Roger Lowell Putnam (December 19, 1893 - November 24, 1972) was an American politician and businessman. A member of the prominent Lowell family of Boston, he served as mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1937 to 1943 and as director of the Economic Stabilization Administration from 1951 until 1952. During his short tenure in federal office, the nation's steelworkers struck—leading President Harry S. Truman to seize the nation's steel mills....
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Roger Lowell Putnam (December 19, 1893 - November 24, 1972) was an American politician and businessman. A member of the prominent Lowell family of Boston, he served as mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1937 to 1943 and as director of the Economic Stabilization Administration from 1951 until 1952. During his short tenure in federal office, the nation's steelworkers struck—leading President Harry S. Truman to seize the nation's steel mills.
For 40 years, Putnam was also the sole trustee of the Lowell Observatory. During that time, he purchased three new telescopes for the observatory and was instrumental in pushing Lowell astronomers to search for Percival Lowell's theoretical "Planet X"—which led to the discovery of Pluto in 1930.
Roger Lowell Putnam was born on December 19, 1893, in Boston. He was the son of William Lowell Putnam II, a notable and wealthy Boston lawyer. The Putnams were members of the Boston Brahmins—a group of families which claimed descent from the founders...
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