Mo Udall
Mo Udall | |
---|---|
Chair of the House Interior Committee | |
In office January 3, 1977 – May 4, 1991 | |
Preceded by | James A. Haley |
Succeeded by | George Miller |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 2nd district | |
In office May 2, 1961 – May 4, 1991 | |
Preceded by | Stewart Udall |
Succeeded by | Ed Pastor |
Personal details | |
Born | Morris King Udall June 15, 1922 St. Johns, Arizona, U.S. |
Died | December 12, 1998 Washington, D.C., U.S. | (aged 76)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses |
|
Children | 5, including Mark |
Alma mater | University of Arizona (BA) University of Denver (JD) |
Military service | |
Branch/service | Army Air Forces |
Years of service | 1942–1946 |
Rank | Captain |
Battles/wars | World War II
|
Morris King Udall (June 15, 1922 – December 12, 1998) was an American attorney and
In 1961, Udall won a special election to succeed his brother,
Udall sought the Democratic Party nomination in the 1976 presidential election, but was defeated by Jimmy Carter. He supported Ted Kennedy's strong challenge to Carter in the 1980 Democratic primary, and delivered the keynote address at the 1980 Democratic National Convention.[1][3][4]
He served as Chairman of the House Interior Committee from 1977 to 1991. Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1980, Udall resigned from Congress in 1991 as the effects of the disease worsened. He died in 1998.[1][2][4] His son, Mark Udall, represented Colorado in the United States Senate from 2009 to 2015, and his nephew Tom Udall served as a United States Senator from New Mexico from 2009 to 2021.[4] Both also served multiple terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Early life and education
Udall was born in 1922 in
At age six, his right eye was cut by a friend's pocket knife while the friend and he were trying to cut some string; he lost the eye because his family lacked the money to get him prompt treatment. Udall wore a
He described his early rural/small-town life in the desert as harsh and primitive, in a town where "everybody worked." Noting they had "no tractors," he added, "we had horses and plows."[2]
While in high school, despite the lost eye, Udall was a star athlete in basketball, and in football as quarterback leading an undefeated team. He also marched in the school band, wrote a political column for the school paper, and took the lead in the school play.[2][5]
Military service
Udall attempted to enlist in the
Higher education and basketball career
After the war, Udall completed his bachelor's degree at the University of Arizona, where he was a star basketball player (team co-captain), President of the Associated Student Government, and a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.[1][5]
For one year following graduation, Udall played professional basketball with the
Career statistics
GP | Games played | FGM | Field goals made |
FTM | Free throws made | FTA | Free throws attempted |
FT% | Free throw percentage | PTS | Total points
|
PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBL
Source[7]
Regular season
Year | Team | GP | FGM | FTM | FTA | FT% | PTS | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1948–49 | Denver | 57 | 125 | 121 | 171 | .708 | 371 | 6.5 |
Personality and philosophy
Udall was a tall (6'5"), Lincolnesque figure with a self-deprecating wit and easy manner. Because of his wit, columnist James J. Kilpatrick deemed him "too funny to be president", which also ended up being the title of his autobiography in the 1980s.[5][2][4]
He once said that his physical stature and one eye kept him from ever having a date in high school, and led to his use of self-deprecating humor to survive.[4]
Known for his humor, his irreverent and casual style (particularly his colorful western wear and cowboy boots), and his ethics, Udall was summarized by leading political journalist James M. Perry as "funny, smart, down-to-earth, honest, sassy, patient."[2]
Raised
Early career
In 1949 Udall, with his brother, Stewart, started the law firm of Udall & Udall in Tucson, Arizona, practicing law in Tucson until 1961.[1][2][3][4]
Udall was elected as the
He taught labor law at the University of Arizona law school (1955, 1956).
