Victor Aloysius Meyers
Encyclopedia
Victor Aloysius Meyers (September 7, 1897–May 28, 1991) known as "The Clown Prince of Politics" and "The Pagliacci
of Politics", was a Seattle, Washington
, jazz
bandleader and Washington State Democratic Party politician. He served 20 years as the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Washington
and eight as Secretary of State of Washington
.
Born in Little Falls
, Minnesota
, Meyers was the fifteenth of 16 children. His mother was a pianist; his father Morrison County
treasurer. Meyers became a multi-instrumental musician, with drums as his first instrument.
His family moved to Oregon
. In his teens, Meyers played drums professionally at a Seaside, Oregon
hotel. At age 21 he put together a 10-piece band, recorded for Brunswick Records
and toured nationally before settling in Seattle, where he played on the radio and where his band first got a residency at the Trianon Ballroom in the Belltown
/Denny Regrade
area north of downtown and later for many years at the Rose Room at the Butler Hotel
, Seattle's leading dance venue of the time, well-known for its flouting of Prohibition
.
Meyers' compositions as a musician included "Ada", composed with Harold Weeks and Danny Cann; "Isle of Dreams", composed with Weeks and Oliver Wallace
; and "I'm Happy Now That You're Gone", composed with Al Thompson
and Harry Von Tilzer
.
spring 1932 mayoral race against business candidate John F. Dore (a trial lawyer) and a field of "fatuous has-beens and never-wases". Welch saw Meyers as a joke candidate he could use as an anchor for satiric
stories on the race. Meyers was, of course, happy to have the publicity.
The Times trumpeted Meyers entry into the race with an eight-column page one headline, and gave him daily coverage. Meyers chose the meaningless campaign slogan "Watch 'er Click with Vic". He drove a beer wagon around town—this in the midst of Prohibition—with his band playing "Happy Days Are Here Again
"; he started out campaigning in shirt sleeves, to prove he was not a representative of the vested interests; later he campaigned in a tuxedo
, silk scarf, top hat, velvet-lapeled overcoat, and kid gloves
. His speeches were often parodies of Dore's. He came out in favor of graft
. His answer to the problems of Seattle's ailing streetcar system was to add hostesses. He appeared at a Shriners
' candidates' forum at the Olympic Hotel
dressed as Mahatma Gandhi
, leading a goat, sipping goat's milk and munching raw carrots, and wearing gold-rimmed eyeglasses.
Somewhere along the way, though, Meyers decided he had ideas every bit as good as the other candidates'. Also, he got tired of the complaints of the Times's rivals, the Post-Intelligencer
and Star
, that he was degrading the electoral process. Increasingly, he ignored the Times's gag writers and began to campaign seriously, but still finished only sixth in a field of ten.
After briefly going back to being a full-time bandleader, he decided to run for lieutenant governor in the fall 1932 election, this time without Welch and the Times. Actually, he originally decided to run for governor, but didn't want to pony up the $US60 filing fee; the filing fee for lieutenant governor was only $12. He continued to use humor (for example, repeating the Gandhi bit) and music (playing saxophone
at his own campaign appearances), but also campaigned more seriously. He appeared on an Indian reservation
talking about how the Indians weren't allowed to vote. He came out for pension
s, child welfare
, and unemployment compensation. He gained the Democratic nomination in the September primary
, thereby becoming the running mate to Clarence D. Martin
; both went on to win in November in conjunction with Franklin D. Roosevelt
's landslide victory in the presidential election
. Meyers and his band played at the inaugural ball.
. He became known as a leader of the left wing of the state Democratic Party, often putting him at odds with the more centrist Governor Martin, but getting on well with rising star Albert D. Rosellini. When, in the midst of the Great Depression
, the left-wing Unemployed Citizens' League marched to Olympia, Washington
to confront Governor Martin, Meyers opened his home to the marchers. He was re-elected five times before finally losing in 1952 in the Eisenhower
landslide. During that time, he twice again ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Seattle, losing to Arthur B. Langlie
in 1938 and to William F. Devin in 1946. He later ran successfully for Secretary of State of Washington
in 1956 and served two terms in that office before being defeated in 1964 after a scandal related to the mishandling of the petition for an anti-gambling initiative
. He is, as of 2010, the last Democrat in the state to hold the position of Secretary of State.
