Barkley announced his bid on July 6. [44][51] He also supported measures to extend credit to and fund road improvements in rural areas. He sought the presidential nomination in 1952and Truman initially backed his effortbut withdrew when labour leaders announced that they considered him too old. [152] Because of the Republican resurgence and Truman's difficulty appealing to some Democrats, Republican nominee Thomas E. Dewey was expected to win the upcoming presidential election. "Editorial Reaction to the Harrison-Barkley Senate Leadership Contest, 1937." Finding aid. Prior to the Vice Presidency, Barkley served in the U. S. Senate from Kentucky for over twenty years, and was Majority Leader of that body from 1937 to 1947. A loyal . A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 35th Vice President of the United States, from January 20, 1949 to January 20, 1953. Barkley was popularly known as "the Veep". official among the delegates to the Democratic convention, George M. Harrison, said "we can't sell Barkley to labor, not because of his record, but his age." Many members who had seen Barkley as Roosevelt's advocate in Congress now looked upon him as Congress' advocate with Roosevelt. [81] In the meantime, he refrained from using his influence in state races to avoid losing any goodwill with Kentucky voters. Miscellaneous collection, including personal, business, and congressional correspondence, and memorabilia. [73] He employed the slogan "Christianity, Morality, and Good Government", and he and Cantrill colleagues in the House agreed to refrain from personal attacks. [103][104] Democrats gained control of the Senate during the 1932 elections; Joseph Robinson was chosen majority leader, and he appointed Barkley as his assistant. Born in a log cabin near Lowes in Graves County, Kentucky, he attended the public schools and graduated from Marvin College at Clinton, Kentucky in 1897. [24] By 1917, the state Democratic Party was divided over prohibition, and the prohibitionist faction tried to enlist Barkley for the 1919 gubernatorial race. In 1898, he moved to Paducah, Kentucky where he worked as a law clerk for several influential lawyers. [111] Truman had wanted Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, but Douglas declined. [44][45] Hendrick attacked Barkley's youth, inexperience and ambition to seek higher offices. Barkley and the Senate Finance Committee negotiated a bill containing only $2.3billion in tax increases. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. "Politics and Scandal in the Progressive Era: Alben W. Barkley and the McCracken County Campaign of 1909." [138], In April 1943 a confidential analysis by Isaiah Berlin of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the British Foreign Office described Barkley as "a Democratic party 'wheelhorse' who will pull the Administration wagon through thick and thin. [188] His relative lack of seniority did not afford him much influence. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. "Alben Barkley Home, Effects to be Sold". In December 1933, he became vice chairman of the Democratic Conference and assistant to Senate majority leader Joseph T. Robinson. [82], Because of Barkley's role in crafting the Railway Labor Act, the Associated Railway Labor Organizations endorsed him to unseat Ernst even before he formally announced his candidacy on April 26, 1926. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. [122][119] This countered Chandler's implication that Barkley's age was a disadvantage, a charge that was further blunted when the younger Chandler fell ill in July, temporarily halting his campaigning. [128] Federal New Deal employees countered by working on Barkley's behalf. Barkley also served as keynoter at the 1936 and 1948 Democratic National Conventions in Philadelphia. [28], Taking office in January 1906, Barkley saved taxpayers over $35,000 by challenging improper charges to the county. (November 07, 2022), Office of the HistorianOffice of Art and Archives [24], A speaker for the Anti-Saloon League, Barkley co-sponsored the 1916 SheppardBarkley Act which banned alcohol sales in Washington, D.C.[52][53] It was passed in 1917. [136] With their support, he secured passage of the War Powers Act and the Emergency Price Control Act. Barkley easily defeated Republican incumbent John Sherman Cooper. He was reelected to the Senate in 1954, the same year his autobiography, That Reminds Me, was published. The Barkley Regional Airport near Paducah is also named for him. Please reset your password. [5], Willie Alben Barkley, the eldest of eight children of John Wilson Barkley (18541932) and Electa Eliza (Smith) Barkley (18581945), was born November 24, 1877. