Pat McCarran
Pat McCarran | |
---|---|
District Attorney | |
In office 1907–1909 | |
Preceded by | W. B Pittman |
Succeeded by | Cleve H. Baker |
Member of the Nevada Assembly from Washoe County | |
In office 1903–1905 Serving with Peter Burke, W. D. R. Graham, H. R. Cooke, A. D. Graham, J. F. Crosby, J. E. Soucherau | |
Preceded by | Phil Jacobs, G. E. Peckham, W. W. Webster |
Succeeded by | Walter Hastings, A. W. Holmes, E. R. Dodge, R. H. Kinney, J. W. Wright, J. S. Orr |
Personal details | |
Born | Patrick Anthony McCarran August 8, 1876 Reno, Nevada, U.S. |
Died | September 28, 1954 Hawthorne, Nevada, U.S. | (aged 78)
Resting place | Mountain View Cemetery, Reno, Nevada |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Harriet Martha "Birdie" Weeks (m. 1903–1954, his death) |
Children | 5 |
Profession | Attorney |
Patrick Anthony McCarran (August 8, 1876 – September 28, 1954) was an American farmer, attorney, judge, and Democratic politician who represented Nevada in the United States Senate from 1933 until 1954.
McCarran was born in
In 1932, McCarran unseated incumbent Republican
McCarran's career in the Senate was negatively marked by his antisemitism and his conflict with the
Early life and education
McCarran was born in
He attended Nevada State University (now the University of Nevada, Reno) but withdrew to work on the family sheep ranch after his father suffered an injury.[2] Instead of returning to college, McCarran studied law with attorney William Woodburn.
Some sources incorrectly state that McCarran received a bachelor's degree in 1901 and a master's degree in 1915.[3] In fact, he never received a bachelor's degree, and he was awarded an honorary Master of Arts from Nevada State University in 1915.[4] He also received an honorary LL.D. from Georgetown University in 1943[5] and an honorary LL.D. from the University of Nevada in 1945.[6]
Nevada Assembly
McCarran ran for the
He was admitted to the bar in 1905. In 1906, he was elected district attorney of Nye County.[2] He served one term, 1907 to 1909, after which he moved to Reno to continue practicing law.[2]
Nevada Supreme Court
In 1912, McCarran was elected to the Supreme Court of Nevada, succeeding John G. Sweeney.[8] He served as a justice from January 1913 to January 1917.[9]
In January 1917, he succeeded Frank Herbert Norcross as chief justice.[10] He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1918 and left office in January 1919.[9]
State government
Both during his time on the court and afterwards, McCarran continued to play a central role in Nevada's state government, as well as its legal and criminal justice systems. From 1913 to 1918, he served on the state Board of Library Commissioners.[11] In addition, he served as chairman of the Nevada State University Board of Visitors.[12]
During his time on the Court from 1913 to 1919, McCarran served on the state Board of Pardons.[13] He was a member of the Board of Parole Commissioners from 1913 to 1918, and he served on the Board of Bar Examiners from 1919 until 1932.[13]
McCarran was president of the Nevada Bar Association from 1920 to 1921 and was a vice president of the American Bar Association from 1922 to 1923.[14]
United States Senate
Electoral history
McCarran's ambition to serve as a U.S. Senator was well known in Nevada, and often the subject of commentary and jokes in the press.[2]: 18 [15][16][17][18] He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in 1916, and lost to incumbent Key Pittman.[19] McCarran endorsed Pittman in the general election, and Pittman was reelected.[9]
In 1926, McCarran was again a candidate for the U.S. Senate.[9] He lost the Democratic nomination to Raymond T. Baker, who was defeated by Republican incumbent Tasker Oddie in the general election.[9]
In 1932, McCarran won the Democratic nomination and defeated Oddie in the general election.
