National Affairs: The Loyal Catcher

After the 30-minute ovation for Keynoter Alben Barkley on opening night, there was no longer any question about the nominee for Vice President. Rugged old Alben Barkley was beloved by many, trusted by most, disliked by none.

Harry Truman, who had preferred Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, made no further effort to buck the convention’s wishes. Called by National Chairman Howard McGrath, Truman said: “I love him like a brother… If the convention wants Alben, of course he is acceptable.”

Alben Barkley had not always felt that close to Harry Truman. In the last three years, as Truman’s Senate leader, he was often caught flatfooted by Administration proposals of which he had had no previous notice. On one such occasion he angrily told a White House aide: “This is like playing catcher in a night ball game. I not only am not getting the signals, but someone actually turns out the lights when the ball is tossed.”

Loyalty is the first page in Alben Barkley’s book. In his 23 years in Congress, he dutifully voted as a party regular, was elected majority leader in 1937. No man was more popular with his colleagues. His good humor was legendary, his wit the Senate’s best.

After his nomination, Alben Barkley talked informally about his service in the Senate with Harry Truman. Said he: “We’re teammates now, and after the election we’ll still be a team, in there pitching with the catcher understanding the signs of the pitcher, whether it will be a slow drop or a chin cutter.”