Richard Neuberger Book & Items

 

This Fall, OSU Press published Stephen Forrester's long-awaited biography of Oregon Senator Richard Neuberger. You can learn more about Neuberger from the Oregon Encyclopedia or Wikipedia. Better yet, go buy Stephen's book! He was a founder of Willamette Week, served as a Washington correspondent, and spent thirty-three years as the editor and publisher of The Daily Astorian. Stephen has spent many years researching and writing this work. I had pre-ordered my copy as soon as OSU Press made the link active and was thrilled when it finally arrived.



Over the years, I had met people who knew or worked for Neuberger, and it was fascinating to learn the full story of his life and how he navigated politics to find himself in a race for office that would determine the balance of power in the United States Senate.



The book includes a few pictures of some Richard Neuberger campaign items, and it made me think it has been a while since I had seen a Neuberger campaign item show up online. I decided it was time to showcase known items. The following items are from my collection and that of longtime Oregon APIC members John Silvertooth and John Gearhart.

 

Frederick Steiwer Convention Badge 1936

The badge worn by U.S. Senator Frederick Steiwer at the 1936 Republican National Convention has been located and returned to an Oregon collection. The badge is in wonderful condition for being 85 years old. 

Charles McNary Notification Celebration

In Spring/Summer 1994 edition of The Keynoter, William Alley gives us a great background on the selection of longtime Republican Senator Charles McNary as the running mate of 1940 Republican presidential nominee Wendell Willkie. McNary was the last Oregonian to be nominated by a major party ticket for President or Vice President. We have written here in the past about a number of major and minor party nominees for Vice President Oregon has produced over the years. We are now at the 80th anniversary of the notification ceremony of Charles McNary on his selection as the 1940 vice presidential nominee. Democratic nominee Henry Wallace was also to have a notification event in Des Moines, Iowa during the same few weeks. Hopefully there is some Iowa and Wallace fan that can write that article.

First, it is important to know what a notification ceremony is, as political parties no longer hold such events. The closest thing that might come to a notification event in modern times is the press conference where a nominee will announce their selection of the vice presidential nominee.What is a committee of notification?  According to An Introduction to Political Parties and Practical Politics written by noted Berkeley Professor of Political Science Perley Orman Ray in 1912.

With the naming of a candidate for vice president, it only remains for the convention to authorize the appointment of a committee consisting of one from each State, formally to notify the presidential candidate of his nomination and a similar committee to notify the vice-presidential candidate. The business of the convention then being at an end, it adjourns sine die. These committees on notification subsequently visits the nominee at his home, or meet him at some appointed place. The chairman, or some other previously selected member, makes a formal speech notifying the candidate the action of the convention. Thereupon the candidate delivers his "speech of acceptance"           (p.164-165)

Modern conventions have no notification committees that travel out to nominees homes to hear of their acceptance. Now this all takes place at the highly choreographed political conventions we are accustomed to experiencing today. The 1940s were still the infancy of television. Most families did not see televisions enter their homes until after WWII in the 1950s. The political campaigns of the 1940, '44, and '48 were the last to be done before the majority of Americans owned televisions. Conventions were still affairs for the newspaper and radio services.

Modern day conventions wrap the whole process in a bow for the media. Instead of nominees being selected and ending the convention to travel to them to hear if they accept, the nominees now accept nomination before the actual convention. Nearly all nominees for vice president are known well in advance of the convention. The final night of the convention culminates with the presidential nominee and vice presidential nominee awash in a sea of delegates, balloons and bands. This was not the case in 1940, when Charles McNary accepted his nomination.

Political Halloween: Alf Landon Cape

I have no idea if it was the intent of the campaign to have this as a Halloween item, but a cape is a staple of our modern super heroes. What republican youngster in 1936 would have passed up the chance to be Super Landon or Super Knox for Halloween? The cape measures 23 x 37", a perfect fit for that super hero in your life. What super powers do you think you get with a cape like this?

Alf Landon of course never became a trendy enough Halloween costume to propel him to the White House. He lost to FDR by a staggering 523-8, carrying only Maine and Vermont. While FDR would go and serve and die in office just after winning his fourth term, Landon would live well into the 1980s. He passed away three days after his 100th Birthday in 1987. Perhaps longevity is a super power?

Farmers Committee Hosch b' Gosh pin

Doc Hosch for Governor pin from 1938

The late 30s were certainly an interesting time in Oregon. The normally Republican state had swept Democrats into office at various levels during the Great Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt had carried the state in the last two presidential elections. It was unprecedented in Oregon history. The Democratic party had only carried Oregon twice since statehood in a presidential contest. It had now voted for a Democrat twice in the same decade! The governor, Charles Martin, was a Democrat. Elected in 1934 with the New Deal wave sweeping the nation, he was not a natural ally of Roosevelt. Many Republican business interests were backing him, especially in his dealings with labor and the Bonneville Power Administration.

