Daniel Flood
Daniel Flood | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 11th district | |
In office January 3, 1955 – January 31, 1980 | |
Preceded by | Edward Bonin |
Succeeded by | Ray Musto |
In office January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1953 | |
Preceded by | Mitchell Jenkins |
Succeeded by | Edward Bonin |
In office January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947 | |
Preceded by | John Murphy |
Succeeded by | Mitchell Jenkins |
Personal details | |
Born | Daniel John Flood November 26, 1903 Dickinson School of Law (LLB ) |
Daniel John Flood
A trial on bribery charges that Flood had accepted more than $50,000 in payoffs ended with a hung jury. A retrial, was repeatedly delayed because of treatment for several ailments, federal prosecutors suggested that treatments were being postponed as a stalling measure.[2]
In February 1980, Flood pleaded guilty to a single count of payoffs, and placed on probation for one year.[3]
He was censured for bribery in 1980 and resigned from the House.[4]
Early life and career
Flood was born into an ethnic Irish family in
He was admitted to the bar in 1930 and opened a practice in Wilkes-Barre. He was an attorney for the federal Home Owners' Loan Corporation in 1934 and 1935, during the Great Depression. He joined the Democratic Party, inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Flood studied acting in his early school days, a skill he fancied and often used while serving as a member of Congress. Flood sported a signature waxed
Political career
Flood was appointed as the deputy attorney general for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and counsel for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board from 1935 to 1939. In 1941, he was appointed director of the State Bureau of Public Assistance Disbursements by State Treasurer G. Harold Wagner,[7] and executive assistant to the State Treasurer from 1941 to 1944.
United States House of Representatives
Flood made his first run for office in 1942, when he was the Democratic candidate in a special election to replace Congressman
However, he ran against Miller in 1944, in what had been renumbered as the 11th District and won. He was defeated for reelection in 1946 due to a nationwide Republican landslide, but regained his seat in 1948. He was reelected in 1950, only to be swept out in 1952, losing to Republican
The seniority he established led him to being a member of the important
Flood persuaded Senator John F. Kennedy from Massachusetts to campaign in his home district. He strongly supported Kennedy's later campaign and presidency.
Flood used his considerable influence in Congress to develop ways to transition the economy of his district,
Flood worked hard to rebuild his district in the aftermath of the devastating flooding from
In the 1972 presidential election he supported Republican Richard Nixon over Democrat George McGovern. He refused to accompany McGovern during his visit to Wilkes-Barre after the 1972 flood. McGovern held a press conference at the Hotel Sterling.
In the neighboring city of Scranton, Flood was occasionally accused of favoring Wilkes-Barre. (Scranton was not in the 11th Congressional District during the time Flood served in Congress.) Flood also is purported to have said "No self respecting man from Wilkes-Barre would ever date the best looking blonde from Scranton." He is often cited as the source of the naming of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (with Wilkes-Barre first, despite being the smaller of the two cities and being second alphabetically).