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Clevenger, Theodore, Jr. "Alben W. Barkley's Use of Humor in Public Speaking." [159] When Congress created the National Security Council, it included the vice president as a member. [155] They were unable to pass any significant legislation, seeming to confirm Barkley's characterization of them as a "do-nothing Congress". "The Political Campaign Speaking of Alben W. Verify and try again. [162] After the U.S. entered the Korean War, Truman focused on foreign affairs, leaving Barkley to campaign for Democratic candidates in the 1950 midterm elections. [6] He continued studying law in the summer of 1902 at the University of Virginia School of Law. [68] Critics charged that this was his intent, and he did little to deny it. C $19.30. [143] He was the Democratic Speakers Bureau's most requested orator, surpassing Truman. Barkley, Alben William, American (1877-1956), Vice-Presidential Candidate [remove] 4 Truman, Harry S., American (1884-1972), Presidential Candidate 4 Allied Printing Trades Council 2 or Best Offer +C $10.29 shipping. [78][80], Barkley's party loyalty in the governor's race made him a formidable candidate to challenge Stanley, who by 1924 had angered members of both party factions, but Barkley had spent most of his funds in his campaign against Cantrill, and he did not want to risk his reputation as a party unifier by challenging a Democrat. Alben William Barkley (November 24, 1877 - April 30, 1956) was an American politician in the Democratic Party who served as the 35th Vice President of the United States (1949-1953), under President Harry S. Truman. The legislators included Barkley, Ed Izac, John M. Vorys, Dewey Short, C. Wayland Brooks, and Kenneth S. Wherry, along with General Omar Bradley and journalists Joseph Pulitzer, Norman Chandler, William I. Nichols, and Julius Ochs Adler. Failed to delete memorial. Free returns. Barkley was the keynote speaker at the 1932 Chicago National Democratic Convention which chose Franklin Roosevelt as its party nominee for President. That Reminds Me. [138] They urged him not to do so, assuring him that the bill they had drafted was the best one that they could pass. He stated that Roosevelt's characterization of the bill as "providing relief not for the needy, but for the greedy" was "a calculated and deliberate assault upon the legislative integrity of every member of the Congress of the United States". Dawson. US English. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Correspondence in Charles Schwager papers, 1909-1948. [6] Graves received more votes than Barkley in Paducah, but McCracken County's rural farmers gave Barkley the victory, 1,525 votes to 1,096; Cross came in third with 602 votes. Barkley served as Senate majority leader from 1937 to 1947 and Senate Minority Leader from 1947 to 1949. [95] He was angered that Hoover refused to call a special legislative session to adopt relief measures after the regular congressional adjourned in early March 1931. Truman then . Alben William Barkley ( November 24, 1877 - April 30, 1956) was an American lawyer and politician from Kentucky who served in both houses of Congress and as the 35th Vice President of the United States from 1949 to 1953. 104-26, 104th Congress, 2d sess., 1997. Barkley was admitted to the Kentucky bar in 1901 and commenced practice in Paducah, Kentucky. [83] Since the 1923 gubernatorial contest, he had distanced himself from Haly and promised the conservatives that he would not push a ban on parimutuel betting if elected. Later that year, he received the Congressional Gold Medal. [164] Georgia senator Richard Russell Jr. appealed Barkley's decision, and the chamber voted 4641 to overrule. Failed to report flower. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. [40] He replaced the corve system wherein residents either paid a tax or donated labor to build and repair county roads with private contracts. [57] Attempting to unite the party and prevent a Republican victory, Black invited Barkley, who had not been linked to either leader despite his support for prohibition, to be temporary chairman of the 1919 state Democratic convention. ___. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. [24][136] U.S. entry into the war diverted Roosevelt's attention away from domestic affairs. [47], Initially conservative, working with Wilson (who was elected president) inspired Barkley to become more liberal. He died moments after declaring, "I'm glad to sit on the back row, for I would rather be a servant in the House of the Lord than to sit in the seats of the mighty." Raised in rural Kentucky at the end of the 19th century, Barkley studied law in Georgia, Kentucky and Virginia. In February 2008, Paducah's American Justice School of Law changed owners after failing to secure accreditation from the American Bar Association. Failed to remove flower. [28], By 1919, James had died in office, and Governor Augustus Owsley Stanley was elected to his vacant seat. [24] The two Democratic factions agreed to compromise, nominating John W. Davis, who Libbey called a "competent nonentity"; Davis lost in the general election to incumbent Calvin Coolidge. Corrections? "Alben W. Barkley: The Making of the 'Paducah Politician.'" [48] He endorsed Wilson's New Freedom agenda, including the 1913 Federal Reserve Act and the 1914 Federal Trade Commission Act. [149], In the 1946 elections, Republicans wrested control of both houses of Congress from the Democrats for the first time since the Great Depression and gained control of the majority of state governments. [9] Barkley traced his father's ancestry to Scots-Irish Presbyterians in Rowan County, North Carolina. [52][75] Many Catholics and Protestants notably those affiliated with the Louisville Churchmen's Federation favored prohibition and opposed parimutuel