In 1944, McCarran was challenged by
McCarran had a pet project in nearly every town in the state. Housing projects, sewage systems, airfields, power projects, school houses and heaven knows what...People remember the little personal favors and the things that help financially, but they forgot all the things done that are more remote, but more vital.[2]: 119
McCarran's biographer Jerome Edwards endorsed this theory, arguing that the narrow margin suggests that a substantial number of registered Democrats in Nevada were dissatisfied with McCarran, but his ability to have the federal government built infrastructure projects that Nevada could not afford on its own explains his enduring appeal in his state.[2]
Leadership positions
During his career as a Senator, McCarran served as chairman of the Senate Committees on the District of Columbia (77th and 78th Congresses) and Judiciary (78th, 79th, 81st, and 82nd Congresses).[21] He also served as co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Foreign Economic Cooperation (81st United States Congress).[21]
Opposition to Roosevelt administration
Although both were Democrats, McCarran came into increasing opposition with President Franklin D. Roosevelt over patronage decisions, the Second New Deal, and foreign policy.[18]
During his first term, McCarran engaged in a major struggle for the control of patronage appointments relating to federal projects in Nevada with his Democratic colleague Key Pittman.[2]: 69 As Nevada was a poor state and badly hit by the Great Depression, there was considerable competition for patronage appointments, and control of patronage was a major political tool. President Roosevelt tended to side with Pittman, the senior senator, in the struggle, thereby earning McCarran's enmity.[2]: 69–70 Pittman's serious alcoholism rendered him less effective in his last years, and McCarran was able to become the dominant force within the Nevada Democratic Party by 1938.[2]: 69–70, 74
In the late 1930s, McCarran criticized Roosevelt's "Second New Deal" programs as too liberal.[2]: 94 Much of McCarran's opposition to the New Deal stemmed from his anger that New Deal programs increased Pittman's capacity for patronage appointments.[2]: 69–70
McCarran was also critical of Roosevelt's willingness to intervene in Europe, particularly in alliance with the
McCarran supported the war effort after the United States entered the conflict following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
McCarran's positions on several key committees, most notably Appropriations and Judiciary, gave him significant influence that he used to obtain federal funding for Nevada.[2]: 122–123 Outside of Nevada, McCarran had the reputation of a narrow-minded and parochial senator; the same reasons that made him unpopular outside of Nevada made him popular to Nevadans as he developed the reputation of a dogged fighter for Nevada's interests.[2]: 94 McCarran repeatedly attempted via filibusters to force the federal government to stockpile silver, a measure that would have benefited Nevada where silver mining was a major industry, but was widely denounced outside of Nevada as a plan for wasteful spending designed only to benefit his state.[2]: 94 After Pearl Harbor, McCarran made much in his Senate speeches to the Senate of the fact that most of American industry was concentrated in the Northeast and the Midwest, and argued that the federal government had a duty to ensure that war production was shifted to less industrialized states like Nevada.[2]: 94–95
When Felix Frankfurter became the second Supreme Court nominee to testify in person before the Judiciary Committee, and the first Jewish one, McCarran "used the occasion to launch a nasty, sneering attack on the nominee, filled with innuendo about Frankfurter's foreign origins and alleged radical associations."[23]
McCarran was well known for his efforts at constituent services, often going to extraordinary lengths on behalf of Nevada residents who requested his aid.[2]: 122–124 For instance, McCarran intervened to shield a teenager from Nevada who stole 150 volumes from the Library of Congress and mutilated hundreds of books.[2]: 123 In 1942, McCarran pressured the State Department to engage in a prisoner exchange to return the son of a Reno couple who had been captured by the Japanese at Wake Island.[2]: 123–25 McCarran's reputation as a man who could "get things done" translated into substantial support at the polls.[2]: 124–125
In the 1940s and 1950s, 40 percent of Senate bills had to first be approved by the Senate Judiciary committee, giving McCarran immense power as he could easily kill these bills in his committee.[2]: 94 [24] Other committee chairmen had the same powers over bills related to their fields, but the number of bills that had to passed by the Judiciary Committee made McCarran far more influential than the other senate committee chairmen.[24] Over time, McCarran used his position as chairman of the Judiciary Committee to engage in much deal-making that allowed him to collect a significant number of political "debts", making him one of the most powerful Senators.[2]: 69–70 McCarran's conservative politics, which pitted him against first Roosevelt and then Harry S. Truman, frequently led to him being asked why he continued as a Democrat instead of defecting to the Republicans. In 1950, when McCarran was asked that question by a reporter, he responded: "I can do more good by staying in the Democratic Party and watching the lunatic fringe--the Roosevelt crowd".[25] McCarran was against the plans of the Roosevelt and Truman administrations for federal health insurance and increased education spending; favored restricting the power of unions; was opposed to increased immigration, saying he did not want "undesirables from abroad" coming to America; and was against the United Nations, which he called "a haven for spies and Communists".[24] As chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he appointed his friend, Senator James Eastland, a well known white supremacist and segregationist, as chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Civil Rights.[25] Such was McCarran's power that in July 1952, the liberal Washington Post newspaper (which was not friendly to the conservative McCarran) declared in an article: "It sums the character of this congress to state an unquestionable fact: that its most important member was Patrick A. McCarran".[2]: 122–147
Aviation advocate
McCarran sponsored numerous laws concerning the early commercial aviation industry, including the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 and the Federal Airport Act of 1945.[20] He was an early advocate of separating the United States Army Air Forces from the Army as the Air Force and began sponsoring the necessary legislation in 1933.[26]
Other initiatives
In 1945, McCarran co-sponsored the
McCarran also co-sponsored the 1946
Anti-communism
McCarran established himself as one of the Senate's most ardent anti-Communists.
