Brien McMahon
Brien McMahon | |
---|---|
Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus | |
In office January 3, 1945 – July 28, 1952 | |
Leader | Alben W. Barkley Scott W. Lucas Ernest McFarland |
Preceded by | Francis T. Maloney |
Succeeded by | Thomas C. Hennings Jr. |
United States Senator from Connecticut | |
In office January 3, 1945 – July 28, 1952 | |
Preceded by | John A. Danaher |
Succeeded by | William A. Purtell |
Personal details | |
Born | James O'Brien McMahon October 6, 1903 Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S. |
Died | July 28, 1952 Washington, D.C., U.S. | (aged 48)
Political party | Democratic |
Education | Fordham University (BA) Yale University (LLB) |
Signature | |
Brien McMahon (born James O'Brien McMahon) (October 6, 1903 – July 28, 1952) was an
McMahon served as chairman of the
Early life and education
McMahon was born in 1903 in Norwalk, Connecticut.[1] McMahon graduated Fordham University in 1924 and then Yale Law School in 1927.[1] McMahon changed his name to Brien McMahon the same year as being admitted to the bar.
Justice career
McMahon began a practice in Norwalk and later served as a judge on that town's city court,
Among prominent cases associated with McMahon in the Criminal Division were the prosecutions of John Dillinger's lawyer, Louis Piquette (for harboring a criminal) and the trials of gangsters associated with 'Baby Face' Nelson.
However, the case that elevated McMahon to national renown and laid the foundation for his political career was the
Although he lost, he "received wide public recognition and a reputation as a courageous and honest upholder of justice, both of which would further his political ambitions," according to a biography accompanying the introduction to his papers, held by the Georgetown University Library.[2]
In 1939, McMahon left government service and resumed his law practice. In February 1940 McMahon married Rosemary Turner (June 21, 1917 – October 11, 1986), and they had a daughter, Patricia. Rosemary was the half-sister of the British politician and best-selling novelist (Lord) Jeffrey Archer (1940– ).
Congressional career
McMahon mounted a successful campaign for a Connecticut United States Senate seat in 1944, defeating incumbent John A. Danaher, with internationalism (McMahon) vs. isolationism (Danaher) a major point of debate.[2]
On July 16, 1945, an atomic bomb was successfully detonated at Alamogordo, New Mexico, after which Senator Brien McMahon of Connecticut called it "the most important thing in history since the birth of Jesus Christ." In late 1945, McMahon was appointed Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Atomic Energy, which explored legislative alternatives to the War Department sponsored
On December 20, 1945, Brien McMahon introduced into the Senate legislation for an alternative atomic energy bill, which was quickly known as the McMahon Bill. The liberal bill placed control of atomic research in the hands of scientists and was broadly supported by scientists. McMahon himself framed the controversy as a question of military versus civilian control of atomic energy, even though the War Department bill was primarily a civilian bill as well. McMahon's Special Committee on Atomic Energy held many hearings during late 1945 and early 1946, thereby airing arguments about domestic postwar legislation for controlling atomic energy. In the spring of 1946, the McMahon Bill underwent major revisions in order to appease conservative elements in the Senate. The resulting bill passed the Senate and the House. On August 1, 1946, President
The Atomic Energy Act of 1946 created a special Congressional committee, the
The
Connecticut voters reelected McMahon to his Senate seat in 1950. During his entire tenure in the Senate, he served as Secretary of the Senate Democratic Conference.
Presidential campaign, illness and death
Beginning in January 1952, McMahon was mentioned as a possible candidate in the
Brien McMahon served in the United States Senate until his death at
Brien McMahon is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Norwalk.
Legacy and honors
A commemorative stamp honoring Brien McMahon and his role in opening the way to peaceful uses of atomic energy was issued by the United States on July 28, 1962, at Norwalk, Connecticut. The stamp features a portrait of McMahon facing a rendition of an atomic symbol.
Footage of McMahon is included in the 1982 documentary
See also
- List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–99)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Senator McMahon Dies at 48; Leader in Atomic Progress". The New York Times. July 29, 1952. pp. 1, 9.
- ^ a b c d The Brien McMahon Papers Archived 2010-06-29 at the Wayback Machine Biography/Introduction to papers. Georgetown University library. Retrieved 2-7-09.
- ^ Richard G. Hewlett and Oscar Anderson, Jr., The New World (Pennsylvania State University Press, 1962), chapters 13-14.
- ^ a b c d Young, Ken; Schilling, Warner R. (2019). Super Bomb: Organizational Conflict and the Development of the Hydrogen Bomb. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. pp. 1, 4, 33–34, 77.
- ^ a b Bundy, McGeorge (1988). Danger and Survival: Choices About the Bomb in the First Fifty Years. New York: Random House. pp. 204–205, 211, 305.
- ^ Richard G. Hewlett and Francis Duncan, Atomic Shield (U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, 1969), 585.
- American National Biography; Dictionary of American Biography; U.S. Congress.
- Memorial Services. 83d Cong., 1st sess., 1953. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1953.