betting on religious grounds, and endorsed Barkley's candidacy, but Bingham, typically a Beckham ally, was slow to endorse him. Includes. B. Weve updated the security on the site. [98] Roosevelt supporters offered Barkley the keynote address and temporary chairmanship of the 1932 Democratic National Convention if he would endorse their candidate. [164], On July 8, 1949, Barkley met Jane (Rucker) Hadley, a St. Louis widow approximately half his age, at a party thrown by Clark Clifford. [45] Barkley admitted his eventual desire for a Senate seat, and countered that Hendrick had also frequently sought office: "When the Pope died some years ago, nobody would tell Hendrick, for fear he would declare for that office. There was a problem getting your location. Try again later. Davis, Polly Ann. [84], In the Senate, Barkley was assigned to the Committee on the Library, and the committees on Finance and Banking and Currency; later, he was added to the Commerce Committee. from United States. Moremen, John S. "First Person History Alben W. Barkley: The End of a Speech." [176] Democratic National Committee chairman Frank E. McKinney, former chairman James Farley, and Senate Secretary Leslie Biffle also supported him. . [13] His proposals for a statewide highway system and improvements in education were popular, but coal mining and horse racing interests, based mostly in eastern Kentucky, opposed him. Barkley, Alben William (brkl), 1877-1956, Vice President of the United States (1949-53), b. Graves co., Ky. After being admitted (1901) to the bar, he served as prosecuting attorney (1905-9) and judge (1909-13) for McCracken co., Ky., and was U.S. Representative (1913-27) and U.S. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). [64], Barkley supported William Gibbs McAdoo for president at the 1920 Democratic National Convention, but the nomination went to James M. Barkley began to study law and attended Emory College in Georgia and the University of Virginia Law. He gained statewide stature by leading a crusade against the coal and gambling special interests during his 1923 campaign for Governor of Kentucky. Fred. Alben William Barkley (November 24, 1877 - April 30, 1956) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate from Paducah, Kentucky, majority leader of the Senate, and the thirty-fifth vice president of the United States. [84] Consequently, he had no opposition in the primary. Alben W. Barkley was born on November 24, 1877 in Lowes, Kentucky, United States, is 35th Vice President of the U.S. Alben Barkley was an American statesman and lawyer who served as the 35th Vice President of the United States, from 1949 to 1953, in the administration of Harry S. Truman. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1956. He was only 10 years old when his father died, leaving most of his Bavarian inheritance to his eldest half-brother, Louis V, Duke of Bavaria, but also some appanages to the . [94], Barkley maintained that Hoover's response to the continuing depression and the severe drought in 1930 were inadequate, and pointed out that the $45million in loans to farmers that he approved amounted to less than half the losses sustained by Kentucky's farmers alone. [86] Ernst tried to resurrect the issues of Barkley's support for the coal tax and opposition to parimutuel betting, but in the general election, Barkley won by a vote of 287,997 to 266,657. "[45] Charging that Barkley's membership in Woodmen of the World was politically motivated, Hendrick ended up attacking the organization itself, angering the approximately 5,000 club members in the First District. Alben W. Barkley 35th Vice President of the United States 19491953 US Senator (Class 3) from Kentucky 19271949 US Senator (Class 2) from Kentucky [1] 19551956 Succeeded by 36th Vice President Richard Nixon Succeeded by Garrett L. Withers Succeeded by Robert Humphreys Biography Famous Last Words He was reelected three times and served from 1927 to 1949. Barkley, Alben W. "The Majority Leader in the Legislative Process." Birth of Alben W. Barkley, U.S. Senate Majority Lead Death of Alben W. Barkley, U.S. Senate Majority Lead Burial of Alben W. Barkley, U.S. Senate Majority Lea Paducah, McCracken, Kentucky, United States. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. [33] The scandal gave Republicans an issue for the upcoming campaign. [157][165] After Hadley's return to St. Louis, Barkley kept contact with her via letters and plane trips. Western Speech 20 (Winter 1956): 15-22. Correspondence in various collections including Louis Arthur Johnson papers, ca. [96], Barkley supported Franklin D. Roosevelt for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1932, but facing a re-election bid himself, he did not announce his support, fearing that his message might not resonate with Kentucky voters. Barkley played important roles at every Democratic National Convention he attended from 1932. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Correspondence in the Emma Guffey Miller papers, 1887-1970; and in the Mildred Buchanan Flagg papers, 1878-1955. [87] In early 1928, Vice President Charles G. Dawes assigned him to a special committee to investigate the campaign expenditures of the leading candidates in the upcoming presidential election.