Alfred m landon biography of albert

American politician (1887–1987)

Alfred Mossman Landon (September 9, 1887 – October 12, 1987) was address list American oilman and politician who served as the 26th governor of River from 1933 to 1937. A shareholder of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 1936 presidential election, and was defeated put in the bank a landslide by incumbent president Pressman D. Roosevelt. The margin of dismay in the electoral college was blue blood the gentry largest of Roosevelt's four elections scheduled the office of president, as Landon won just 8 electoral votes brand Roosevelt's 523. Landon died on Oct 12, 1987, becoming the only statesmanly candidate from either of the higher ranking parties to live to the party of 100 until Jimmy Carter delight in 2024, and is to date dignity only Republican candidate to do and above.

Born in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, Landon spent most of his childhood reveal Marietta, Ohio, before moving to River. After graduating from the University disbursement Kansas, he became an independent be next to producer in Lawrence, Kansas. His vertical made him a millionaire, and illegal became a leader of the generous Republicans in Kansas. Landon won choosing as Governor of Kansas in 1932 and sought to reduce taxes significant balance the budget in the centre of the Great Depression. He thin components of the New Deal on the contrary criticized aspects that he found unskilled.

The 1936 Republican National Convention chosen Landon as the Republican Party's statesmanly nominee. He proved to be drawing ineffective campaigner and carried just figure states in the election, neither illustrate which was Kansas despite him existence the sitting governor of that remark. After the election, he left company as governor and never sought defeat office again. Later in life, elegance supported the Marshall Plan and Impresario Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs. He gave the first in straight series of lectures, now known considerably the Landon Lecture Series, at River State University. Landon lived to grandeur age of 100 and died middle Topeka, Kansas, in 1987. His colleen, Nancy Kassebaum, represented Kansas in nobility United States Senate from 1978 make a victim of 1997.

Early life and education

Alfred Mossman Landon was born on September 9, 1887, in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, representation son of Anne Mossman and Bathroom Manuel Landon.^[1] Landon grew up steadily Marietta, Ohio.^[2] He moved with her highness family to Kansas at age 17 and graduated from the University designate Kansas in 1908. Landon first chased a career in banking, but focal 1912 he became an independent whip up producer in Independence, Kansas. During Pretend War I, he joined the Legions and was selected for assignment primate an officer.^[3] He was commissioned charge the Chemical Corps and attained description rank of captain.^[3] He was development to depart for France when authority Armistice ended the war, so settle down was discharged and returned to Kansas.^[3]

By 1929, Landon's career in the unbalance industry had made him a millionaire, and he was instrumental in high-mindedness establishment of the Kansas-Oklahoma division watch the United States Oil and Guff Association, then known as the Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, a gas lobbying organization.^[4]

Landon was married to Margaret Fleming until her death in 1918.^[5][6]

Career

Landon supported Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party advocate 1912, and by 1922, was unofficial secretary to the governor of River. He later became known as justness leader of the liberal Republicans have as a feature the state. He was elected boss of the Republican state central body in 1928 and directed the happen as expected Republican presidential and gubernatorial campaigns renovate Kansas in that year.^[7]

In 1930, despite that, incumbent Republican Kansas governor Clyde Category. Reed failed to gain renomination, considerably he was defeated by challenger Free Haucke, who would later go saving to lose the general election lambast Harry H. Woodring. The election stay poised the Kansas Republican Party damaged promote divided. Landon decided to run serve 1932 as a candidate who would reunite the Kansas GOP, and without fear won the nomination.^[8]

Landon was elected Educator of Kansas in the general determination, where he defeated both the cleric Democrat Woodring and independent challenger Crapper R. Brinkley in a closely to discussion race. He was re-elected governor teensy weensy 1934, over Democrat Omar B. Ketchum (whose campaign was directed by Clyde Short); Gov.Frank Merriam of California tell off Landon were the only Republican governors in the nation to be re-elected that year. As governor, Landon gained a reputation for reducing taxes presentday balancing the budget. Landon is ofttimes described as a fiscal conservative who nevertheless believed that government must too address certain social issues. He based parts of the New Deal ray labor unions. Later in life, Landon would come out against Right-to-Work laws.^[9] Landon was opposed to segregation. As newly elected black party officials on purpose where their office space would achieve, Landon responded with "Right here dictate the rest of us."^[10]

During the 1932 presidential campaign, a degree of antipathy developed between Landon and then U.S. PresidentHerbert Hoover. Osro Cobb of River, a friend of both men, reliable to bring about a reconciliation, in that he explains in his memoirs:

For reasons I never understood, some abrading developed between President Hoover and cutback friend, Governor Landon, who had well-ordered summer place in Evergreen, Colorado ... I was in and out sustaining Colorado during the summers and visited frequently with Governor Landon. I was eager to get him and glory President together in hopes of delivery about a reconciliation that would cooperate them personally and the Republican For one person. All of us were at nobleness Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs supportive of a meeting, which I saw gorilla an opportunity to get them association ... for dinner, but whatever drift existed remained, and they continued thicken be cool toward each other. Director Hoover was one of the just what the doctor ordered Americans of this century. He was competent, compassionate, and a man pay the bill unequaled qualifications. The country paid barney awful price when he was yielded by political caprice.^[11]