Oregon Democratic All-State Picnic's of the 1930s

1937 Program

Nothing brings out the crowds in a warm Oregon summer than an all state picnic. During the 1930s, the Oregon Democratic Party held an annual picnic during the summer to build up excitement for going into the fall campaigns. In today's campaign calendars the summers right before an election can be a desert for news and attention. During presidential campaigns, the attention is on the national conventions. The years when there is no convention...like the year after the election, it takes a little more to get the people interested in building the party. 

The Democrats of the 1930s did have one thing going for them: FDR. Franklin D. Roosevelt was a unifying figure for both political parties in Oregon. For the Democrats he was the hero of the New Deal, defeater of the Depression, and fascism in Europe. For Republicans of his day, FDR was the embodiment of big government, high taxes, and out of control spending. The New Deal wasn't so great in their view. 

1938 Program Committees Page

It was during these years that FDR was held in such fondness by his party and constituents that his face was put on many party documents. I have been able to find three of these Democratic Party of Oregon State Picnic programs over the years. They are very interesting documents and tell a great story of what people did for recreation as groups. These picnics were highly organized, consisting of many different committees that were in charge of like: The Sports Committee ( I assume they organized the team and individual sports at the picnic), The Honored Guests Committee, The Registration Committee, The Reception Committee, The Hostess Committee...from the looks of it, if there was a job, there was a committee for it.

The whole affair had a State Fair like aspect to it, with contests and awards for activities. There was even a swimsuit competition! With the political correctness that prevails at political events, I doubt a swimsuit competition would have a home at any political party event today....though, perhaps it is time to bring back some traditions. If only Mitt Romney and Barack Obama been forced to dawn their swim trunks and  take a walk down the boardwalk we may have a more laid back campaign in 2012.

1938 Program Cover

It would appear that from the programs I have found, these statewide Democratic Party of Oregon picnics started the summer of 1932. From online newspaper archives, it would appear they lasted well into the late 1970s. The picnics appear to have been held at a variety of locales early on. I am unsure when Oregon Republicans started having their State Picnics and when they stopped, but they were having them as early as 1960, when they invited Barry Goldwater to be the guest speaker. 

Here is a story from 1936 that appeared in the Bend Bulletin inviting Democrats to that years picnic. In the article, it references that there will be singing, music, dances, and sweepstakes. Democratic National Chairman James A. Farley was the keynote speaker along with the various candidates vying for statewide office. 

The story also mentions the 'bathing beauty contest', "Democratic county chairmen have been solicited for entrants for the bathing beauty contest which will be one of the spotlights of the picnic. The sweepstakes winner will be crowned 'Miss Democracy Oregon'. The Oregon Young Democrats apparently were working on something called 'Justice of the Peace Supreme Court' and had issued over 2000 summons statewide to Democrats to attend. 

1939 Cover

The picnic tradition is kept alive in Oregon by all political parties, they just don't happen statewide very often. They are mostly done by counties and don't have 'bathing beauty contests' (as far as I know of). These three programs I have received over the years have come from ebay and friends. I am most fond of the 1937 program. The scanner does not do it justice. It is a bright yellow and orange program. The cover art is fantastic, just what you would expect of something from that era. It highlights all the various New Deal expenditures, including Timberline Lodge. 

 

1938 and 1939 programs are relatively bland compared to the fantastic 1937 cover.  The 1938 program contains many campaign ads for candidates of the era, including Henry Hess, who was the nominee for Governor of Oregon that year. It includes an advert for Willis Mahoney, the nominee for U.S. Senate and two women candidates. Nan Wood Honeyman for Congress and Emily Edison for Secretary of State. Students of Oregon history will note that we never had a Senator named Mahoney or a Governor named Hess. 

Hess was the Roosevelt backed Democrat in the 1938 Primary, incumbent Democratic Governor Charles Martin was more conservative and against many aspects of the New Deal. In a three way race for the nomination, Hess would eek out a 49%-44%-7% win over Governor Martin and a little known state representative named Henry Oleen.Hess would lose to Republican Charles Sprauge later in the Fall. 

I have never seen a Oleen for governor item. Hess and Sprauge items come up fairly often on ebay. If anyone has any other examples of the these Democratic picnic programs from the 30s and 40s that include FDR on them feel free to share. Below is a reception committee ribbon I picked up in Salem this last year. It is from the 1935 picnic held at Blue Lake.