After World War II, McCarran continued his anti-Communist efforts. He was a supporter of Chiang Kai-shek and attributed the "loss of China" to communists to Soviet influence in the U.S. State Department.[36] In 1952, McCarran and Republican Senators Joseph McCarthy and William Knowland attended a dinner hosted by the Kuomintang Ambassador to Washington, toasting "Back to the mainland!"[37] McCarthy sought McCarran's favor after he started his "crusade against Communism."[25] McCarran privately told friends that "Joe is a bit irresponsible" and a "publicity hound," but praised him for his attacks on the Truman administration.[25] In 1951, in an interview with the U.S. News, McCarran expressed his belief that the American Communist Party had engaged in "infiltration" of the media, churches, university faculties, unions and "nationality groups."[25]
In 1950, McCarran was the chief sponsor of the
As chairman of the Judiciary Committee, McCarran created and chaired the
External videos | |
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Presentation by Ybarra on Washington Gone Crazy, November 13, 2004, C-SPAN |
Biographer
As chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he held up the nomination of Truman's nominee for Attorney General,
On July 27, 1953, the armistice of Panmunjom was signed ending the Korean War. McCarran attracted national attention when he criticized President Dwight Eisenhower on the Senate floor for signing the armistice, which he called "a perpetuation of a fraud on this country and the United Nations".[47] McCarran believed that the United States and the rest of its allies fighting under the United Nations banner in Korea should have fought on until all of Korea was unified under the leadership of President Syngman Rhee, which led him to see the armistice as a sort of American defeat.[47]
Immigration
In June 1952, McCarran joined
I believe that this nation is the last hope of Western civilization and if this oasis of the world shall be overrun, perverted, contaminated or destroyed, then the last flickering light of humanity will be extinguished. I take no issue with those who would praise the contributions which have been made to our society by people of many races, of varied creeds and colors. America is indeed a joining together of many streams which go to form a mighty river which we call the American way. However, we have in the United States today hard-core, indigestible blocs which have not become integrated into the American way of life, but which, on the contrary are its deadly enemies. Today, as never before, untold millions are storming our gates for admission and those gates are cracking under the strain. The solution of the problems of Europe and Asia will not come through a transplanting of those problems en masse to the United States.... I do not intend to become prophetic, but if the enemies of this legislation succeed in riddling it to pieces, or in amending it beyond recognition, they will have contributed more to promote this nation's downfall than any other group since we achieved our independence as a nation.[49]
Some of the immigration provisions of the act were later superseded by the
Personal life
In 1903, McCarran married Harriet Martha "Birdie" Weeks (1882–1963).[51][52] They were the parents of four daughters and one son.[51] Samuel McCarran became a doctor and worked in Reno.[51][52] Margaret and Mary became members of the Order of Dominican Sisters.[51][52] Norine was a longtime employee of the Library of Congress.[51][52] Patricia became the wife of Edwin Parry Hay of Maryland.[51][52] Mary left the order in 1957 and became an investment broker, art studio owner, and author.[53]
Death and burial
McCarran died in Hawthorne, Nevada, on September 28, 1954, collapsing of a heart attack following a speech he gave at a political rally.[20][51] McCarran was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Reno.[54]
Legacy
McCarran is remembered as one of the few Democrats to oppose President
Harold L. Ickes described McCarran as "easy-going, old-shoe 'Pat'" in a column criticizing McCarran as a tool of the oil companies.[58] American journalist John Gunther was also critical of McCarran's alleged corporate ties, writing that he resembled gold "in that he is soft, heavy, and not a good conductor."[59]
McCarran Boulevard in Reno is named for Pat McCarran, as is McCarran Street in North Las Vegas.[60][61]
Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas was named after Senator McCarran prior to December 14, 2021.[26] For some time, many Nevada politicians had supported removing his name from the airport due to his antisemitic and racist beliefs. U.S. Senator Harry Reid said McCarran was "one of the most prejudiced people who has ever served in the Senate."[62] On February 16, 2021, the Clark County Commissioners voted unanimously to officially change the name of McCarran International Airport to Harry Reid International Airport.[63] The name change took place after federal approval and just before Reid's death.
