John William McCormack
Encyclopedia
John William McCormack was an American
politician
from Boston, Massachusetts.
McCormack served as a member of United States House of Representatives
from 1928 until he retired from political life in 1971. As a Democrat
, McCormack served as House Majority Leader three times, the first time from 1940 to 1947, the second time from 1949 to 1953, and again from 1955 to 1961. He served as Speaker of the House of Representatives
from 1962 to 1971.
immigrants who had arrived during the Irish potato famine in 1848, and that there were 12 children, of whom three survived to adulthood. McCormack also said that he was 13 when his father died, but Garrison Nelson has written that Joseph left the family to work as a stonemason in coastal Maine, and in 1929 was buried in a pauper's grave in Waldoboro, Maine
; Nelson also offers other evidence about McCormack's parents and siblings, in the course of explaining why McCormack might have felt the need to reinvent himself. McCormack quit school after the eighth grade to help support his mother and family as a $3-a-week errand boy for a brokerage firm. His career began when he shifted to a law firm for a 50-cent raise and studied law
on the side. Attending law school at night, he passed the Massachusetts bar exam in 1913 at age 21 without having completed high school.
He served in the United States Army
in World War I
in 1917 and 1918. Making a name as a Boston trial lawyer, he moved up the ranks in the state legislature
(serving in the House
from 1920 to 1922 and in the Senate
from 1923 to 1926), and was elected to the United States Congress
in 1928 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of James A. Gallivan
.
His ranking rose quickly in the House, thanks to Speaker John Nance Garner
, who put him on the powerful Ways and Means Committee
in his second term. A New Deal
supporter, he maintained an unwaveringly liberal voting record to the end. In 1934 he served as chair of the Special Committee on Un-American Activities
(the "McCormack-Dickstein Committee"), a precursor to the House Un-American Activities Committee
. The main goal of the committee was investigating Nazi
propaganda. He was a staunch anti-Communist crusader as well. He played a key role in extending the military draft just before the Attack on Pearl Harbor
at a time when isolationism
still ran high.
In 1936 McCormack backed Sam Rayburn
's bid to become Speaker; when the latter won the Speakership in 1940, he chose McCormack as majority leader. For the next 21 years, he was the second-ranking Democrat in the House, serving as majority leader when the Democrats had the majority and as minority whip when the Republicans had the majority. He was quite belligerent in this role, usually on the floor during a session, slumped in a front row seat holding a dead cigar, ready to leap into debate with a partisan bite. During the 1950s, his method of urging bipartisan support was to yell across at Republicans that President Dwight D. Eisenhower
would never have got anything done without Democratic help.
(D
-NY
). The incident resulted in the Speaker being named in a noted United States Supreme Court case, Powell v. McCormack
, with Powell prevailing.
McCormack's nine years as Speaker saw landmark legislation in the fields of civil rights
(for which he fought early on), education
, health care
for the elderly and welfare – it was he who presided over the Great Society
Congress. However, the latter part of his tenure saw increasing focus on the Vietnam War
, which he supported. His manner changed during these years: he was impeccably fair and impartial, never ignoring an obstreperous member seeking recognition to make a troublesome point of order. His rare floor speeches usually were restrained. His demeanor generally was that of a kindly elder relative with an unruly brood. According to one member, his strength was his personal consideration of members, which inspired in return affection and a desire to help; his weakness, that he couldn't control the powerful committee chairmen who wield great power in the House. A tall, thin, silver-haired, teetotaling
Irishman who liked to wheel and deal with an arm around the shoulder, he maintained warm ties with some Southerners whom Rayburn could never budge, but never quite mastered Rayburn's talent for making the House behave.
McCormack could properly claim that he was a "national" congressman. He fought for farm bills, even though he said he hadn't "more than five flower pots in my whole district." On a close vote on a cotton bill, the Speaker could be found sweeping members from the lobbies onto the floor, the job of an assistant whip.
At times he was beset by problems. The House met all year in 1963 without finishing its work, and wound up sitting through one futile all-night session, finally passing the last bill at a 7 a.m. session. The House Appropriations Committee
conducted an unseemly squabble with the Senate all through 1962 over where to meet, and Appropriations Committee Chairman Clarence Cannon
closed the session with a speech blasting the House leadership as the worst he had seen in 40 years.
