June 6, 1936
The Senate approved the La Follette Committee, which investigated violations of the civil liberties of workers and labor unions by employers. The official name of the committee was the Subcommittee Investigating Violations of Free Speech and the Rights of Labor, of the Senate Committee on Education and Labor. The Committee conducted hearings from 1936 to 1941, and was named after its chair, Senator Robert M. “Fighting Bob” La Follette, Jr. (R-Wisc.) The committee investigation exposed the use of private detective agencies, such as the Pinkerton Agency, who employed spies to fight workers attempting to organize unions. La Follette lost his seat to Joseph McCarthy in 1946.
