James W. Symington
Encyclopedia
James Wadsworth Symington (ˈsaɪmɪŋtən; born September 28, 1927) is a United States
attorney
and politician
who served as four-term U.S. representative (1969–1977) representing Missouri
.
(U.S. senator, Missouri) and Evelyn Symington, was born on September 28, 1927 in Rochester, New York
. He is the great-grandson of James Wolcott Wadsworth
(U.S. Congress, New York) and grandson of James Wolcott Wadsworth, Jr. (U.S Congress, New York).
He attended St. Bernard's School
in New York City, St. Louis Country Day School
in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1945, he graduated from Deerfield Academy
in Massachusetts and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps
. He served in the Marine Corps as a private first class
from 1945 to 1946.
Symington earned his Bachelor of Arts
degree from Yale University
in 1950 where he was a member of the Berzelius secret society (according to the 1950 Yale Banner), and his law degree from Columbia Law School
in 1954.
and folk
singer, appearing on KMOX-AM and KSD-AM. He also frequently sang at his father's 1952 campaign appearances across Missouri. In 1958, he appeared on ABC-TV's Jubilee USA
, and also performed with Patti Douglas and Lee Mace's Ozark Opry.
Later in 1958, Symington entered the United States Foreign Service
, posted to London
as assistant to John Hay Whitney
, the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom
. He served in this role until 1960, when he returned to private practice in Washington, D.C.
.
He served in a series of roles in government from 1961 to 1968: deputy director, Food for Peace
(1961–1962); administrative assistant to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy
(1962–1963); director, President’s Committee on Juvenile Delinquency (1965–1966); consultant, President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice (1965–1966); and chief of protocol, Department of State (1966–1968).
to the 91st Congress
to represent Missouri's 2nd Congressional District. He served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977. While in Congress, served on the House Commerce Committee
; and the Committee on Science and Technology, chairing the subcommittees on Space Science and Applications; Science, Research & Technology; and International Cooperation.
In the 1976 election, chose not to seek his seat for a fifth term; rather, he made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by his father, who retired after serving four terms. He faced Missouri Governor Warren Hearnes and Congressman Jerry Litton
in the Democratic primary. Litton won the primary but was killed when his plane crashed en route to the victory party. Hearnes was named the Democratic candidate and ultimately lost to Republican Party candidate John Danforth
.
At the end of his Congressional term, Symington returned to the practice of law, becoming a partner in the law firm of Smathers, Symington & Herlong in Washington, D.C.
He is currently practicing law with the law firm of Nossaman
LLP/O'Connor & Hannan, where he specializes in legislative and administrative representation.
Symington is also a writer. A collection of his poems, songs, and prose — A Muse ’N Washington: Beltway Ballads and Beyond — was published in 1999.
Symington appeared as a commentator in the 1990 Ken Burns
film The Civil War
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who served as four-term U.S. representative (1969–1977) representing Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
Youth, family, and education
James Wadsworth Symington, son of StuartStuart Symington
William Stuart Symington was a businessman and political figure from Missouri. He served as the first Secretary of the Air Force from 1947 to 1950 and was a Democratic United States Senator from Missouri from 1953 to 1976.-Education and business career:...
(U.S. senator, Missouri) and Evelyn Symington, was born on September 28, 1927 in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. He is the great-grandson of James Wolcott Wadsworth
James Wolcott Wadsworth
James Wolcott Wadsworth was an American farmer, soldier and statesman.-Life:...
(U.S. Congress, New York) and grandson of James Wolcott Wadsworth, Jr. (U.S Congress, New York).
He attended St. Bernard's School
St. Bernard's School
St. Bernard's School, founded in 1904 by Francis Tabor and John Jenkins, is a private all-male elementary school on Manhattan's Upper East Side. St. Bernard's offers motivated young boys of diverse backgrounds an exceptionally thorough, rigorous, and enjoyable introduction to learning and...
in New York City, St. Louis Country Day School
Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School
Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School or "MICDS" is a secular, co-educational, private school for about 1,200 students in grades Junior Kindergarten through 12, separated into three different sections: JK-4th grade , 5th-8th grade , and 9th-12th grade . Its 100 acre campus is located...
in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1945, he graduated from Deerfield Academy
Deerfield Academy
Deerfield Academy is an independent, coeducational boarding school in Deerfield, Massachusetts, United States. It is a four-year college-preparatory school with approximately 600 students and about 100 faculty, all of whom live on or near campus....
in Massachusetts and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. He served in the Marine Corps as a private first class
Private First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
from 1945 to 1946.