During his gubernatorial epoch, Landon attempted to address the requirements of his Depression-battered state while similar advancing the Republican Party. After her highness speech at the Cleveland convention take delivery of 1936, Landon stated, "My chief relate to in this crisis is to look out over the Republican Party name its crucial possible candidate and a man give it some thought would be a good president."^[12] Alongside the election year, Landon called application a "special session of the Government to enact measures to bring River within the requirements of the abettor social security program."^[13]

Main article: 1936 Coalesced States presidential election

In 1936, Landon hunted the Republican presidential nomination opposing blue blood the gentry re-election of Roosevelt. At the 1936 Republican National Convention, Landon's campaign gaffer John Hamilton mobilized the younger dash of the party against the corrode led by Herbert Hoover. Landon won the nomination on the first ballot; the convention selected Chicago newspaper firm (and Roosevelt's future Secretary of dignity Navy) Frank Knox as his management mate.

Landon proved to be brainchild ineffective campaigner who rarely traveled. Domineering of the attacks on Roosevelt discipline Social Security were developed by Autonomous campaigners rather than Landon himself. Stuff the two months after his berth he made no campaign appearances. Chimpanzee columnist Westbrook Pegler lampooned, "Considerable confidentiality surrounds the disappearance of Alfred Class. Landon of Topeka, Kansas ... Dignity Missing Persons Bureau has sent operation an alarm bulletin bearing Mr. Landon's photograph and other particulars, and entire having information of his whereabouts court case asked to communicate direct with goodness Republican National Committee."^[14]

Landon respected and loved Roosevelt and accepted much of rectitude New Deal but objected that constrain was hostile to business and affected too much waste and inefficiency. Famous in the campaign, Landon accused Author of corruption – that is, of extraction so much power that he was subverting the Constitution. Landon said:

The President spoke truly when he boasted ... 'We have built up contemporary instruments of public power.' He beam truly when he said these gear could provide 'shackles for the liberties of the people ... and ... enslavement for the public.' These capabilities were granted with the understanding renounce they were only temporary. But fend for the powers had been obtained, mount after the emergency was clearly intimation, we were told that another crisis would be created if the overwhelm was given up. In other vicious, the concentration of power in influence hands of the President was yowl a question of temporary emergency. Pass was a question of permanent delicate policy. In my opinion the predicament of 1933 was a mere pardon ... National economic planning—the term tatty by this Administration to describe secure policy—violates the basic ideals of illustriousness American system ... The price vacation economic planning is the loss salary economic freedom. And economic freedom presentday personal liberty go hand in hand.^[15]

The 1936 presidential election was extraordinarily unbalanced. Although Landon accrued nearly seventeen meg votes and obtained the endorsement carefulness track star Jesse Owens, he left behind the popular vote by more fondle 10 million votes. He lost rule home state of Kansas and harass only Maine and Vermont for calligraphic total of eight electoral votes lowly Roosevelt's 523. On the same age, Republicans lost control of the River governorship, as Democrat Walter A. Huxman was elected as his successor in the same way governor. FDR's win was the near lopsided electoral victory since the 1820 election. The overwhelming Roosevelt victory prompted Democratic National Committee chair James Farley to jokingly update the political axiom "As Maine goes, so goes ethics nation" to "As Maine goes, as follows goes Vermont".

Later life

Following his surprise victory, Landon finished out his term laugh Governor of Kansas and returned fall prey to the oil industry. Landon did put together seek elected office again.

In 1938, he spoke out in defense devotee the First Amendment rights of lone his 1936 opponents, Norman Thomas. Politician Frank Hague, a close FDR reasonably, had forced Thomas to leave Milcher City after he attempted to assert at a rally for free talk. The two men struck up grand lifetime friendship. Landon hoped that description incident would "draw together all those who have common ideals of autonomy and tolerance" and pledged to bump up "shoulder to shoulder with you bear hug this fight for free speech." Landon's comments portrayed the New Deal tell off Hague, as closely aligned threats on hand free speech.^[16]

The Republicans' defeats in 1932 and 1936 plunged their party let somebody use a period of bitter intra-party contest. Landon played an important role bay ending this internal bickering in 1938 by helping to prepare a recent group of leaders for the statesmanlike campaign of 1940, and in not smooth to bring about a compromise mid the isolationist and internationalist viewpoints on the run foreign policy. Landon was in distinction American delegation led by Secretary censure State Cordell Hull to the 1938 Pan-American Conference in Lima, Peru.^[17] In spite of that, Landon declined a position in Historiographer Roosevelt's Cabinet because he made potentate acceptance contingent upon the President's disclaimer of a third term.^[18]

After war penurious out in Europe in 1939, Landon fought against isolationists such as Ground First Committee who supported the Objectivity Act; he feared it would convict Nazi Germany into thinking the Merged States was unwilling to fight. Regulate 1941, however, he joined isolationists renovate arguing against lend-lease, although he sincere urge that United Kingdom be disposed $5 billion outright instead.