Controversies, censure, and resignation
Flood was investigated by at least eight separate U.S. Attorney's offices and had 175 possible cases pending against him.[10] The Washington Post reported in February 1978 that Flood was accused of helping steer federal grant money to the B'nai Torah Institute, a community service organization in New York from which Flood reported receipt of campaign funds totaling nearly $1,000 plus an undisclosed honorarium.[11]
Flood's former aide, Stephen Elko, testified that Flood was a 'muscler' who used his influence to direct federal contracts to people and corporations in exchange for cash kickbacks.[10] The 'Flood-Medico-Bufalino Triangle' was one such instance. Medico Industries of Plains Township received, with Flood's help, a $3,900,000 Department of Defense contract to produce 600,000 warheads for use in the Vietnam War. Mafia crime boss Russell Bufalino, who frequented Medico offices, was an associate of general manager William 'Billy' Medico and president Philip Medico. The latter was known to be a caporegime in the Bufalino crime family. The FBI discovered that Flood would often travel in the Medico Industries jet.[10]
As a result of Elko's testimony, the United States Department of Justice and House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (now the United States House Committee on Ethics) began investigations of Flood in early 1978.[12] On September 5, 1978, a federal grand jury indicted Flood on three counts of perjury on charges that he lied about payoffs.[13]
During the 96th United States Congress in 1979, Flood was censured for bribery.[14] The allegations led to his resignation from Congress on January 31, 1980.[15]
Death
Flood died in Wilkes-Barre on May 28, 1994. His funeral was held on May 30 in St. John's Church in Wilkes-Barre, with eulogies given by then-Governor
Legacy
With the nickname "Dapper Dan" for what Time called his "villainous-looking waxed mustache" and "eccentric clothes,"[17] Flood is regarded as a folk hero in northeastern Pennsylvania, where he worked for economic development initiatives in the Appalachian region. He also had worked to pass legislation to improve conditions for miners and protect their health.[18] He is remembered by his constituency for his weekly televised messages from Washington, which were a staple of Sunday morning television for years. He was known to attend virtually any public event that took place in his district.
Daniel J. Flood Elementary School in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District is named in his honor, as are many other places in Northeastern Pennsylvania.[17]
On Saturday, October 2, 2010, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission honored Flood with a plaque as part of the Historical Marker Program. Located on Wilkes-Barre's Public Square in the center of the city, it reads:
Daniel J. Flood (1903–1994). US Congressman from Pa. 11th District, 1944 to 1980. His seniority on the House Appropriations Committee and knowledge of the legislative process enabled him to play a key role establishing national programs such as Medicare, Appalachian urban economic development, and Coal Mine Health and Safety Act. He promoted the strength of US military forces and proliferation of nuclear arms during the Cold War. He resigned from Congress amid controversy.[8]
See also
- List of American federal politicians convicted of crimes
- List of federal political scandals in the United States
References
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
- ^ "Notes on People". The New York Times. 14 September 1979. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- ^ Hunter, Marjorie (27 February 1980). "Ex-Rep. Flood Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Count in Federal Bribery Case; 31 Years in Congress". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
Special To the New York Times
- ^ Daniel Flood, 90, Who Quit Congress in Disgrace, Is Dead. New York Times.
- ^ Kestenbaum, Lawrence. "The Political Graveyard: Knights of Columbus, politicians, Pennsylvania". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
- ^ "United States Census, 1910", FamilySearch, retrieved April 3, 2018
- ISBN 978-0-271-03618-2. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ a b "Daniel J. Flood Historical Marker". CitizensVoice.com. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
- ^ Crile, George (January 1975). "The Best Congressman". Harper's Magazine.
- ^ ISBN 9780933503304.
- ^ Pincus, Walter (February 28, 1978). "Flood Listed Funds From Agency He Is Accused of Aiding". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
- ^ MacPherson, Myra (March 17, 1978). "Dan Flood On the Spot". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
- ^ Babcock, Charles R. (September 6, 1978). "Rep. Flood Indicted on Perjury Charges". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
- ^ Censure Citations Archived October 25, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rudin, Ken (2007-06-06). "The Equal-Opportunity Culture of Corruption". NPR.org. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
- ^ Productions, BPG. "Funeral of Daniel J. Flood". YouTube. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Dapper Dan's Toughest Scene". Time. February 20, 1978. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
- ^ Daniel Flood Center Archived March 12, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- William C. Kashatus. Dapper Dan Flood: The Controversial Life of a Congressional Power Broker (Penn State University Press; 2010) 350 pages; scholarly biography
External links
- United States Congress. "Daniel Flood (id: F000209)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Birthday Greetings to Daniel J. Flood, Signed by JFK, but Dated Four Days after Assassination[permanent dead link], Shapell Manuscript Foundation
- Interview in the National Archives
- Great Character Actors / James Karen
- "Daniel Flood". Find a Grave. Retrieved August 28, 2010.