James H. Rowe

James H. Rowe, Jr. (June 1, 1909 to June, 1984) was a lawyer and 'New Dealer' who was selected by President Truman to work on the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government, commonly known as the Hoover Commission.[1] He was a political strategist in the Democratic party and is best known for his memo to President Truman regarding reelection strategy.[2] He was an advisor to both Lyndon B. Johnson and Hubert Humphrey.

Background

Born in Montana, and after getting his undergraduate degree and his degree in law from Harvard University, Jim Rowe held the office of Secretary to U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Then in 1935, he moved over to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation where he served as a legal adviser; he spent most of the rest of 1935-1939 bouncing from 'New Deal' agency to 'New Deal agency before becoming in 1939-1941, Administrative Assistant to the 32nd U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1941-1945, during World War Two, he did double duty as a member of the U.S. Naval Reserve and as U.S. Assistant Attorney General. After the war, he moved over to the U.S. Bureau of the Budget where he worked with Director James E. Webb to balance the U.S. Budget. It was from here that he moved over to the Hoover Commission. Rowe's demands from the commission ensured that its final report would be delayed until after the November of 1948 election.

Indeed Rowe played another role leading up to the November of 1948 national election; he was a member of the six men legal team which fought in September of 1948 to get Lyndon B. Johnson on the ballot as the Democratic Party's choice as the U.S. Senator from Texas. The other five members of this elite legal team were Abe Fortas, Thomas Gardiner Corcoran, former 58th U.S. Attorney General, Francis Beverley Biddle, Joseph L. Rauh, Jr. and Benjamin Victor Cohen.

James H. Rowe would continue public sector employment during the Truman Administration where he would ultimately end up in the U.S. Department of State. With the rise of the Eisenhower Administration, Jim Rowe returns to the private sector where he will resume his legal practice.

While in the private sector, Jim Rowe still maintained his activism within the political process, more specifically, with the Democratic Party. In 1960, he served as Campaign Manager for Lyndon B. Johnson in his unsuccessful bid to become the 35th U.S. President. In 1968, he served as Campaign Manager for Hubert H. Humphrey in his unsuccessful bid to become the 37th U.S. President.

In addition, in 1965-1971, he served as a member of Harvard University's Board of Overseers.

James H. Rowe Jr died in June of 1984 in Washington, D.C.; his obituary appeared in the New York Times on June 19, 1984.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ King, Seth S. (19 June 1984). "JAMES ROWE, NEW DEAL AIDE AND AN ASSISTANT TO ROOSEVELT". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  2. ↑ Caro 2002, p. ?.

Bibliography

Caro, Robert A. (2002). The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate. New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf. 

External links

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