Sheridan Downey
Encyclopedia
Sheridan Downey was a lawyer
and a Democratic
U.S. Senator
from California
from 1939 to 1950.
, the seat of Albany County in southern Wyoming
, the son of the former Evangeline Victoria Owen and Stephen Wheeler Downey
. He was educated in public schools and graduated from the University of Wyoming
in Laramie in 1907, and from the University of Michigan
Law School in Ann Arbor
. He subsequently returned to Laramie to practice law, and in 1908 he was elected district attorney
of Albany County as a Republican. In 1910 he married Helen Symons; they had five children. In 1912, Downey split Wyoming's Republican vote by heading the state's "Bull Moose" revolt in support of Theodore Roosevelt
, thus leading to a Democratic victory statewide.
.
In October 1933, Downey announced that he was running for governor of California, but after a series of meetings with the writer Upton Sinclair
, who also had designs on the governorship, Downey agreed to run for Lieutenant Governor of California
as Sinclair's running mate, stumping on the End Poverty in California
(EPIC) plan (opponents called the ticket "Uppie and Downey"). EPIC began as a mass movement, calling for an economic revolution to lift California out of the depression. The EPIC platform called for state support for the creation of jobs, a massive program of public works, and an extensive system of state-sponsored pensions and radical changes in the tax structure.
Before long, more than 2,000 grassroots EPIC clubs sprouted throughout the state, and the most popular EPIC anthem, "Campaign Chorus for Downey and Sinclair," was made into a phonograph record for mass distribution featuring Downey, among others, singing. While EPIC suffered a landslide loss to Republican Frank Merriam
in November 1934, Downey, who had been subjected to less vitriol than Sinclair during the campaign, remained a viable political force in the state. Downey actually garnered 123,000 votes more than his running mate, and he gained a statewide reputation as a champion of progressive politics.
After Sinclair's defeat, Downey became an attorney involved with Dr. Francis Townsend
, the main advocate of the Townsend Plan for government
old-age pension
s. Townsend's $200-a-month pension plan had won a large following in California, particularly among retirees. In 1936, the two drifted apart, as Townsend supported Union Party
presidential nominee William Lemke
of North Dakota
, and Downey remained a Democrat committed to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Senator William Gibbs McAdoo
, the former son-in-law of Woodrow Wilson
, in the Democratic primary by more than 135,000 votes. Despite the strong backing McAdoo received from the White House
and a personal campaign appearance by President Franklin Roosevelt to endorse the incumbent, Downey won the primary and went on to victory in November, defeating Republican Philip Bancroft by a 54-46 percent margin. During the 1938 campaign, Downey appeared on the cover of Time
.
Though he had been considered a staunch liberal
, Downey as a senator became a conservative Democrat who won the support of California's major oil
interests. He supported the efforts of oil companies and agribusiness
to procure state, rather than federal, control of California's oil resources. He also worked to exempt the California Central Valley
from the Reclamation Act of 1902, an action which assisted corporate farms. In the Senate, Downey also introduced a series of pension bills, and in 1941 he was named chairman of a special Senate committee on old-age insurance. He took an early stand supporting a military draft but opposed the Roosevelt administration's plans to requisition industries in time of war. During World War II
he called for the creation of a committee to investigate the status of blacks and other minorities in the armed forces and advocated a postwar United Nations
, international control of atomic energy, increased veterans' benefits, and federal pay raises. At the end of the war he opposed continuation of the military draft. During his years in the U.S. Senate Downey often represented the interests of California's powerful motion picture industry.
by 52 percent to 48 percent, Downey began a push for the California Central Valley project, which had been initiated during the 1930s as part of the New Deal
's vast array of public works projects, such as power dams and irrigation canals.
