O’Mahoney for Kendrick

In Wyoming Democrats vote for Democrats and Republicans do likewise. For three terms (1917-35) Wyoming’s beloved beef-raising Democrat John Benjamin Kendrick was elected to the U. S. Senate by such overwhelming majorities that the State seemed on the verge of choosing him in 1034 by acclamation. But two months ago Senator Kendrick died. In an amazing burst of nonpartisanship Republicans joined with Democrats to amend the State Constitution so that Wyoming’s Governor, Leslie Andrew Miller, could appoint to the Senate Senator Kendrick’s onetime secretary, Joseph Christopher O’Mahoney.

Wyoming voters did not question Joe O’Mahoney’s abilities, for he had helped run every State Democratic campaign since 1922. At the last national convention in Chicago party leaders liked him so well that James Aloysius Farley made him vice chairman of the campaign committee. Postmaster General Farley liked him so well that he took him to Washington as his First Assistant. But when Senator Kendrick died and Governor Miller indicated his choice of Joe O’Mahoney as his successor, a group of Wyoming Republicans rose up to question the Governor’s legal right to make the appointment. Wyoming law requires a special election if a Senate seat becomes vacant more than a year before the next general election, but allows the Governor to fill the vacancy if Congress is in session. Senator Kendrick died 52 hours outside the one-year period and Congress was not sitting. Therefore, it was argued, a special election was necessary. Republican hard-shells promptly got out a mandamus to force Governor Miller to set a day for the voting. The State Sen ate rallied to the Governor and, in special session a fortnight ago, rushed through both houses an amendment to the election laws to allow for Joe O’Mahoney’s appointment. In his youth Joe O’Mahoney knew oysters better than he knew horses. Born in Chelsea, Mass, he did not even see a cattle-ranch until at 24 he went to Boulder, Colo. He had worked for the Cambridge Democrat, had graduated from Columbia. At Boulder he became city editor of the Herald. A Bull Moose Re publican in 1912, he supported Woodrow Wilson in 1916 and that same year went to Cheyenne, as city editor of Senator Kendrick’s Democratic Cheyenne State Leader. Senator Kendrick took his young editor to Washington, put him to work on speeches and meat packing legislation. But Secretary O’Mahoney found spare time to study law. After three years he went back to Cheyenne to hang out his shingle. In another four years he was directing the Democratic campaign which made Mrs. Nellie Tayloe Ross (now Director of the U. S. Mint) Wyoming’s Governor. Finally, a Democratic Na tional Committeeman, he lobbied in Washington for Wyoming’s gigantic Casper-Alcova Dam project which was finally approved last summer by Presi dent Roosevelt (TIME, Aug. 7). As Postmaster General Farley’s No. 1 assistant, Joe O’Mahoney had the Presi dent’s ear. Now that he is in the Senate his friends expect him to take his place among the small army of Presidential spokesmen in that august body.