Leslie Cornelius Arends (September 27, 1895July 17, 1985) was a Republican politician from Illinois who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1935 until 1974. A native and lifelong resident of Melvin, Illinois, Arends attended Oberlin College and served in the United States Navy during World WarI. He was involved in farming and banking; in addition to renting out several farms he owned, he eventually became president of the local bank his father had started. Arends was elected to the U.S. House in 1934. He served from 1935 until resigning on December 31, 1974. From 1943 until his retirement, Arends served as the Republican Whip, holding the post during periods of Republican majority (1947-1949, 1953–1955) and minority (1943-1947, 1949–1953, 1955–1974). In addition, Arends rose by seniority to become the ranking minority member of the House Armed Services Committee. A party loyalist, Arends opposed much government spending, and provided strong support to the party's presidential candidates. He remained loyal to Richard M. Nixon during the Watergate scandal, and indicated that he would not vote to impeach Nixon. After resigning from the House, Arends served on the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, and lived in retirement in Melvin, Washington, DC, and Naples, Florida. He died in Naples, and was buried in Melvin. Early life Born in Melvin, Illinois, on September 27, 1895, Arends was the youngest of ten children (only seven lived to adulthood) born to George Teis Arends and Talea (née Weiss) Arends. His father was born in Peoria to parents who were both natives of Germany; his mother was born in Hanover, Germany. Arends attended the local schools and from 1912 to 1913 was a student at Oberlin College in Ohio. He enlisted in the United States Navy during World WarI, where he played in the Navy band at numerous war bond rallies. After his discharge he acquired and rented out several farms, and became active in banking. He eventually became president of the Commercial State Bank in Melvin, which had been founded by his father. He was a member of the Ford County Farm Bureau, and a member of the board of trustees of Illinois Wesleyan University, which awarded him the honorary degree of LL.D. in 1962. Congressional career In 1934, Arends was elected to the 74th Congress. He was reelected nineteen times, and served from January 3, 1935, until resigning on December 31, 1974, a few days