Wayne Morse:

Wayne Lyman Morse (October 20, 1900 – July 22, 1974) was a United States attorney and politician from Oregon. A native of Wisconsin, he moved to Oregon in 1930 and began teaching at the University of Oregon School of Law. During World War II he was elected to the United States Senate as a Republican before becoming an Independent. Morse would become a Democratic in 1955, and later was a noted opponent of the war in Vietnam. Known for his independent-minded approach to politics, he served in the Senate from from 1945 until 1969 where he held the then record for longest single-person filibuster in Senate history. In 1960, he ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Presidential nomination.

Life before politics

Morse was born on October 20, 1900, in the home of his maternal grandparents, Myron and Flora White, in Madison, Wisconsin, where his mother had gone to have her baby. Morse's parents, Wayne Lyman Morse and Jessie Elnora Morse, farmed a 320-acre (130 ha) plot near Verona, a small community 11 miles (18 km) west-southwest of Madison. Morse grew up on this farm, where the family raised Devon cattle for beef, Percheron and Hackney horses, dairy cows, hogs, sheep, poultry, and feed crops for the animals. The family eventually included five children: Mabel, seven years older than Morse; twin brothers Harry and Grant, four years older; Morse; and Caryl, fourteen years younger.^[1]

Encouraged by Jessie, the Morse family held relatively formal nightly discussions about crops, animals, education, religion, and most frequently about politics. Like many of their neighbors, the family was Progressive and discussed ideas championed by Robert M. La Follette, Sr., a leader of the Progressive movement who served as Wisconsin's governor from 1900 to 1906 and thereafter as a member of the U.S. Senate. During these family discussions Morse developed debating skills and strong opinions about political corruption, corporate domination, labor rights, women's suffrage, education, and, on a personal level, hard work and sobriety.^[1]

Morse and his siblings began their education in a one-room school near Verona. However, the Morse parents, particularly Jessie, shared the Progressive belief that improvement of self and society came through good education, and they admired the schools in Madison. After Morse finished second grade, his parents enrolled him in Longfellow School in Madison, to which Morse commuted 22 miles (35 km) round-trip daily by riding relay on three of the family's smaller horses. After eighth grade, Morse attended Madison High School, where he became class president and debating club president, and placed academically among the top 10 in his graduating class. In high school, he developed his relationship with Mildred "Midge" Downie, whom he had known since third grade, and who was class valedictorian and class vice-president the same year Morse was president.^[1]

Morse received his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1923 and his master's, in speech,^[2] from the same college the next year.^[3] He married Downie in the same year.^[2] He taught speech at the University of Minnesota Law School,^[2] and earned a law degree there in 1928.^[3] He held a reserve commission as second lieutenant, Field Artillery, United States Army, from 1923 to 1929.^[3] He was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.^[4]

Morse became an assistant professor of law at the University of Oregon School of Law in 1929.^[3] Within nine months, he became an associate professor and then dean of the law school. At age 31, this made him the youngest dean of any law school accredited by the American Bar Association.^[5] He became full professor of law in 1931. Columbia Law School awarded him a doctorate in law in 1932.^[5] He served on many public commissions over the following years, including a Roosevelt appointment to settle labor disputes that threatened to halt production of Navy ships during World War II.

Election to the U.S. Senate

In 1944 Morse won the Republican primary election for Senator, unseating incumbent Rufus C. Holman, and then the general election that November.^[3] Once in Washington, D.C., he revealed his progressive roots, to the consternation of his more conservative Republican peers. He was reelected in 1950.^[3]

In protest of Dwight Eisenhower's selection of Richard Nixon as his running mate, Morse left the Republican Party in 1952.^[6] The 1952 election produced an almost evenly-divided Senate; Morse brought a folding chair when the session covened, intending to position himself in the aisle between the Democrats and Republicans to underscore his lack of party affiliation.^[7] Morse expected to retain certain committee memberships, but was denied membership on the Labor Committee and others. He used a parliamentary procedure to force a vote of the entire Senate, but lost his bid, and was forced to accept the seat of Herbert Lehman on the Labor Committee.^[7]