Symington earned his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1950 where he was a member of the Berzelius secret society (according to the 1950 Yale Banner), and his law degree from Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
in 1954.
Early legal career and public service
After graduating from law school, Symington served for two years as Assistant City Counselor (1954–1955) for St. Louis. He then went into private practice from 1955 to 1958. Beginning in the 1950s, he occasionally performed as country musicCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer, appearing on KMOX-AM and KSD-AM. He also frequently sang at his father's 1952 campaign appearances across Missouri. In 1958, he appeared on ABC-TV's Jubilee USA
Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee is the first U.S. network television program to feature country music's top stars, and was the centerpiece of a strategy for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as America's country music capital...
, and also performed with Patti Douglas and Lee Mace's Ozark Opry.
Later in 1958, Symington entered the United States Foreign Service
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
, posted to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as assistant to John Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney , colloquially known as "Jock" Whitney, was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, and a member of the Whitney family.-Family:...
, the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He served in this role until 1960, when he returned to private practice in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
He served in a series of roles in government from 1961 to 1968: deputy director, Food for Peace
Food for Peace
Public Law 480 also known as Food for Peace is a funding avenue by which U.S. food can be used for overseas aid....
(1961–1962); administrative assistant to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
(1962–1963); director, President’s Committee on Juvenile Delinquency (1965–1966); consultant, President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice (1965–1966); and chief of protocol, Department of State (1966–1968).
Congressional career
In 1968, Symington was elected as a DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the 91st Congress
91st United States Congress
The Ninety-first United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1969 to January 3, 1971, during the first two years...
to represent Missouri's 2nd Congressional District. He served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977. While in Congress, served on the House Commerce Committee
United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than 200 years...
; and the Committee on Science and Technology, chairing the subcommittees on Space Science and Applications; Science, Research & Technology; and International Cooperation.
In the 1976 election, chose not to seek his seat for a fifth term; rather, he made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by his father, who retired after serving four terms. He faced Missouri Governor Warren Hearnes and Congressman Jerry Litton
Jerry Litton
Jerry Lon Litton was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Missouri who died with his wife and two children while en route via a small plane to the victory party after winning Missouri's state Democratic primary for U.S. Senate....
in the Democratic primary. Litton won the primary but was killed when his plane crashed en route to the victory party. Hearnes was named the Democratic candidate and ultimately lost to Republican Party candidate John Danforth
John Danforth
John Claggett "Jack" Danforth is a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former Republican United States Senator from Missouri. He is an ordained Episcopal priest. Danforth is married to Sally D. Danforth and has five adult children.-Education and early career:Danforth was born...
.
At the end of his Congressional term, Symington returned to the practice of law, becoming a partner in the law firm of Smathers, Symington & Herlong in Washington, D.C.
Post-congressional roles
Symington served as Director of The Atlantic Council, 1986 - 2001. He then served as Director, Library of Congress Russian Leadership Program, 2001.He is currently practicing law with the law firm of Nossaman
Nossaman
Nossaman LLP is a national law firm with over 150 attorneys and lobbyists located in seven offices throughout the United States. The Firm’s expertise is focused in distinct areas of law and policy, as well as in specific industries, ranging from transportation, healthcare and financial services to...
LLP/O'Connor & Hannan, where he specializes in legislative and administrative representation.
Symington is also a writer. A collection of his poems, songs, and prose — A Muse ’N Washington: Beltway Ballads and Beyond — was published in 1999.
Symington appeared as a commentator in the 1990 Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
film The Civil War
The Civil War (documentary)
The Civil War is a documentary film created by Ken Burns about the American Civil War. It was first broadcast on PBS on five consecutive nights from Sunday, September 23 to Thursday, September 27, 1990. Forty million viewers watched it during its initial broadcast, making it the most-watched...
.