In a 1947 book entitled They Would Rule the Valley, Downey argued that the federal Bureau of Reclamation sought "to rule" the rich Central Valley farmlands by limiting the size of irrigated holdings. Downey's critics began to charge that the senator had become conservative over the years owing to his support for large growers and the oil industry. This shift may also have reflected the tensions within the California Democratic party that distinguished between white pensioners and union members and the many African-American or Hispanic laborers of the state. These shifts in Downey's political views made him vulnerable to a challenge from the left of his party, and in 1950 he was challenged in the Democratic primary by liberal Representative Helen Gahagan Douglas, a former actress, who characterized him as being in the pocket of the California oil industry and beholden to big business and large-scale agriculture concerns. In early 1950 Downey dropped out of the race, citing ill health, and threw
his support in the Democratic primary behind Manchester Boddy, the conservative and wealthy publisher of the Los Angeles Daily News
. He even indicated that if Douglas won the primary, which she did, he would support Republican U.S. Representative Richard M. Nixon in the general election
. In the ensuing Douglas-Nixon race, Nixon prevailed in what his critics called a smear campaign
. From this race
, Nixon emerged with the sobriquet
"Tricky Dick".
, until his death in San Francisco in 1961. Downey also served as a lobbyist representing the city of Long Beach
and the large petroleum concerns leasing its extensive waterfront. Upon his passing, he donated his body to the University of California
Medical Center in San Francisco. His papers are archived at the Bancroft Library
in Berkeley
.
During his years in the Senate Downey was often described as slight, grayish, and strikingly handsome. His political career in many ways typified the transformation of millions of Republican progressives who supported Theodore Roosevelt and the "Bull Moose" movement of 1912 into Democratic supporters of Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal in the 1930s. During the 1930s and early 1940s Downey was one of California's most significant progressive politicians. While he was often overshadowed in state politics by Republican progressives like Hiram Johnson
and Earl Warren
, Downey left a significant mark because of his tireless advocacy of old-age pensions, organized labor, and racial justice. His conservative turn after his reelection in 1944, when he increasingly represented the interests of big business, large agribusiness concerns, and the oil industry, has obscured his historical reputation as a one-time liberal and progressive force in California politics.
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 a Democratic
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...
U.S. Senator
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 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...
from 1939 to 1950.
Early life
He was born in LaramieLaramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
, the seat of Albany County in southern Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, the son of the former Evangeline Victoria Owen and Stephen Wheeler Downey
Stephen Wheeler Downey
Stephen Wheeler Downey was a lawyer and politician in Wyoming.In 1861, Stephen Downey enlisted as a private in the 3rd Maryland Infantry, Potomac Home Brigade, and successfully promoted to first lieutenant, lieutenant colonel, and colonel...
. He was educated in public schools and graduated from the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
in Laramie in 1907, and from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Law School in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
. He subsequently returned to Laramie to practice law, and in 1908 he was elected district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
of Albany County as a Republican. In 1910 he married Helen Symons; they had five children. In 1912, Downey split Wyoming's Republican vote by heading the state's "Bull Moose" revolt in support of Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, thus leading to a Democratic victory statewide.
Politics
In 1913, Downey moved to Sacramento, California, and continued to practice law with his brother, Stephen Wheeler Downey, Jr. During his first few years in California, he devoted most of his time and energy to his law practice and various real estate interests. In 1924 he supported Robert La Follette's Progressive party campaign for the presidency, and in 1932 he became a Democrat and campaigned for the election of Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin 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...
.
In October 1933, Downey announced that he was running for governor of California, but after a series of meetings with the writer Upton Sinclair
Upton Sinclair
Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. , was an American author who wrote close to one hundred books in many genres. He achieved popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, acquiring particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle . It exposed conditions in the U.S...
, who also had designs on the governorship, Downey agreed to run for Lieutenant Governor of California
Lieutenant Governor of California
The Lieutenant Governor of California is a statewide constitutional officer elected separately from the Governor who serves as the "vice-executive" of California. The Lieutenant Governor of California is elected to serve a four year term and can serve a maximum of two terms...
as Sinclair's running mate, stumping on the End Poverty in California
End Poverty in California movement
Standing for End Poverty in California, EPIC was an effort for well-known muckraking writer and former Socialist Upton Sinclair to implement socialist reforms through California's Democratic Party during the Great Depression by recruiting supporters into the party and then securing that party's...
(EPIC) plan (opponents called the ticket "Uppie and Downey"). EPIC began as a mass movement, calling for an economic revolution to lift California out of the depression. The EPIC platform called for state support for the creation of jobs, a massive program of public works, and an extensive system of state-sponsored pensions and radical changes in the tax structure.