Political career
Throughout his early life, Udall dreamed of public office, but—under pressure from his wife—deferred a congressional race opportunity to his older brother, Stewart Udall. The latter won Arizona's 2nd congressional district seat in 1954. The younger Udall's hopes for a seat on the Arizona Supreme Court (where their father had served) were dashed when the seat went to his ultra-conservative uncle instead.[2][3]
Congressman
In 1961, his brother was appointed as
For his first term, Udall represented the entire state outside of
From 1977 until his retirement in 1991, Udall chaired the
Vietnam War
Udall first gained national political notice for a speech October 23, 1967, in
Labor legislation
On labor legislation, however, Udall was less liberal. Though he opposed
Conservation and the environment
On conservation and
An important exception was his defense of planned dam-and-reservoir projects in Arizona that threatened to inundate key wilderness areas, including a hydroelectric dam that threatened to flood some of the
However, in the opposite extreme, Udall's "proudest achievement" was passage of an Alaska lands bill, permanently preserving 104.3 million acres of extraordinary scenic wilderness, over the furious opposition of many in Alaska and in the natural resource industries.[2]
In 1973, Udall was named "Legislator of the Year" by the National Wildlife Federation.[5]
However, in 1974, his Land Use Bill was defeated—some environmentalists blaming Udall's inability to work the bill effectively on the floor of the House.[5]
From the beginning of his work on the Interior committee in 1961, Udall had been interested in limiting the controversial practice of
Udall helped write and pass the Alaska Lands Act of 1980, and landmark 1982 legislation addressing nuclear waste management.[4]
Government legislative reform
Udall challenged the arcane and Byzantine rules and protocols of the House of Representatives, demanding a reduction in the ability of powerful leaders to covertly control legislation and dominate committees. Udall's efforts eventually led to substantial reform of congressional rules and operations.[2][3][5]
Udall gained early national political notoriety for being the first congressman in the 20th century to challenge a sitting
Like any freshman congressman, Udall struggled to adapt to the office during his first term; but in his second term, he responded to the experience by organizing a school for other incoming freshmen congressman, to teach them the complex and subtle ways of the House of Representatives, and how to navigate the Washington bureaucracy. To aid this effort, Udall wrote a 1966 guidebook, The Job of a Congressman.[2][4]
Government campaign reform
Udall co-sponsored the
Government administrative reform
Reforming civil service and the
Ultimately, Udall was one of the principal leaders effecting the first substantial reform of the U.S. civil service system since the 1883 creation of that merit-based government-employment system. The bill created performance incentives for workers in the bureaucracy, and made firing federal workers easier. Although the bill was a favorite project of President Carter, whom Udall disliked, the congressman pushed the bill through Congress, against numerous roadblocks thrown up by federal employees (and by congressmen representing districts that employed many of them). Udall compromised until getting a consensus bill before the whole House, fighting through additional opposition to success.[2]
Udall sought to change the
Other issues
Because of having lost his eye as a child due to inadequate family finances, he strongly believed that people should have access to competent medical care regardless of their financial condition.[3]
In 1963, Udall attempted to get cigarettes (and other tobacco) regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).[5] It took years before the scale of tobacco damage due to smoking was known.
On the
Presidential campaign
In 1976, Udall
Some newspapers proclaimed Udall the winner because of his lead late the night before.
Carter won in Wisconsin by 1%, no more than 7,500 votes. He won 37% to Udall's 36%, gaining one more convention delegate than Udall. Despite the small margins, Carter got the headlines and a further boost to his momentum, and pulled away from Udall and the other candidates. Udall finished second in the New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New York, Michigan, South Dakota, and Ohio primaries, and won the caucuses in his home state of Arizona, while running even with Carter in the New Mexico caucuses. Udall finished a distant second to Carter at the Democratic National Convention, where his name was placed in nomination by Archibald Cox, and Udall's speech received great applause from his supporters.
During the Michigan primary Coleman Young, the mayor of Detroit, accused Udall of racism for belonging to the LDS church.[10] At the time, it still prohibited blacks from serving in the church's priesthood (this was changed in 1978 by LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball). Udall had been a longtime critic of that church policy, and had ceased being an active member because of it. Carter's subsequent sweeping of the black vote in the Michigan primary was key to his crucial and narrow victory in Michigan.
Udall supported Senator Edward Kennedy's challenge to President Carter in 1980, and Kennedy won the Arizona caucuses, one of only three wins for Kennedy in the West. Udall delivered the keynote speech at the 1980 Democratic National Convention, which was a typically witty Udall speech. He considered running for president again in 1984, but he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1979 and his illness kept him on the sidelines.[11] At the convention that summer, Udall introduced his former opponent, President Carter.
Legacy
In 1992, the US Congress founded the
Federal funds for Parkinson's research are designated through the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Act of 1997.[13] The legislation funded a national network of "Centers of Excellence" to diagnose and treat Parkinson disease patients and to refer patients into research protocols.
In 1996 Udall received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Clinton.