He had one last hurrah, entering the 1976 race to regain his position as secretary of state, but withdrew for health reasons. Meyers' son Victor Aloysius Meyers, Jr. served two terms in the state legislature (elected from the 31st District in 1958 and 1960) and ran unsuccessfully for state secretary of state in 1980, before dying in 1981 at the age of 57.
, Meyers also took a shot at the prefabricated housing business, partnering with his brother Joseph Meyers and State Senator Howard Bargreen of Everett, Washington
in a venture selling "Honeymoon GI homes". Many of these still stand in Tacoma, Washington
.
Late in life, he managed a golf course
and apartment complex in Kent, Washington
. His last years were spent in a nursing home.
at Sun Lakes State Park
as the "Vic Meyers Golf Course" and renamed Rainbow Lake as "Vic Meyers Lake". The park had been a pet project of his. Considered too out-of-the-way when Meyers first backed it, "Vic's Folly" is now one of the busiest parks in the state.
Meyers is a member of the Northwest Music Association Hall of Fame.
Pagliacci
Pagliacci , sometimes incorrectly rendered with a definite article as I Pagliacci, is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...
of Politics", was a Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bandleader and Washington State Democratic Party politician. He served 20 years as the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Washington
Lieutenant Governor of Washington
The Lieutenant Governor of Washington is an elected office in the U.S. state of Washington. The current incumbent is Brad Owen, a Democrat who has served since 1997...
and eight as Secretary of State of Washington
Secretary of State of Washington
The Secretary of State of Washington is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Washington. The duties of the office are specified in Article III, Section 17 of the Washington State Constitution and Chapter 43.07 of the Revised Code of Washington...
.
Youth and musical career
Little Falls, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,719 people , 3,197 households, and 1,899 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,232.5 people per square mile . There were 3,358 housing units at an average density of 536.2 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, Meyers was the fifteenth of 16 children. His mother was a pianist; his father Morrison County
Morrison County, Minnesota
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,712 people, 11,816 households, and 8,460 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 people per square mile . There were 13,870 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
treasurer. Meyers became a multi-instrumental musician, with drums as his first instrument.
His family moved to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. In his teens, Meyers played drums professionally at a Seaside, Oregon
Seaside, Oregon
Seaside is a city in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. The name Seaside is derived from Seaside House, a historic summer resort built in the 1870s by railroad magnate Ben Holladay. The city's population was 6,457 at the 2010 census.-History:...
hotel. At age 21 he put together a 10-piece band, recorded for Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
and toured nationally before settling in Seattle, where he played on the radio and where his band first got a residency at the Trianon Ballroom in the Belltown
Belltown, Seattle, Washington
Belltown is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, United States, in the 98121 Zip Code, located on the city's downtown waterfront, on land that was artificially flattened as part of a regrading project...
/Denny Regrade
Denny Regrade, Seattle, Washington
The Denny Regrade is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, USA, that stretches north of the central business district to the grounds of Seattle Center. Its generally flat terrain was originally a steep hill, taken down as part of a mammoth construction project in the first decades of the 20th...
area north of downtown and later for many years at the Rose Room at the Butler Hotel
Butler Hotel
The Butler Hotel or Hotel Butler in Seattle, Washington was one of Seattle's leading hotels in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was located in what is now the Pioneer Square-Skid Road National Historic District. During the Prohibition era, its Rose Room was repeatedly cited for flouting...
, Seattle's leading dance venue of the time, well-known for its flouting of Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
.
Meyers' compositions as a musician included "Ada", composed with Harold Weeks and Danny Cann; "Isle of Dreams", composed with Weeks and Oliver Wallace
Oliver Wallace
Oliver George Wallace was a British composer and conductor. He was especially known for his film music compositions, which were written for many animation, documentary, and feature films from Walt Disney Studios....
; and "I'm Happy Now That You're Gone", composed with Al Thompson
Al Thompson
Al Thompson was an American film actor. He appeared in 176 films between 1916 and 1958.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:* Dull Care...
and Harry Von Tilzer
Harry Von Tilzer
Harry Von Tilzer was a very popular United States songwriter.-Biography:Von Tilzer was born in Goshen, Indiana under the name Aaron Gumbinsky which he shortened to Harry Gumm. He ran away and joined a traveling circus at age 14, where he took his new name by adding 'Von' to his mother's maiden...
