF CONNECTICUT CONNEC-TICUT FOUND LIFELESS IN WASHINGTON HOME Was a Leader In Republican Politics and Member of Many Important Committees; Was League Opponents Washington, Senator Frank Bran-degee Bran-degee of Connecticut, for years one of the. Republican leaders in congress, con-gress, was found dead at his home here under circumstances which convinced con-vinced police officials that he hac committee suicide. The coroner, after an investigation, returned a verdict finding that the senator had committeed suicide. His body was discovered in a bathroom bath-room on the third floor of the house and those who made the discovery were quoted by the police as saying that the dead man still held in his hand a rubber tube which was at tached to an open gas jet. Although he once was a comparatively compara-tively rich man, his friends said that he had suffered heavy losses in recent re-cent years. He was a lawyer by profession, but for some time has been heavily interested in real es tate. Senator Brandegee was chairman of the senate judiciary committee and one of the Republican leaders on the foreign relations committee. A close personal and political friend oi Senator Lodge, the Republican floor leader, he has been om of the circle of senators which have had most tc say in the conduct of senate affairs since the Republicans regained s majority in congress. A native of New London, wher6 he maintained his home until his death, Senator Brandegee had arisen to prominence through a succession of minor offices, including the United Unit-ed States attorneyship of his home district, the speakership of the Connecticut Con-necticut house of representatives, and membership in the national house of representatives. He was 60 years old and had been in the senate for almost twenty years. The mo;'! conspicious part playeJ by Mr. Brandegee in recent years was in the league of nations fight Taking a position from the start with the irreconcilable opponents of I the Versailles treaty, he threw the powerful weight of his forensic ability against the treaty and the league convened durir.g the long senate debate and iater at the Chicago Chi-cago Republican convention in 1020, I wa.v one of those irreconcilables who laid down before party leaders a vir- tual threat to leave the rar.ks of Republicanism unless the" national platform contained a provision which would uphold the Republican senators sen-ators opposed to ratification. During the last congress he whs not active on the floor. His health had begun to show the effects of his years, but he remained until the last a trusted conferee of Republican con ! gressional leaders on all important (Uestior.s of policy. |