John A. Durkin
Encyclopedia
John Anthony Durkin was a Democratic U.S. Senator
from New Hampshire
from 1975 until 1980.
Durkin graduated from the College of the Holy Cross
in 1959 and Georgetown University Law Center
in 1965. He was assistant attorney general of New Hampshire from 1966 to 1968 and state insurance commissioner from 1968 to 1973.
incumbent Norris Cotton
. He lost to Republican Congressman Louis Wyman by 355 votes in the November 5 election.
However, Durkin demanded a recount, which resulted in his victory by 10 votes. Governor
Meldrim Thomson then certified Durkin as the winner. However, Wyman demanded another recount, in which he prevailed by only two votes. Cotton resigned on December 31, 1974; Thomson appointed Wyman to the seat for the balance of the term ending January 3, 1975 to give him a leg up in seniority. This appeared to end the dispute, but Durkin appealed to the full Senate, which is the final arbiter of Senate elections per the Constitution.
The Senate Rules Committee
, which has jurisdiction over elections, deadlocked on whether to seat Wyman for the 1975-1981 term pending the resolution of the dispute. On January 14, the Senate returned the matter to the Rules Committee, which returned 35 disputed points to the full Senate based on 3,000 questionable ballots. However, the Senate was unable to break a deadlock on even one of the 35 points.
After seven months of wrangling, which included six unsuccessful Democratic attempts to seat Durkin, Wyman proposed that he and Durkin run again in a special election. Durkin agreed, and the Senate declared the seat vacant on August 8, 1975, pending the new election. Thomson appointed Cotton to his old seat in the meantime. The special election was held on September 16, and Durkin won handily, defeating Wyman by over 27,000 votes – ending what remains the longest vacancy following the most closely contested direct Senate election
in history.
For the first four years of his term, Durkin served alongside fellow Democrat Thomas J. McIntyre
. New Hampshire hadn't been represented by two Democratic Senators since prior to the Civil War
.
He was defeated for re-election in 1980
by Warren Rudman
and resigned six days before the end of his term. He sought the state's other Senate seat in 1990, but was defeated handily by Republican Congressman Bob Smith
.
.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
from 1975 until 1980.
Durkin graduated from the College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
in 1959 and Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
in 1965. He was assistant attorney general of New Hampshire from 1966 to 1968 and state insurance commissioner from 1968 to 1973.
1974 Senate election
In 1974, he won the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat vacated by 20-year RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
incumbent Norris Cotton
Norris Cotton
Norris H. Cotton was an American Republican politician from the state of New Hampshire.Norris Cotton was born on a farm in Warren, New Hampshire. He was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and Wesleyan University in Connecticut...
. He lost to Republican Congressman Louis Wyman by 355 votes in the November 5 election.
However, Durkin demanded a recount, which resulted in his victory by 10 votes. Governor
Governor of New Hampshire
The Governor of the State of New Hampshire is the supreme executive magistrate of the U.S. state of New Hampshire.The governor is elected at the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Vermont, to hold...
Meldrim Thomson then certified Durkin as the winner. However, Wyman demanded another recount, in which he prevailed by only two votes. Cotton resigned on December 31, 1974; Thomson appointed Wyman to the seat for the balance of the term ending January 3, 1975 to give him a leg up in seniority. This appeared to end the dispute, but Durkin appealed to the full Senate, which is the final arbiter of Senate elections per the Constitution.
The Senate Rules Committee
United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration is responsible for the rules of the United States Senate, with administration of congressional buildings, and with credentials and qualifications of members of the Senate, including responsibility for dealing with contested elections.The committee...
, which has jurisdiction over elections, deadlocked on whether to seat Wyman for the 1975-1981 term pending the resolution of the dispute. On January 14, the Senate returned the matter to the Rules Committee, which returned 35 disputed points to the full Senate based on 3,000 questionable ballots. However, the Senate was unable to break a deadlock on even one of the 35 points.
After seven months of wrangling, which included six unsuccessful Democratic attempts to seat Durkin, Wyman proposed that he and Durkin run again in a special election. Durkin agreed, and the Senate declared the seat vacant on August 8, 1975, pending the new election. Thomson appointed Cotton to his old seat in the meantime. The special election was held on September 16, and Durkin won handily, defeating Wyman by over 27,000 votes – ending what remains the longest vacancy following the most closely contested direct Senate election
Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established direct election of United States Senators by popular vote. The amendment supersedes Article I, § 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by state legislatures...
in history.
For the first four years of his term, Durkin served alongside fellow Democrat Thomas J. McIntyre
Thomas J. McIntyre
Thomas James McIntyre was a U.S. senator from New Hampshire, and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Laconia, New Hampshire, he attended the public and parochial schools of Laconia; he graduated from Manlius Military School in Manlius, New York, in 1933, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New...
. New Hampshire hadn't been represented by two Democratic Senators since prior to the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
He was defeated for re-election in 1980
United States Senate election in New Hampshire, 1980
The 1980 United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held on November 2, 1980. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John Durkin was defeated by attorney Warren Rudman in a relatively close election, where nationwide Republicans would have a landslide election known as the Reagan...
by Warren Rudman
Warren Rudman
Warren Bruce Rudman is an American attorney and Republican politician who served as United States Senator from New Hampshire between 1980 and 1993...
and resigned six days before the end of his term. He sought the state's other Senate seat in 1990, but was defeated handily by Republican Congressman Bob Smith
Robert C. Smith
Robert C. "Bob" Smith is an American politician who has served in both the United States House of Representatives and the Senate. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life:Smith was born in Trenton, New Jersey...
.
External links
As a member of the senate Veteran's Affairs Committee, Durkin authored an amendment to the 1976 Veterans Affairs Authorization, which extended GI Bill benefits to the veterans of the recently concluded Vietnam WarVietnam 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...
.