Between the assassination of John F. Kennedy
on November 22, 1963 and the swearing-in of Hubert Humphrey
as Vice President on January 20, 1965, McCormack was the first person in the line of succession for the Presidency, and he received Secret Service
protection. When Kennedy died in 1963, McCormack recalled his experiences serving as next-in-line in an article he wrote for The Boston Globe
.
In January 1969, Arizona
n Morris Udall attempted to unseat and replace McCormack. In 1970, the sniping by young liberals at McCormack increased and several congressmen urged him to step down because he was too old. One Congressman, Jerome R. Waldie
of California
, asked a party caucus to declare a lack of confidence in his leadership; it did not. McCormack kept his decision to leave the House a secret from his closest friends there until he announced it publicly in May 1970. William Colmer
, the mentor of later Representative and U.S. Senator Trent Lott
, described McCormack as being far less effective as Speaker than Rayburn, with Colmer saying that McCormack "wanted to be liked" by his colleagues.
He died of pneumonia
in a nursing home on November 22, 1980. He is buried in Saint Joseph Cemetery, West Roxbury, Massachusetts
.
In 1983, the University of Massachusetts Boston
established the John W. McCormack Institute of Public Affairs, named in McCormack's honor. In 2003 it was expanded into the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies.
In 1920, McCormack married Harriet Joyce, a former singer; the couple had no children. While Congress was in session, they lived at the Washington Hotel. Their devotion to each other was legendary; it was said that they never spent a night apart until she died. If the Speaker was kept late on business, his wife always went up to have dinner with him. She died in December 1971, aged 87. For more than a year, he had spent every night in an adjoining hospital room. He then went home to Boston the following month, after his retirement.
McCormack had few hobbies except politics. In earlier days, he was known as a good high stakes poker
player. He had never flown in an airplane until 1961, when he attended Rayburn's funeral. He drove the 450 miles from Washington to Boston or went up on the night sleeper train.
The Speaker and his wife were devout Roman Catholics
. Both were honored by the Vatican
. He was the first Catholic to be elected Speaker, and some critics complained that this religion sometimes showed in his leadership qualities. An example cited was the 1961 school aid debacle when McCormack insisted that church schools should share in a federal aid program. The bill died on this issue. But in 1963 McCormack helped push through the largest education program in history, much of which went to public institutions only.
At home in his district, he could usually be found visiting sick rooms or political clubs. His personal kindnesses were legendary, and if he harbored vindictiveness it was hard to see. Pundits predicted foot-dragging by the Speaker after President Kennedy's 30-year-old brother Ted
won a Senate seat from Edward J. McCormack, Jr.
, the elder McCormack's favorite nephew, the highest Democratic officeholder in the state, and a logical candidate. McCormack never showed by word or deed that he bore a grudge.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Boston, Massachusetts.
McCormack served as a member of United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1928 until he retired from political life in 1971. As a Democrat
Democratic 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...
, McCormack served as House Majority Leader three times, the first time from 1940 to 1947, the second time from 1949 to 1953, and again from 1955 to 1961. He served as Speaker of the House of Representatives
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
from 1962 to 1971.
Early life
McCormack gave an account of his background that has been incorporated into later biographies: that he was born to Joseph H. McCormack, a hod carrier, and Ellen (née O'Brien) McCormack, that his parents were both the children of IrishIrish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
immigrants who had arrived during the Irish potato famine in 1848, and that there were 12 children, of whom three survived to adulthood. McCormack also said that he was 13 when his father died, but Garrison Nelson has written that Joseph left the family to work as a stonemason in coastal Maine, and in 1929 was buried in a pauper's grave in Waldoboro, Maine
Waldoboro, Maine
Waldoboro is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, in the United States. The population was 4,916 at the 2000 census. Waldoboro is a picturesque fishing and resort town.-History:...
; Nelson also offers other evidence about McCormack's parents and siblings, in the course of explaining why McCormack might have felt the need to reinvent himself. McCormack quit school after the eighth grade to help support his mother and family as a $3-a-week errand boy for a brokerage firm. His career began when he shifted to a law firm for a 50-cent raise and studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
on the side. Attending law school at night, he passed the Massachusetts bar exam in 1913 at age 21 without having completed high school.