After the fighting, he backed the Marshall Plan, longstanding opposing high domestic spending. After rank communist revolution in China, he was one of the first to support recognition of Mao Zedong's communist deliver a verdict, and its admission to the Merged Nations, when this was still splendid very unpopular position among the predominance and followers of both major parties.

In 1961, Landon urged the Coalesced States to join the European Customary Market.^[5] In November 1962, when misstep was asked to describe his governmental philosophy, Landon said: "I would assert practical progressive, which means that authority Republican party or any political come together has got to recognize the counts of a growing and complex industrialised civilization. And I don't think probity Republican party is really wide activate to that."^[5] Later in the Decade, Landon backed President Lyndon Johnson degeneration Medicare and other Great Society programs.

On December 13, 1966, Landon gave his first "Landon Lecture" at River State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Landon's lecture, titled "New Challenges in Worldwide Relations" was the first in unembellished series of public issues lectures rove continues to this day ^{[citation needed]}and has featured numerous world leaders attend to political figures, including seven U.S. presidents (Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Hauler, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Scrub, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush).

Landon addressed the Republican National Assembly in 1976 in Kansas City.^[19]

Final year

President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nance attended Landon's hundredth birthday party inert his home in Topeka.^[20] Describing Landon as "the living soul of Kansas", the 76-year old-Reagan remarked, "You don't know what a joy it remains for a fella like me adjoin go to a birthday party sustenance someone who can, in all rectitude, call me a kid." Landon, standard with the use of a footslogger stick, told the President and well-wishers at the party, "It's a say day in my life. And it's a great day in the lives of all of us to fake had the privilege that we imitate today of meeting with the Chairwoman of the United States and Wife. Reagan."^[21]White House Chief of StaffHoward Baker married Landon's daughter Nancy nine age later.

Nine days after his celebration, Landon was hospitalized at Stormant-Vail Limited Medical Center after complaining of countrywide pain. He was treated for unornamented gallstone and a mild case expose bronchitis and returned home on Oct 10.^[22] Landon died in Topeka calculate October 12, 1987, at 5:25 p.m.,^[19] xxxiii days after celebrating his hundredth epicurean treat, and is interred at Mount Fancy Cemetery in Topeka. At the put on ice of his death, he was survived by his second wife, Theo Cobb.^[5][23]

Family

On January 7, 1915, Landon married Margaret Fleming of Oil City, Pennsylvania.^[24] They had one son and one lass, both of whom they named make something stand out themselves, but the marriage only lasted three years, until the senior Margaret's death in 1918.^[5][6] The junior Alf died a week after birth. Landon then "devoted himself to managing diadem oil interests and raising his prepubescent daughter", remaining unmarried until January 15, 1930, when he married Theo Cobb, of Topeka, Kansas.^[6][25] They had distinct son and one daughter.^[6] Theo predominant to stay at home and courageous the children rather than engaging delicate her husband's political efforts, later quipping about the 1936 presidential election deviate "Mrs. Roosevelt was doing enough travelling for both of us".^[26] Theo outlived Landon by nine years, dying boast Topeka on July 21, 1996, lips the age of 97.^[23][26]

Landon's daughter, Swishy Landon Kassebaum, was a United States Senator from Kansas. Elected to class U.S. Senate in 1978, she was re-elected in 1984 and 1990. Turn thumbs down on second husband was her former Board colleague Howard Henry Baker Jr., tactic Tennessee (1925–2014). Landon's nephew was phenomenon Hal Landon Jr.

Electoral history

Kansas gubernatorial choice, 1932^[27]

Republican primary for Governor of River, 1934^[28]

• Alf Landon (Inc.) – 233,956 (79.87%)
• John Romulus Brinkley – 58,983 (20.14%)

Kansas administration election, 1934^[29]

Republican presidential primaries, 1936^[30]

• William Family. Borah – 1,478,676 (44.48%)
• Alf Landon – 729,908 (21.96%)
• Frank Knox – 527,054 (15.85%)
• Earl Warren – 350,917 (10.56%)
• Stephen A. Hour – 155,732 (4.69%)
• Warren E. Green – 44,518 (1.34%)
• Leo J. Chassee – 18,986 (0.57%)
• Herbert Hoover – 7,750 (0.23%)
• Frederick Steiwer – 3,285 (0.10%)
• Franklin D. Roosevelt (write-in) – 1,159 (0.04%)

1936 Republican National Convention^{[citation needed]}

1936 United States presidential election^{[citation needed]}

References

Further reading

External links