.
Meyers' contribution to historical documentation
While serving as Washington's Secretary of State, Meyers published a booklet entitled "Historical Highlights". The booklet is written from a political perspective as tied to events within local communities and populations. Meyers summarized events beginning with the Spanish Expeditions in 1543 to the first territorial governor, Isacc Stevens, in 1853, before adding in-depth state history from 1853 to 1959. Territorial and State Governors' influences and contributions during periods in office serve as the basis of historical documentation with details pertaining to legislation and the citizenry.Meyers enters politics
By 1932, Meyers had left the Butler Hotel and was holding forth at his own Club Victor back up in the Regrade, often nearly broke, and continuing to get in trouble with the authorities enforcing the Prohibition laws. Covered constantly by the local press, he was one of the city's best-known figures. That year was a local election year, and assistant city editor Doug Welch and some other newspapermen at the Seattle Times decided to urge Meyers to enter the city's nonpartisanNonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
spring 1932 mayoral race against business candidate John F. Dore (a trial lawyer) and a field of "fatuous has-beens and never-wases". Welch saw Meyers as a joke candidate he could use as an anchor for satiric
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
stories on the race. Meyers was, of course, happy to have the publicity.
The Times trumpeted Meyers entry into the race with an eight-column page one headline, and gave him daily coverage. Meyers chose the meaningless campaign slogan "Watch 'er Click with Vic". He drove a beer wagon around town—this in the midst of Prohibition—with his band playing "Happy Days Are Here Again
Happy Days Are Here Again
"Happy Days Are Here Again" is a song copyrighted in 1929 by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen and published by EMI Robbins Catalog, Inc./Advanced Music Corp...
"; he started out campaigning in shirt sleeves, to prove he was not a representative of the vested interests; later he campaigned in a tuxedo
Tuxedo
A tuxedo is a type of semi-formal dress for men.Tuxedo may also refer to:-Places:Canada* Tuxedo, Winnipeg, Manitoba, a city neighborhood** Tuxedo , a provincial electoral district in Manitoba...
, silk scarf, top hat, velvet-lapeled overcoat, and kid gloves
Kid gloves
- Music :*"Kid Gloves", by Rush from the 1984 album Grace Under Pressure*"Kid Gloves", by Rory Gallagher from the 1990 album Fresh Evidence*"Kid Gloves", by Fountains of Wayne from the 2005 album Out-of-State Plates...
. His speeches were often parodies of Dore's. He came out in favor of graft
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
. His answer to the problems of Seattle's ailing streetcar system was to add hostesses. He appeared at a Shriners
Shriners
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, also commonly known as Shriners and abbreviated A.A.O.N.M.S., established in 1870, is an appendant body to Freemasonry, based in the United States...
' candidates' forum at the Olympic Hotel
Fairmont Olympic Hotel (Seattle)
The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, originally Olympic Hotel, is a historic hotel in downtown Seattle, Washington, occupying the city block between 4th and 5th Avenue and between University and Seneca Streets. It was built in 1924; in 1979, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.It was...
dressed as Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
, leading a goat, sipping goat's milk and munching raw carrots, and wearing gold-rimmed eyeglasses.
Somewhere along the way, though, Meyers decided he had ideas every bit as good as the other candidates'. Also, he got tired of the complaints of the Times's rivals, the Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
and Star
Seattle Star
The Seattle Star was a daily newspaper that ran from February 25, 1899, to August 13, 1947. It was owned by E.W. Scripps and in 1920 was transferred to Scripps McRae League of Newspapers , after a falling-out within the Scripps family...
, that he was degrading the electoral process. Increasingly, he ignored the Times's gag writers and began to campaign seriously, but still finished only sixth in a field of ten.
After briefly going back to being a full-time bandleader, he decided to run for lieutenant governor in the fall 1932 election, this time without Welch and the Times. Actually, he originally decided to run for governor, but didn't want to pony up the $US60 filing fee; the filing fee for lieutenant governor was only $12. He continued to use humor (for example, repeating the Gandhi bit) and music (playing saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
at his own campaign appearances), but also campaigned more seriously. He appeared on an Indian reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
talking about how the Indians weren't allowed to vote. He came out for pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
s, child welfare
Child welfare
Child protection is used to describe a set of usually government-run services designed to protect children and young people who are underage and to encourage family stability...