Political career
In 1916 the Massachusetts legislature and electorate approved a calling of a Constitutional Convention. In May 1917 McCormack was elected to serve as a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1917, representing the 11th Suffolk District of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.He served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1917 and 1918. Making a name as a Boston trial lawyer, he moved up the ranks in the state legislature
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
(serving in the House
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
from 1920 to 1922 and in the Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
from 1923 to 1926), and was elected to the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1928 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of James A. Gallivan
James A. Gallivan
James Ambrose Gallivan was a United States Representative from Massachusetts. He was born in Boston on October 22, 1866. Gallivan attended the public schools, graduated from the Boston Latin School in 1884 and from Harvard University in 1888. He then engaged in newspaper work...
.
His ranking rose quickly in the House, thanks to Speaker John Nance Garner
John Nance Garner
John Nance Garner, IV , was the 32nd Vice President of the United States and the 44th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives .- Early life and family :...
, who put him on the powerful Ways and Means Committee
United States House Committee on Ways and Means
The Committee of Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committees unless they apply for a waiver from their party's congressional leadership...
in his second term. A New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
supporter, he maintained an unwaveringly liberal voting record to the end. In 1934 he served as chair of the Special Committee on Un-American Activities
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
(the "McCormack-Dickstein Committee"), a precursor to the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
. The main goal of the committee was investigating Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
propaganda. He was a staunch anti-Communist crusader as well. He played a key role in extending the military draft just before the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
at a time when isolationism
United States non-interventionism
Non-interventionism, the diplomatic policy whereby a nation seeks to avoid alliances with other nations in order to avoid being drawn into wars not related to direct territorial self-defense, has had a long history in the United States...
still ran high.
In 1936 McCormack backed Sam Rayburn
Sam Rayburn
Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn , often called "Mr. Sam," or "Mr. Democrat," was a Democratic lawmaker from Bonham, Texas, who served as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for seventeen years, the longest tenure in U.S. history.- Background :Rayburn was born in Roane County, Tennessee, and...
's bid to become Speaker; when the latter won the Speakership in 1940, he chose McCormack as majority leader. For the next 21 years, he was the second-ranking Democrat in the House, serving as majority leader when the Democrats had the majority and as minority whip when the Republicans had the majority. He was quite belligerent in this role, usually on the floor during a session, slumped in a front row seat holding a dead cigar, ready to leap into debate with a partisan bite. During the 1950s, his method of urging bipartisan support was to yell across at Republicans that President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
would never have got anything done without Democratic help.
Speaker of the House of Representatives
His tenure was marked with an undercurrent of dissent among younger, liberal Democratic members who champed at the bit for committee assignments and complained that power was centered in a small, old group of Democratic leaders. McCormack, also known as "Old Jawn", did not exert much pressure on such party rebels. Later, he presided over the issue of refusing to seat Representative Adam Clayton PowellAdam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., was an American politician and pastor who represented Harlem, New York City, in the United States House of Representatives . He was the first person of African-American descent elected to Congress from New York and became a powerful national politician...
(D
Democratic 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...
-NY
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
). The incident resulted in the Speaker being named in a noted United States Supreme Court case, Powell v. McCormack
Powell v. McCormack
Powell v. McCormack, was a United States Supreme Court case decided in 1969. It answered the question of whether Congress has the authority to exclude from being sworn in and enrolled upon its rolls a person who has been duly elected or appointed by the people or the executive authority of his/her...
, with Powell prevailing.
McCormack's nine years as Speaker saw landmark legislation in the fields of civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
(for which he fought early on), education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
for the elderly and welfare – it was he who presided over the Great Society
Great Society
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States promoted by President Lyndon B. Johnson and fellow Democrats in Congress in the 1960s. Two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice...
Congress. However, the latter part of his tenure saw increasing focus on the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, which he supported. His manner changed during these years: he was impeccably fair and impartial, never ignoring an obstreperous member seeking recognition to make a troublesome point of order. His rare floor speeches usually were restrained. His demeanor generally was that of a kindly elder relative with an unruly brood. According to one member, his strength was his personal consideration of members, which inspired in return affection and a desire to help; his weakness, that he couldn't control the powerful committee chairmen who wield great power in the House. A tall, thin, silver-haired, teetotaling
Teetotalism
Teetotalism refers to either the practice of or the promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler or is simply said to be teetotal...