National Statuary Hall and controversy
A
In 2017, Nevada's three Democratic members of the
"While he fought for workers' rights and helped shape the country's aviation industry, McCarran left a legacy of racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism" - letter sent by Reps. Dina Titus, Ruben Kihuen and Jacky Rosen.[65][66]
In January, 2017, a poll of Nevada legislators indicated support for removing McCarran's statue from the collection.
Popular culture
- Cartoonist Walt Kelly introduced a character into his Pogo comic strip called Mole MacCaroney. Mole's near-blindness and concerns about "germs" were seen as a hostile reference to McCarran and his immigration restriction policies.[68]
- McCarran was in part the inspiration for the fictional character of the corrupt United States Senator Pat Geary in the film The Godfather Part II.[69][70]
- McCarran's chair from his tenure in the U.S. Senate was featured in a 2011 episode of the History Channel reality television series Pawn Stars.[71]
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-7425-6193-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-87417-071-9.
- ^ Rocha, Guy (May 2001). Myth #64: Getting the Facts Down Pat. Carson City: Nevada State Library and Archives. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- ^ University of Nevada (November 1, 1922). Quarterly Bulletin. Reno, NV: University of Nevada. p. 33.
- ^ "Georgetown U. to Confer Degree on Senator M'Carran". The Guardian (Little Rock). September 10, 1943. p. 5.
- ^ University of Nevada Board of Regents (1946). Biennial Report of the Board of Regents of the State University of Nevada. Reno: University of Nevada. p. 21.
- ISBN 978-0-3754-1444-2 – via Google Books.
- ^ Davis, Sam Post (1913). The History of Nevada. Vol. 1. Reno, NV: Elms Publishing Co. p. 306.
- ^ a b c d e f "M'Carran Is New Chief Justice". Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, NV. January 2, 1917. p. 3.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ United States Code Congressional and Administrative News. Eagan, Minnesota: West Publishing Company. 1955. p. 42.
- ^ Farnsworth, Joe (1917). List of Members, Officers and Committees and Rules of the Two Houses of the Nevada Legislature. Carson City, NV: State Printing Company. p. 8.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-403-09611-4.
- ^ McCarran, Pat (May 1, 1939). "My Views on Senate Bill 1635". Popular Aviation. Chicago, Illinois: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company: 36.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Kelly, Rick (December 18, 2004). "Anticommunism run amok: the life of Senator Pat McCarran". WSWS.org. Oak Park, MI.
- ISBN 978-0-87417-826-5.
- ^ a b c Patrick Anthony McCarran, Late a Senator from Nevada. Washington, D.C.: US Government Printing Office. 1955. p. 5.
- ^ a b Historian of the United States Senate. "Patrick Anthony McCarran profile". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Washington, D.C.: United States Senate. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7867-5629-2.
- ^ a b c d Olmsted, Kathryn S. (January 16, 2005). "The real witch hunter of the 1950s (book review)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c Oshinksy, David A Conspiracy So Immense Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005 page 207.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-9821-2404-5 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d The First 100 Persons Who Shaped Southern Nevada, 1st100.com; accessed December 12, 2016.
- ^ "What is the McCarran-Ferguson Act?". Company Overview: McCarran-Ferguson Act. Bloomington, IL: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-107-00432-0.
- ISBN 978-1-4408-0047-4.
- ISBN 978-0-8223-4503-9.
- ISBN 978-0-8223-4503-9.
- ISBN 978-1-58642-065-9.
- ^ Ybarra, Michael J. Washington Gone Crazy: Senator Pat McCarran and the Great American Communist Hunt, Hanover: Steerforth Press, 2004 pages 473-474
- ^ Ybarra, Michael J. Washington Gone Crazy: Senator Pat McCarran and the Great American Communist Hunt, Hanover: Steerforth Press, 2004 page 474
- ^ Ybarra, Michael J. Washington Gone Crazy: Senator Pat McCarran and the Great American Communist Hunt, Hanover: Steerforth Press, 2004 page 475
- ISBN 9780804722186.
- ISBN 9780155004153.
- ^ a b Fried, Richard Nightmare in Red: The McCarthy Era in Perspective, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990 page 117.
- ^ Fried, Richard Nightmare in Red: The McCarthy Era in Perspective, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990 page 118.
- ISBN 0-19-504361-8.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-7987-0.
- ^ a b Fried, Richard Nightmare in Red: The McCarthy Era in Perspective, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990 page 148
- ISBN 978-0-520-07388-3.
- ^ a b c Oshinksy, David A Conspiracy So Immense Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005 page 209.
- ^ Fried, Richard Nightmare in Red: The McCarthy Era in Perspective, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990 page 149.