Point Udall on Guam, considered the westernmost point of the United States, was named for him in 1987. The easternmost spot, Point Udall, U.S. Virgin Islands, was named for his brother Stewart in 1968.[14] This means that "America's day ... begin(s) and end(s) at a Point Udall."[15]
In Tucson, Arizona, the main post office was named in his honor in 2007 as well as a local park.[16][17]
Family life
Udall was married three times. In 1949, he married Patricia "Pat" Emery, with whom he had six children. Patricia, who hated politics, had arthritis and spent much time in a wheelchair. She and Udall rarely saw each other due to his hectic political schedule. By Mo Udall's own account, Pat had become unsatisfied with her life caused by her illnesses and uninterest in politics. She was also a high-spirited person who had a tendency to frequently start arguments.[18]
Pat Udall struggled emotionally due to the strain of raising six children while struggling with arthritis. Unwilling to undergo psychological counseling due to social stigma, she finally acquiesced and filed for divorce in 1966. Mo Udall, who was opposed to the divorce, did not object to the dissolution of the marriage, mainly because he was more focused on politics than on his family.
Both the Udalls later regretted the divorce, explaining that the marriage ended because Pat had failed to get counseling or help and had simply acquiesced to pressure and made a poor impulse decision. Pat Udall herself stated that she was "ashamed" by her decision to end the marriage.[19] Pat went on to marry and divorce three more times in the seven years following her split from Udall, all of which were brief marriages that she later regretted.[19] Mo and Pat eventually reconciled, and they remained close friends for the rest of his life.[19]
Two years after the divorce, Mo Udall married Ella Lee Royston, a marriage that would last until Royston's suicide in 1988. In 1989, he married his third wife, Norma Gilbert, and they remained together until his death in 1998.[20] His years in retirement were plagued by Parkinson's disease.[18]
Udall's son
Books and archives
With the exception of Udall's first book, his books have been described as "humorous and informative works."[4]
- Arizona Law of Evidence (1960).[4]
- The Job of a Congressman (1966) – a guidebook for freshmen Congressmen.[2][4]
- Education of a Congressman (1972).[4]
- Too Funny to Be President (1988) — his autobiography.[4]
Udall's archives of his professional career and personal life are located the University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections in Tucson, Arizona.
- MS 325 Papers of Morris K. Udall, 1920–1995
UAL Special Collections is also home to the Morris K. Udall Oral History Project, MS 396 that includes interviews from former Presidents, former and current Congressmen, Senators, journalists, key staff members, campaign aides, family and friends of Mo Udall and the Udall family.
See also
- Udall family
- Lee-Hamblin family
- List of members of the American Legion
- List of American sportsperson-politicians
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Biographical Information," on the Morris K. Udall website section – MS 325 – of the University of Arizona Library Manuscript Collection, retrieved July 23, 2018
- ^ National Audubon Society, as reproduced on the Morris K. Udall website section – MS 325 – of the University of ArizonaLibrary Manuscript Collection, retrieved July 23, 2018
- ^ New York Times, retrieved July 23, 2018
- ^ Washington Post, retrieved July 23, 2018
- ^ New York Magazine, as reproduced on the Morris K. Udall website section – MS 325 – of the University of ArizonaLibrary Manuscript Collection, retrieved July 23, 2018
- ^ ISBN 978-0816053698, retrieved September 19, 2011
- Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ISSN 2689-3908.
- ^ Pearson, Richard (December 14, 1998). "Rep. Morris Udall, 76, Dies; Leader on the Environment". The Washington Post.
- ISBN 978-0816532964.
- ^ "Parkinson's Disease Centers of Excellence". www.ninds.nih.gov. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- Pub. L.102–259, 106 Stat. 78, S. 2184, enacted March 19, 1992.
- )
- ^ Tolchin, Martin; Binder, David (February 17, 1989). "The Pillars of Udall". The New York Times. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ Smith, Denny; Blaz, Ben. "Bill Would Name Guam Point After Morris Udall". University of Arizona. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ "Main Post Office Re-named To Honor Mo Udall". www.kold.com. CNBC. June 2, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- ^ "Morris K. Udall Park". www.tucsonaz.gov. City of Tucson. August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-0816532964.
- ^ ISBN 978-0816532964.
- ^ "Environmental Leader Rep. Mo Udall Dies". The Washington Post. December 14, 1998. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
Further reading
- Carson, Donald W., and Johnson, James W., 2004, Mo: The Life and Times of Morris K. Udall . Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press. (ISBN 0816524491)
External links
- United States Congress. "Mo Udall (id: U000001)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation
- Biography – at the Political Graveyard
- Morris K. Udall manuscript collection, the Library of the University of Arizona
- Appearances on C-SPAN