Irishman who liked to wheel and deal with an arm around the shoulder, he maintained warm ties with some Southerners whom Rayburn could never budge, but never quite mastered Rayburn's talent for making the House behave.
McCormack could properly claim that he was a "national" congressman. He fought for farm bills, even though he said he hadn't "more than five flower pots in my whole district." On a close vote on a cotton bill, the Speaker could be found sweeping members from the lobbies onto the floor, the job of an assistant whip.
At times he was beset by problems. The House met all year in 1963 without finishing its work, and wound up sitting through one futile all-night session, finally passing the last bill at a 7 a.m. session. The House Appropriations Committee
United States House Committee on Appropriations
The Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
conducted an unseemly squabble with the Senate all through 1962 over where to meet, and Appropriations Committee Chairman Clarence Cannon
Clarence Cannon
Clarence Andrew Cannon was a Democratic Congressmember from Missouri. He was a notable parliamentarian and chaired the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations.-Biography:...
closed the session with a speech blasting the House leadership as the worst he had seen in 40 years.
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
on November 22, 1963 and the swearing-in of Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
as Vice President on January 20, 1965, McCormack was the first person in the line of succession for the Presidency, and he received Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
protection. When Kennedy died in 1963, McCormack recalled his experiences serving as next-in-line in an article he wrote for The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
.
In January 1969, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
n Morris Udall attempted to unseat and replace McCormack. In 1970, the sniping by young liberals at McCormack increased and several congressmen urged him to step down because he was too old. One Congressman, Jerome R. Waldie
Jerome R. Waldie
Jerome Russell "Jerry" Waldie was a United States Representative from California.-Early life:Born in Antioch, California, Waldie attended Antioch public schools...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, asked a party caucus to declare a lack of confidence in his leadership; it did not. McCormack kept his decision to leave the House a secret from his closest friends there until he announced it publicly in May 1970. William Colmer
William M. Colmer
William Meyers Colmer was a Mississippi politician.Colmer was born in Moss Point, Mississippi, and attended Millsaps College...
, the mentor of later Representative and U.S. Senator Trent Lott
Trent Lott
Chester Trent Lott, Sr. , is a former United States Senator from Mississippi and has served in numerous leadership positions in the House of Representatives and the Senate....
, described McCormack as being far less effective as Speaker than Rayburn, with Colmer saying that McCormack "wanted to be liked" by his colleagues.
He died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in a nursing home on November 22, 1980. He is buried in Saint Joseph Cemetery, West Roxbury, Massachusetts
West Roxbury, Massachusetts
West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston bordered by Roslindale to the north, the Town of Dedham to the east and south, the Town of Brookline and the City of Newton to the west. Many people mistakenly confuse West Roxbury with Roxbury, but the two are not connected. West Roxbury is separated from...
.
In 1983, the University of Massachusetts Boston
University of Massachusetts Boston
The University of Massachusetts Boston, also known as UMass Boston, is an urban public research university and the second largest campus in the five-campus University of Massachusetts system. The university is located on on Harbor Point in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States...
established the John W. McCormack Institute of Public Affairs, named in McCormack's honor. In 2003 it was expanded into the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies.
Personal life and attributes
McCormack had few hobbies except politics. In earlier days, he was known as a good high stakes poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player. He had never flown in an airplane until 1961, when he attended Rayburn's funeral. He drove the 450 miles from Washington to Boston or went up on the night sleeper train.
The Speaker and his wife were devout Roman Catholics
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. Both were honored by the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. He was the first Catholic to be elected Speaker, and some critics complained that this religion sometimes showed in his leadership qualities. An example cited was the 1961 school aid debacle when McCormack insisted that church schools should share in a federal aid program. The bill died on this issue. But in 1963 McCormack helped push through the largest education program in history, much of which went to public institutions only.
At home in his district, he could usually be found visiting sick rooms or political clubs. His personal kindnesses were legendary, and if he harbored vindictiveness it was hard to see. Pundits predicted foot-dragging by the Speaker after President Kennedy's 30-year-old brother Ted
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
won a Senate seat from Edward J. McCormack, Jr.
Edward J. McCormack, Jr.
Edward "Eddy" Joseph McCormack, Jr. was a former Attorney General of Massachusetts.-Personal life and education:...
, the elder McCormack's favorite nephew, the highest Democratic officeholder in the state, and a logical candidate. McCormack never showed by word or deed that he bore a grudge.