Before long, more than 2,000 grassroots EPIC clubs sprouted throughout the state, and the most popular EPIC anthem, "Campaign Chorus for Downey and Sinclair," was made into a phonograph record for mass distribution featuring Downey, among others, singing. While EPIC suffered a landslide loss to Republican Frank Merriam
Frank Merriam
Frank Finley Merriam was an American politician who served as the 28th governor of California from June 2, 1934 until January 2, 1939...
in November 1934, Downey, who had been subjected to less vitriol than Sinclair during the campaign, remained a viable political force in the state. Downey actually garnered 123,000 votes more than his running mate, and he gained a statewide reputation as a champion of progressive politics.
After Sinclair's defeat, Downey became an attorney involved with Dr. Francis Townsend
Francis Townsend
Dr. Francis Everett Townsend was an American physician who was best known for his revolving old-age pension proposal during the Great Depression. Known as the "Townsend Plan," this proposal influenced the establishment of the Roosevelt administration's Social Security system...
, the main advocate of the Townsend Plan for government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
old-age 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. Townsend's $200-a-month pension plan had won a large following in California, particularly among retirees. In 1936, the two drifted apart, as Townsend supported Union Party
Union Party (United States)
The Union Party was a short-lived political party in the United States, formed in 1936 by a coalition of radio priest Father Charles Coughlin, old-age pension advocate Francis Townsend, and Gerald L. K. Smith, who had taken control of Huey Long's Share Our Wealth movement after Long's assassination...
presidential nominee William Lemke
William Lemke
William Frederick Lemke was a United States politician.-Life and career:He was born in Albany, Minnesota, and raised in Towner County, North Dakota, the son of Fred Lemke and Julia Anna Klier, pioneer farmers who had accumulated some of land...
of North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, and Downey remained a Democrat committed to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
U.S. Senate
In 1938, Downey ran for the U.S. Senate as a supporter of the proposed "Ham and Eggs" government pension program. He defeated incumbentIncumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Senator William Gibbs McAdoo
William Gibbs McAdoo
William Gibbs McAdoo, Jr. was an American lawyer and political leader who served as a U.S. Senator, United States Secretary of the Treasury and director of the United States Railroad Administration...
, the former son-in-law of Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, in the Democratic primary by more than 135,000 votes. Despite the strong backing McAdoo received from the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
and a personal campaign appearance by President Franklin Roosevelt to endorse the incumbent, Downey won the primary and went on to victory in November, defeating Republican Philip Bancroft by a 54-46 percent margin. During the 1938 campaign, Downey appeared on the cover of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
.
Though he had been considered a staunch liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
, Downey as a senator became a conservative Democrat who won the support of California's major oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
interests. He supported the efforts of oil companies and agribusiness
Agribusiness
In agriculture, agribusiness is a generic term for the various businesses involved in food production, including farming and contract farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, wholesale and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales....
to procure state, rather than federal, control of California's oil resources. He also worked to exempt the California Central Valley
California Central Valley
California's Central Valley is a large, flat valley that dominates the central portion of California. It is home to California's most productive agricultural efforts. The valley stretches approximately from northwest to southeast inland and parallel to the Pacific Ocean coast. Its northern half is...
from the Reclamation Act of 1902, an action which assisted corporate farms. In the Senate, Downey also introduced a series of pension bills, and in 1941 he was named chairman of a special Senate committee on old-age insurance. He took an early stand supporting a military draft but opposed the Roosevelt administration's plans to requisition industries in time of war. During World War II
World 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...
he called for the creation of a committee to investigate the status of blacks and other minorities in the armed forces and advocated a postwar United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, international control of atomic energy, increased veterans' benefits, and federal pay raises. At the end of the war he opposed continuation of the military draft. During his years in the U.S. Senate Downey often represented the interests of California's powerful motion picture industry.
Re-election
After his narrow reelection to the Senate in 1944, defeating Republican Lieutenant Governor Frederick F. HouserFrederick F. Houser
Frederick Francis Houser served as the 34th Lieutenant Governor of California under governor Earl Warren between 1943 and 1947. He made several other attempts running for political offices including 1932 House of Representatives for the California 12th district running against John H...
by 52 percent to 48 percent, Downey began a push for the California Central Valley project, which had been initiated during the 1930s as part of the 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...