Following Morse's defection, Republicans had a 48-47 majority; the deaths of nine other Senators, and the resignation of another, caused numerous reversals in control of the Senate during that session.^[8] In 1955, Democratic leader Lyndon Johnson persuaded Morse to join the Democratic caucus.^[9]

In 1953, Morse conducted a filibuster for 22 hours and 26 minutes protesting the Tidelands Oil legislation, which at the time was the longest one-person filibuster in U.S. Senate history. After a term as an independent, he switched to the Democratic Party in 1955. Despite these changes in party allegiance, for which he was branded a maverick, Morse won re-election to the United States Senate in 1956, and 1962. He lost in 1968 to Republican Bob Packwood.^[6]

1960 run for President

Morse was a late entry in the race for the Democratic nomination for president in 1960, although his campaign received little attention outside of Oregon and is largely forgotten. It began unofficially at a 1959 press conference held at the state capitol in Salem by local resident Gary Neal and other Morse supporters. They declared they would put Senator Morse on the ballot by petition.^[10] As early as April 1959, Morse told a meeting of the state's Young Democrats that he had no intention of running. The group still voted to advance Senator Morse, after Congresswoman Edith Green introduced him as a favorite son.^[11]

Gary Neal was persistent and by winter of 1959 was nearing completion of his signature petition to place Morse on the May ballot. Morse soon found himself at a meeting with Neal where they discussed his efforts. Neal said to Morse, “if we [supporters] don’t put your name on the ballot, your enemies will.^[12] It was clear the elephant in the room with Gary Neal and Wayne Morse was the Oregon Republican Party. Morse shot back about the Oregon GOP, “I say to the Republican Party, trot out your governor. I’m ready to take him on.”^[12]

On December 22, 1959, Wayne Morse announced his candidacy for the Presidency of the United States of America.^[13] He said at his announcement, “Although I would have preferred not to have entered the Oregon race, I shall not run away from a good political fight if it is inevitable.”^[13]

The Morse entry into the presidential race did not sit well with many who had anticipated a large field of candidates to come to Oregon to gather support from Oregonians. Morse was accused of flip-flopping.^[14]First by saying he would not be a candidate and then going out and announcing he would run. Not only would Morse be on the ballot in Oregon, he would also file to run in the District of Columbia primary and the Maryland primary. All three contests would be held in May, with Oregon being the last of the three.

Wayne Morse had a solid connection to all three areas. Oregon was his home and where his wife and family lived. He owned a small farm in Poolesville, Maryland, and had spent fifteen years fighting as a chief sponsor of the D.C. home rule legislation. He felt he had a good chance to win in the District. Senator Hubert Humphrey was his only other filed opponent. It came as a shock to Morse and his backers when he lost the D.C. primary not only to Humphrey, but also a slate of write-in delegates for Stevenson. Morse had hoped to offset the impending loss of Maryland with a win in the District.

Morse had known when he entered the Maryland contest that he was climbing an extremely steep hill. Kennedy was a Catholic and Maryland was the birthplace of the American Catholic church. He did what most underdogs do, attempt to generate as much media as possible. The New York Times caught wind of the Morse campaign and did their best to follow Morse around. Morse made his liberalism a key issue at every campaign stop. His remarks in Cumberland, Maryland suggest that Kennedy was anything but a liberal,

As Morse had predicted he lost to Kennedy in Maryland. Yet Morse took something away from this loss. He had created a scorecard of his record versus Kennedy's record to show the people of Oregon. He headed home to face Kennedy on his turf. Oregon Democrats were getting ready for an old fashioned show down between Morse and Kennedy. Morse and Kennedy would be the only active candidates, even though five candidates would appear on the Oregon ballot. Hubert Humphrey by this point had lost to Kennedy in West Virgina and had dropped out of the race already, but also left the race too late to be dropped from the Oregon ballot.

