Politics

Hot Stove #87 – Fifty Years Ago – The Washington Senators (Part 1 – Stuart Symington)

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~ Lonnie Shalton

[Fifty years ago this month, Tom Eagleton was elected to his first term in the Senate. I have taken that fact and somehow expanded it to a couple of Hot Stove posts – about baseball, not politics. But in the wake of this past week’s elections, I want to pause a moment to thank my friend (and occasional Hot Stove reader) Senator Claire McCaskill for her lifetime of exemplary public service. As you will read below, the Senate seat once held by Harry Truman had a 24-year run with Stuart Symington. Republicans then had a good stretch, but Claire McCaskill took back the seat in 2006. She held it for two terms. Kudos to Claire who never stopped working hard for the people of Missouri. From her first race at age 28 to her concession speech Tuesday night, a class act. Below, Claire with husband Joe (a regular Hot Stove reader) at the 2014 Cardinals home opener.]

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Hot Stove #40 – Wild About Harry – Oh What a Night

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~ Lonnie Shalton ~ 1 Comment

Events have again caused a break in my normal Hot Stove posting. There is a baseball twist, but this post is mostly about how sometimes you just get lucky.

Wild About Harry Dinner: When I got the “save the date” card in the mail, I knew I had to be there. The Truman Library Institute was having its annual “Wild About Harry” dinner on April 20, and the theme was the Truman civil rights legacy. One of the honorees was Congressman John Lewis and the keynote speaker was Calvin Trillin. I had personal reasons to see both of them.

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Ken Hill: From Pendergast to Carnahan (Part Two of Three)

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~ Lonnie Shalton

Ken Hill: From Pendergast to Carnahan (Part Two of Three)

 

Part One ended with Mike White’s one-vote victory in his county legislative race in 1972. George Lehr was in the middle of his 4-year term as Presiding Judge, and under the new charter, Lehr became the County Executive. When Lehr announced he would run for State Auditor in 1974, the County Executive post was up for grabs.

 

1974 – Mike White: The field for the County Executive race narrowed to two primary candidates: James P. Aylward, Jr. and Mike White. Both were considered “good government” types and each had run for their first office with CCP support, Jim for county collector in 1970 (succeeding George Lehr) and Mike in 1972 for his county legislative seat. Mike’s one-vote win had given him some notoriety, and the Aylward name was well known in county politics, so much so that I will digress for a moment.

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