James M. Mead
James Michael Mead | |
---|---|
Chair of the Federal Trade Commission | |
In office May 24, 1950 – March 31, 1953 | |
Preceded by | Lowell Mason |
Succeeded by | Edward F. Howrey |
Member of the Federal Trade Commission | |
In office November 15, 1949 – September 25, 1955 | |
Preceded by | Garland S. Ferguson |
Succeeded by | William C. Kern |
Chairman of the United States House Committee on Post Office and Post Roads | |
In office 1931–1938 | |
Preceded by | Archie D. Sanders |
Succeeded by | Milton A. Romjue |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 42nd district | |
In office March 4, 1919 – December 2, 1938 | |
Preceded by | William F. Waldow |
Succeeded by | Pius Schwert |
Member of the New York State Assembly from the Erie County, 4th district | |
In office January 1, 1915 – December 31, 1918 | |
Preceded by | Patrick W. Quigley |
Succeeded by | Andrew T. Beasley |
Personal details | |
Born | Mount Morris, New York, U.S. | December 27, 1885
Died | March 15, 1964 Lakeland, Florida, U.S. | (aged 78)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Alice M. Dillon
(m. 1915; died 1964) |
Children | 1 |
James Michael Mead (December 27, 1885 – March 15, 1964) was an American politician from New York. A Democrat, among the offices in which he served was member of the Erie County Board of Supervisors (1914–1915), New York State Assembly (1915–1918), United States House of Representatives (1919–1938), and United States Senate (1938–1947).
A native of
Mead began a political career in 1914 with election to Erie County's Board of Supervisors. He subsequently served in the state Assembly from 1915 to 1918. In 1918 he won election to the U.S. House, where he served from 1919 to 1938. In 1938 he was elected to the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Royal S. Copeland. He served in the Senate until 1947. In 1946, he was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for governor of New York. He was then appointed to the Federal Trade Commission, on which he served from 1949 to 1955.
In retirement, Mead was a resident of Florida. He died in Lakeland on March 15, 1964. Mead was buried at Oakhill Cemetery in Clermont, Florida.
Early life
James M. Mead was born in
Mead later worked for the Pullman Company as a mechanic on sleep car dynamos.[4] He was subsequently employed as a switchman on the Erie Railroad, and was eventually elected president of the Switchmen's Union's Buffalo local.[1] From 1911 to 1914 he was employed as an officer with the United States Capitol Police.[1]
Start of career
Mead also continued his education during his railroad and police careers; he attended Buffalo's Caton School of Engineering and completed an engineering course of instruction at the Buffalo Institute of Technology.
As a well-known semiprofessional football and baseball player in the Buffalo area, Mead developed a following that aided his entry into politics.[2] In 1913, Mead was a successful candidate for a seat on the Erie County, New York Board of Supervisors and he served in 1914.[1] In 1914 he ran for the New York State Assembly.[1] He won the Erie County 4th District seat and won reelection in 1916.[1] Mead served in the sessions of 1915, 1916, 1917, and 1918.[1] In the Assembly, Mead won a reputation as a champion of worker's rights, including passage of a "full crew" law for freight trains, a law requiring workers to be paid every two weeks instead of every month, and an act mandating improved safety measures in train engine cabs.[8] Among his successes were laws to improve the conditions of women and children in factories and enhancements to the state's worker's compensation laws.[2] Mead's affability and power of persuasion marked him as an effective legislator despite the fact that he was a Democrat in a body controlled by Republicans.[8]
U.S. House
In 1918, Mead defeated incumbent Republican congressman
While supplementing his education by taking college courses during his Congressional service, Mead was well known for staying in good physical condition by trotting from campus to campus.[2] At 6 feet 2 inches and 200 pounds, he maintained the athletic build of his youth, and was known as the House's best baseball and softball player.[2][4] After 28 of his colleagues died during one session, Mead recognized the need for a Congressional gym and took the lead in organizing it and bringing it into operation.[2]
According to John W. McCormack, who served as Speaker of the House from 1961 to 1971, the House's Democratic leaders were grooming Mead to become Speaker.[1] McCormack went on to say that the only reason he (McCormack) was placed on the path that enabled him to become majority leader and then Speaker was that Mead left the House when he was elected to the U.S. Senate.[1]
U.S. Senate
In the Senate, Mead succeeded to the chairmanship of the
The committee's investigations under Mead's leadership resulted in Representative
Later career
Mead was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor
After Mead's defeat, he served on the Federal Trade Commission.[2] Appointed in 1949, he became chairman six months later.[2] He remained on the commission until 1955.[1] From 1955 to 1956, he was the director of the Washington office of the New York Department of Commerce.[2] Mead was also a New York delegate to the Democratic National Convention every four years from 1936 to 1952.[10]
Legacy
In 1937, the Works Progress Administration built a Buffalo public library that was later named the James Mead Branch Library.[11]
Buffalo-area mail carriers recognized Mead's accomplishments on behalf of postal workers by naming their union local in his honor.[2]
Later life
After retiring from New York's Department of Commerce, Mead moved to Florida.[2] He settled in Clermont, where he owned and operated an orange grove.[2]
Retirement and death
Mead died in Lakeland, Florida on March 15, 1964.[12] He was buried at Oakhill Cemetery in Clermont.[13]
Family
In 1915, Mead married Alice M. Dillon (1885–1964).[14] They were the parents of a son, James Michael Mead Jr. (1918–1997).[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u McCarthy, Max (May 31, 1992). "Jim Mead's Story Began in a Hut by Side of Tracks". Buffalo News. Buffalo, NY.
- ^ TimesMachine.
- ^ Malcolm, James, ed. (1918). The New York Red Book. Albany, NY: J. B. Lyon Company. p. 162 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Dulski, Thaddeus J. (March 17, 1964). Congressional Record. Vol. 110. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 5468 – via Google Books.
- ^ Current Biography: Who's News and Why. New York, NY: H. W. Wilson Company. 1944. p. 458.
- ^ World Biography. Vol. 2. New York, NY: Institute for Research in Biography. 1948. p. 3174.
- ^ American Law School Review. Vol. 9–10. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Company. 1938. p. 333.
- ^ a b c Levin, Ruben (July 1, 1950). "Uncle Sam's Chief Cop: From Water Boy on Lackawanna to Chairman of Federal Trade Commission: "Jim" Mead's Great Record". The Train Dispatcher. Chicago, IL: American Train Dispatchers Association. pp. 286–289.
- ^ Sweeney, Daniel J., ed. (1919). History of Buffalo and Erie County, 1914-1919. Buffalo, NY: Committee of One Hundred. p. 15 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Index to Politicians: Mead, James Michael". The Political Graveyard. Chicago, IL: Lawrence Kestenbaum. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ "Shoebox Libraries Are Well-Loved But Have Problems". The Buffalo News. Buffalo, NY. July 17, 2005.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
External links
- United States Congress. "James M. Mead (id: M000615)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- James M. Mead at Find a Grave
- A film clip "Longines Chronoscope with James M. Mead (September 3, 1952)" is available for viewing at the Internet Archive