The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project is a university-chartered research center associated with the Department of History of The George Washington University |
Robert Emmet Hannegan (1903 - 1949)When Missouri Governor Lloyd Stark challenged incumbent
Harry Truman for the 1940
Democratic senatorial nomination, Hannegan broke with
the
St. Louis machine to engineer Truman's re-election. In
1942, Truman rewarded Hannegan, championing his appointment
to
revenue commissions, despite the strong objection of anti-machine
Missourians. Two years later, Hannegan, in a meteoric
assent,
assumed the chair of the Democratic National Committee
and took a lead role in removing Henry Wallace from (and
securing
for Truman his place on) the 1944 ticket. When Truman assumed
the presidency, Hannegan encouraged him to be suspicious
of labor, discounted women's contributions to the party,
and urged a cautious approach to social and economic reform.
ER distrusted Hannegan and thought him too conservative
and too tied to boss rule to lead the party effectively.
His influence over Truman disturbed her; however, failing
health forced Hannegan's resignation in 1948. Sources:Black, Allida. Casting Her Own Shadow: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Shaping of Postwar Liberalism. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996, 79, 56, 68-69, 95, 221. Hamby, Alonzo L. Beyond the New Deal: Harry S. Truman and American Liberalism. New York: Columbia University Press, 1973, 56, 81, 136, 148, 191, 295-96. McCullough, David. Truman. New York: Touchstone, 1992, 250-251, 293-323. |