The Kennedy campaign began to zero in on Oregon. Kennedy and staffers would claim that Morse was not a serious candidate. Morse often found himself responding to Kennedy’s claim that he was not a “serious candidate”, by proclaiming: “I’m a dead serious candidate.”^[16] Quietly Oregon Democrats began to worry about what a loss for Morse would mean in 1962 against possible Republican challenger Governor Mark Hatfield. Morse would use this to his advantage to help sway undecided Democrats that if he lost in 1960, it would certainly better help Republicans to defeat him in 1962. Kennedy brushed off this argument by claiming that regardless of the outcome of the presidential primary, the people of Oregon have a tremendous respect for Wayne Morse and will send him back to the Senate, and that he would even come back to Oregon in 1962 to campaign for him.^[17] Congresswomen Edith Green, Kennedy's Oregon Campaign Chair agreed with his assessment. On Election Day, Morse came up roughly 50,000 votes short of defeating Kennedy. Morse abandoned his presidential race that same week.^[18]

Wayne Morse largely sat out the rest of the 1960 campaign. He even opted out of going to the 1960 Democratic National Convention. Instead he sat at home and watched it on television from Eugene.^[19]

The Morse for President Oregon Headquarters was located at 353 S.W. Morrison St. Portland, Oregon 97204.^[20]

Senate career 1960-1968

In 1964 Morse was one of only two United States Senators to vote against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (Alaska's Ernest Gruening was the other),^[21] which authorized an expansion of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. During the following years Morse remained one of the country's most outspoken critics of the war. As early as 1966 he told a student union that he would like to see "protests such as these multiply by the hundreds" across the country. In 1966, he angered many in his own party for supporting Oregon's Republican Governor, Mark Hatfield, over the Democratic nominee, Congressman Robert Duncan, in that year's senatorial election, due to Duncan's support of the Vietnam War. Hatfield won that race, and Duncan then challenged Morse in the 1968 Democratic primary. Morse won renomination, but only by a narrow margin. Partially as a result, Morse lost his seat in the 1968 general election to state Representative Bob Packwood by a mere 3,500 votes, less than half a percent of the total votes cast.^[22]

1972 Election

Wayne Morse spent most of the remaining years of his life attempting to regain his membership in the U.S. Senate. His first attempt since being defeated in 1968 was in 1972.^[3] He won the Democratic primary against his old foe, Robert Duncan. The General Election he faced friend/foe United States Senator Mark Hatfield.

In 1972, following the withdrawal of Thomas Eagleton from the Democratic ticket, a "mini convention" was called confirm Sargent Shriver as George McGovern's running mate. Despite this being considered a formality, half the Oregon delegation instead voted for Morse.

1974 Election

In the spring of 1974, Wayne Morse was 73 years old. On March 19, 1974 Wayne Morse filed the paper work to seek the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat he had lost six years before.^[23] Three other Oregon Democrats filed to run against Morse in the May 28th Democratic Primary. His age became a key campaign issue and liability during the campaign. His most prominent opponent was Oregon Senate President Jason Boe.^[24] The New York Times said in an editorial that Morse would serve the state with "fierce integrity if elected".^[25]

On July 21, 1974 Morse was hospitalized at Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland due to kidney failure and was listed in critical condition according to hospital spokesmen.^[26]Morse died on July 22, 1974, while attempting to keep a busy campaign schedule.^[3] An editorial ran stating, that death "has deprived the United States Senate of a superb public servant".^[27]

The Oregon Democratic Central Committee met in August and nominated State Senator Betty Roberts to replace Wayne Morse to run against Republican Senator Bob Packwood in the United States Senate race.^[28] She would go onto lose to Packwood in the fall.

Legacy

Morse's protege, Ron Wyden, now holds the "Wayne Morse seat" in the U.S. Senate, having been elected in 1996 after Packwood resigned in disgrace.

In 2006, the Wayne L. Morse U.S. Courthouse opened in downtown Eugene. In addition, he was recognized in the Wayne Morse Commons of the University of Oregon's William W. Knight Law Center. Also housed in the University of Oregon Law Center is the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics. The Lane County Courthouse in Eugene renovated and rededicated its adjacent Wayne L. Morse Free Speech Plaza in the Spring of 2005, complete with life size statue and quotation pavers.