- ^ Haynes & Klehr Early Cold War Spies; p. 47; US Senate, 82nd Congress, 2nd Session, Committee on the Judiciary, Institute of Pacific Relations, Report No. 2050, p. 224
- ^ a b Ybarra, Michael J. Washington Gone Crazy: Senator Pat McCarran and the Great American Communist Hunt, Hanover: Steerforth Press, 2004 page 714
- ISBN 978-1-1394-4744-7 – via Google Books.
- ^ Senator Pat McCarran, Congressional Record, March 2, 1953, p. 1518
- ^ Holmes, Steven A. (February 2, 1990). "Legislation Eases Limits on Aliens". New York Times. New York, NY.
- ^ a b c d e f g Sun Staff (September 29, 1954). "McCarran Dies: Senator Collapses After Speaking to Hawthorne Demo". Las Vegas Sun. Las Vegas, NV.
- ^ a b c d e McCarran, Margaret Patricia (Fall–Winter 1968). "Patrick Anthony McCarran, 1876-1954" (PDF). Nevada Historical Society Quarterly. Reno, NV: Nevada Historical Society. pp. 5–53.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ U.S. Congress (August 6, 1959). Report: Acceptance of Statue of Patrick A. McCarran. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 7 – via Google Books.
- ISBN 978-0-8160-5368-1.
- ^ Nevada Aerospace Hall of Fame. "Biography, HOF inductee Patrick A. McCarran". Mccarran.com/NVAHOF/. Las Vegas, NV: Clark County Department of Aviation. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ Davis, Hillary (February 16, 2021). "Many state leaders voice support for renaming Las Vegas airport - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". lasvegassun.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- Newspapers.com.
- Harper & Brothers. pp. 80, 84, 940.
- ^ Velotta, Richard N. (June 25, 2012). "Should McCarran airport be renamed for Las Vegas?". Vegas, Inc. Las Vegas, NV.
- ^ Smith, John L. (August 28, 2012). "If we're erasing McCarran's name, maybe we should dump some others". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Las Vegas, NV.
- ^ "Harry Reid: Pat McCarran's name shouldn't be on anything - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". August 25, 2012. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
- ^ Golonka, Sean (February 16, 2021). "Clark County Commissioners approve renaming McCarran airport after Sen. Harry Reid, federal approval needed next". The Nevada Independent.
- ^ Whaley, Sean (October 11, 2016). "Nevada lawmakers favor removing McCarran statue from US Capitol". Reviewjournal.com. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- ^ a b "Nevada lawmakers favor removing McCarran statue".
- ^ Mel Lipman (September 16, 2012). "McCarran's name dishonors Nevada - Las Vegas Sun News". Lasvegassun.com. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- ^ Whaley, Sean (June 6, 2017). "Las Vegas airport will not get a name change – Las Vegas Review-Journal". Reviewjournal.com. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-7987-0.
- ^ "G.D. Spradlin, 1920-2011". Boston Globe. July 26, 2011. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
- ^ Hoffman, Dave (March 6, 2007). "The Godfather's Connection to the US Attorney Scandal". Concurring Opinions. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- ^ A listing of Season 3 episodes with synopses of the History channel reality TV series Pawn Stars
Further reading
- Klingaman, William (1996). The Encyclopedia of the McCarthy Era. New York : Facts on File. ISBN 0-8160-3097-9.
- Ybarra, Michael J. (2004). Washington Gone Crazy: Senator Pat McCarran and the Great American Communist Hunt. Steerforth Publishing. ISBN 1-58642-065-8.
- Newman, Robert P. (1992). Owen Lattimore And The "Loss" of China. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-07388-6.
- Schrecker, Ellen (1986). No Ivory Tower: McCarthyism and the Universities. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-503557-7.
- Schrecker, Ellen (1998). Many Are The Crimes: McCarthyism In America. Boston; London : Little, Brown. ISBN 0-316-77470-7.
- Hopkins, A. D. (1999). "Pat McCarran, Perennial Politician". The First 100; Portraits of the Men and Women Who Shaped Las Vegas. Stephens Media Group.
- "Patrick McCarran (1876–1954)". Las Vegas: An Unconventional History. American Experience, PBS. 2005.
By Pat McCarran
- McCarran, Pat. "Three years of the Federal Administrative Procedure Act: A study in Legislation" Georgetown Law Journal 38 (1949) pp 574+ online
- McCarran, Pat. Displaced Persons: Facts Versus Fiction. U.S. Government Printing Office.
External links
- United States Congress. "Pat McCarran (id: M000308)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Pat McCarran at Find a Grave
- Media related to Pat McCarran at Wikimedia Commons