, and unemployment compensation. He gained the Democratic nomination in the September primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, thereby becoming the running mate to Clarence D. Martin
Clarence D. Martin
Clarence Daniel Martin was the 11th Governor of the state of Washington. A Democrat, he served two terms from 1933 to 1941....
; both went on to win in November in conjunction with Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's landslide victory in the presidential election
United States presidential election, 1932
The United States presidential election of 1932 took place as the effects of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, the Revenue Act of 1932, and the Great Depression were being felt intensely across the country. President Herbert Hoover's popularity was falling as...
. Meyers and his band played at the inaugural ball.
Career politician
While Meyers first ran for lieutenant governor without even being clear on the duties of the office, he soon became adept at those duties, the most important of which was to preside over the Washington State SenateWashington State Senate
The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 senators, each representing a district with a population of nearly 120,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olympia....
. He became known as a leader of the left wing of the state Democratic Party, often putting him at odds with the more centrist Governor Martin, but getting on well with rising star Albert D. Rosellini. When, in the midst of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the left-wing Unemployed Citizens' League marched to Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
to confront Governor Martin, Meyers opened his home to the marchers. He was re-elected five times before finally losing in 1952 in the 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...
landslide. During that time, he twice again ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Seattle, losing to Arthur B. Langlie
Arthur B. Langlie
Arthur Bernard Langlie served as the mayor of Seattle, Washington, from 1938 to 1941 and was the 12th and 14th Governor of the U.S. state of Washington from 1941 to 1945 and from 1949 to 1957.-Background:...
in 1938 and to William F. Devin in 1946. He later ran successfully for Secretary of State of Washington
Secretary of State of Washington
The Secretary of State of Washington is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Washington. The duties of the office are specified in Article III, Section 17 of the Washington State Constitution and Chapter 43.07 of the Revised Code of Washington...
in 1956 and served two terms in that office before being defeated in 1964 after a scandal related to the mishandling of the petition for an anti-gambling initiative
Initiative
In political science, an initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote...
. He is, as of 2010, the last Democrat in the state to hold the position of Secretary of State.
He had one last hurrah, entering the 1976 race to regain his position as secretary of state, but withdrew for health reasons. Meyers' son Victor Aloysius Meyers, Jr. served two terms in the state legislature (elected from the 31st District in 1958 and 1960) and ran unsuccessfully for state secretary of state in 1980, before dying in 1981 at the age of 57.
Pre-fab houses
In the years after World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Meyers also took a shot at the prefabricated housing business, partnering with his brother Joseph Meyers and State Senator Howard Bargreen of Everett, Washington
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
in a venture selling "Honeymoon GI homes". Many of these still stand in Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
.
Late in life, he managed a golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
and apartment complex in Kent, Washington
Kent, Washington
Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States, and is the third largest city in King County and the sixth largest in the state. An outlying suburb of Seattle, Kent is also the corporate home for companies such as REI and Oberto Sausage...
. His last years were spent in a nursing home.
Honors
In 1977, the Washington legislature designated the golf courseGolf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
at Sun Lakes State Park
Sun Lakes State Park
Sun Lakes State Park is a camping park with of freshwater shoreline at the foot of Dry Falls, which is located near Coulee City, Washington. Formed by the Missoula Floods, Dry Falls is the site of a former waterfall which is now a stark cliff, high and wide. When the floods occurred, the...
as the "Vic Meyers Golf Course" and renamed Rainbow Lake as "Vic Meyers Lake". The park had been a pet project of his. Considered too out-of-the-way when Meyers first backed it, "Vic's Folly" is now one of the busiest parks in the state.
Meyers is a member of the Northwest Music Association Hall of Fame.
Partial discography
- "Mean Mean Mama / Shake It and Break It", Brunswick 2501 (1923)
- "Helen Gone / Springtime Rag", Brunswick 2630 (1924)
- "Beets and Turnips" / "Weary Blues", Brunswick 2664 (1924)
- "Heartbroken" / "Burmalone", Brunswick 2685 (1924)
- "Mean Looks" / "Tell Me What To Do", Brunswick 2733 (1924)
- "The Only, Only One For Me" / "No Wonder (That I Love You)", Brunswick 2774 (1924)
- "Sad" / "Shimmy", Brunswick 2800 (1924)