The Morse family's 27-acre (11 ha) Eugene property and home, Edgewood Farm, are a National Historic Site called the Wayne Morse Farm. The City of Eugene, assisted by a nonprofit corporation, operates the Wayne Morse Ranch Historical Park at the site.^[30] He is interred at Rest Haven Memorial Park in Eugene.^[3]

Electoral history

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Drukman, Wayne Morse: A Political Biography, pp. 11–34
^ ^a ^b ^c Drukman, Mason (2008). "Wayne Morse (1900-1974)". Oregon Encyclopedia.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress". United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-11-11.
^ "Prominent Pikes". Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Retrieved on 2008-11-15.
^ ^a ^b "About Wayne Morse: Early Career". Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics. Retrieved on 2008-11-12.
^ ^a ^b Senate Historical Office. "Wayne Morse Sets Filibuster Record". United States Senate. Retrieved on 2008-11-10.
^ ^a ^b January 13, 1953: Independent Fights for Committee Assignments
^ Membership Changes of 83rd Congress (1953-55)
^ Wayne L. Morse: A Featured Biography
^ “Morse Possible Ballot Entry”, The Oregon Journal, August 2, 1959.
^ “Morse Asks No Ballot: Senator Bucks Petition Move”, The Oregonian, August 22, 1959.
^ ^a ^b The Associated Press, “Morse Hints Primary Run: Presidential Race Expected”, The Oregonian, October 22, 1959, 6M 20.
^ ^a ^b The Associated Press, “Oregon’s Solon Set for State Primary Fight”, The Oregonian, December 23, 1959. Front Page.
^ Editorial, “Latest Morse Flip-Flop”, The Oregonian, December 27, 1959
^ “’Liberalism’ Issue Pressed By Morse”, The New York Times, May 14, 1960
^ Smith, Robert. “Campaign Zeroing On Oregon”, The Oregonian. May 12, 1960.
^ Hughes, Harold.,"Kennedy Asks Voters To Back Candidates Who Can Win", The Oregonian, May 18, 1960
^ “Kennedy Has 50,000 Edge; Morse Quits” The Oregonian. May 22, 1960
^ Smith, Robert. “Morse Plans To Forgo Democratic Convention” The Oregonian. June 6, 1960.
^ Photo, The Oregonian, April 20, 1960
^ Halberstam, David. The Best and the Brightest, 2001 Modern Library Edition, pp. 475-476.
^ ^a ^b ^c Myers, Clay. Oregon Blue Book. Salem, Oregon: Office of the Secretary of State, 1970.
^ “ The New York Times, May 19, 1974
^ The New York Times, May 28, 1974
^ "Editorial", The New York Times, May 30, 1974
^ The New York Times, July 21, 1974
^ "Editorial",The New York Times July 23, 1974
^ The New York Times,August 12, 1974.
^ "Obituary",The New York Times,July 27, 1974.
^ "The Wayne Morse Ranch Historical Park". MUSE: Museums of Springfield/Eugene. Retrieved on 2008-11-12.
^ ^a ^b Newbry, Earl. Oregon Blue Book. Salem, Oregon: Office of the Secretary of State, 1952.
^ Newbry, Earl. Oregon Blue Book. Salem, Oregon: Office of the Secretary of State, 1958.
^ http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/1960+Presidential+Election+Primaries.htm
^ http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/1960+Presidential+Election+Primaries.htm
^ ^a ^b ^c Appling Jr., Howell. Oregon Blue Book. Salem, Oregon: Office of the Secretary of State, 1963.
^ 1,210 write-in votes
^ ^a ^b Myers, Clay. Oregon Blue Book. Salem, Oregon: Office of the Secretary of State, 1975.

Wayne Morse

Contents

Life before politics

Election to the U.S. Senate

1960 run for President

Senate career 1960-1968

1972 Election

1974 Election

Legacy

Electoral history

References

Works cited

Further reading

Documentary films

External links