's vast array of public works projects, such as power dams and irrigation canals.
In a 1947 book entitled They Would Rule the Valley, Downey argued that the federal Bureau of Reclamation sought "to rule" the rich Central Valley farmlands by limiting the size of irrigated holdings. Downey's critics began to charge that the senator had become conservative over the years owing to his support for large growers and the oil industry. This shift may also have reflected the tensions within the California Democratic party that distinguished between white pensioners and union members and the many African-American or Hispanic laborers of the state. These shifts in Downey's political views made him vulnerable to a challenge from the left of his party, and in 1950 he was challenged in the Democratic primary by liberal Representative Helen Gahagan Douglas, a former actress, who characterized him as being in the pocket of the California oil industry and beholden to big business and large-scale agriculture concerns. In early 1950 Downey dropped out of the race, citing ill health, and threw
his support in the Democratic primary behind Manchester Boddy, the conservative and wealthy publisher of the Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Daily News (historic)
The Los Angeles Daily News , often referred to simply as the Daily News, was a newspaper published from 1923 to 1954. It was operated through most of its existence by Manchester Boddy...
. He even indicated that if Douglas won the primary, which she did, he would support Republican U.S. Representative Richard M. Nixon in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. In the ensuing Douglas-Nixon race, Nixon prevailed in what his critics called a smear campaign
Smear campaign
A smear campaign, smear tactic or simply smear is a metaphor for activity that can harm an individual or group's reputation by conflation with a stigmatized group...
. From this race
United States Senate election in California, 1950
The 1950 United States Senate election in California followed a campaign characterized by accusations and name-calling. Republican Richard Nixon defeated Democrat Helen Gahagan Douglas, after Democratic incumbent Sheridan Downey withdrew during the primary election campaign...
, Nixon emerged with the sobriquet
Sobriquet
A sobriquet is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation...
"Tricky Dick".
Later life and achievements
After he left the Senate, Downey practiced law 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....
, until his death in San Francisco in 1961. Downey also served as a lobbyist representing the city of Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
and the large petroleum concerns leasing its extensive waterfront. Upon his passing, he donated his body to the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
Medical Center in San Francisco. His papers are archived at the Bancroft Library
Bancroft Library
The Bancroft Library is the primary special collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired as a gift/purchase from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity...
in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
.
During his years in the Senate Downey was often described as slight, grayish, and strikingly handsome. His political career in many ways typified the transformation of millions of Republican progressives who supported Theodore Roosevelt and the "Bull Moose" movement of 1912 into Democratic supporters of Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal in the 1930s. During the 1930s and early 1940s Downey was one of California's most significant progressive politicians. While he was often overshadowed in state politics by Republican progressives like Hiram Johnson
Hiram Johnson
Hiram Warren Johnson was a leading American progressive and later isolationist politician from California; he served as the 23rd Governor from 1911 to 1917, and as a United States Senator from 1917 to 1945.-Early life:...
and Earl Warren
Earl Warren
Earl Warren was the 14th Chief Justice of the United States.He is known for the sweeping decisions of the Warren Court, which ended school segregation and transformed many areas of American law, especially regarding the rights of the accused, ending public-school-sponsored prayer, and requiring...
, Downey left a significant mark because of his tireless advocacy of old-age pensions, organized labor, and racial justice. His conservative turn after his reelection in 1944, when he increasingly represented the interests of big business, large agribusiness concerns, and the oil industry, has obscured his historical reputation as a one-time liberal and progressive force in California politics.
Works
- Onward America, 1933.
- Courage America, 1933.
- Why I Believe in the Townsend Plan, 1936.
- Pensions or Penury?, 1939. - An early book of New Deal advocacy.
- Highways to Prosperity, 1940.
- They Would Rule the Valley, 1947. - A book written to inform Californians about the Federal Government's efforts to impose undue economic restrictions on agriculture via the Reclamation Bureau.
Further reading
- Guide to the Sheridan Downey Papers at The Bancroft Library