 Markey at Maryland Agricultural in 1902 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1882-10-07)October 7, 1882 Frederick, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | July 20, 1963(1963-07-20) (aged 80) Newcomb, Maryland, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1900 | Western Maryland |
| 1902–1903 | Maryland |
| Position | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1900 | Western Maryland (assistant) |
| 1902–1904 | Maryland |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 12–13–4 |
David John Markey (October 7, 1882 – July 20, 1963) was an American politician, Army officer, businessman, andcollege football coach. He ran a controversial unsuccessful campaign for aUnited States Senate seat against formerMaryland governorHerbert R. O'Conor in 1946.
Markey also served as the head football coach at Maryland Agricultural College—now known as theUniversity of Maryland, College Park—from 1902 to 1904, compiling a record of 12–13–4.
Markey was born inFrederick, Maryland, on October 7, 1882, to parents John Hanshew and Ida Maria (née Willard) Markey.[1][2] D. John Markey attendedFrederick City High School. In 1898, he left high school and volunteered to serve in theSpanish–American War in theUnited States Army as part of acompany of theFirst Maryland Infantry Regiment raised in Frederick.[1][3] One of his ancestors, Johann David Markey, immigrated to Frederick from theElectorate of the Palatinate in 1736.[4] Johann David Markey's son of the same name served in theWar of 1812 and with the 16th Regiment of theMaryland Militia.[4]
The Markey family was alternatively described as ofScotch-Irish origin and "early settled inFrederick County".[1] Markey's grandfather, also D. John Markey, was an owner of lumber yards and mills in the county.[1] His father, John Hanshew Markey, was born in Frederick in 1834 and became a prominent resident of the city, long-time shoe merchant, and a lifelongDemocrat and member of theEpiscopal Church.[1]
In his youth, Markey playedsandlot football for several years in his native Frederick. During his service in the First Maryland Infantry Regiment, he played as a reservehalfback on the unit's football team, which featured former players from several Eastern colleges includingColumbia,Cornell,Harvard,Penn,Princeton, andYale.[3] In 1900, he served as an assistant football coach atWestern Maryland College (now McDaniel College),[1] where he also played as a halfback.[3] In 1902, theMaryland Agricultural College (now the University of Maryland) hired Markey as the first professional head coach of itsfootball team with a salary of $300 ($10,903adjusted for inflation).[5] Markey reinstated a physical training regimen, which had first been implemented byGrenville Lewis in 1896, and also introduced thetackling dummy to team practices.[6] His coaching stressed the fundamentals ofblocking andtackle, and he was assisted byEmmons Dunbar, who had been mentored as a youth by legendary coachGlenn "Pop" Warner in his nativeSpringville, New York.[3]
Although he had not intended to play on the team as its head coach, Markey filled in for a Marylandhalfback, Ed Brown, who quit after receiving a death threat from aGeorgetown fan in the season-opener.[3][5] Markey led Maryland to a 3–5–2 record in his first season and improved to 7–4 in 1903.[7] In 1904, after the school refused him a salary increase, he coached only part-time.[8] Markey commuted from Frederick twice a week to coach the team, while chemistry professor Buck Wharton was responsible for coaching duties the other four days.[9] After the team posted a 2–4–2 record that season, Markey and the school ended their arrangement by mutual consent,[10] and he was replaced as coach byState Department lawyerFred K. Nielsen.[8] During his tenure at Maryland from 1902 to 1904, Markey compiled a 12–13–4 record.[7]
He returned to Frederick to enter business selling hats and shoes, and became "one of the best known and leading of the younger business men of Frederick".[1] In 1905, at the rank ofcaptain, he was responsible for standing up Company A of theMaryland National Guard.[1] At this time, he held anindependent political affiliation, served as the director of the FrederickYoung Men's Christian Association, and participated in the city's Junior Fire Company.[1] Markey was a member of theReformed Church.[1] On June 13, 1907, he married Edna née Mullinix.[1] In 1912, he became the first president of the newly established FrederickChamber of Commerce.[11]
In 1916, at the rank ofmajor, Markey commanded the 112th Machine Gun Battalion of the 1st Maryland Infantry Regiment.[12][13] Markey later received aDistinguished Service Medal for acting asBrigade Adjutant in addition to his duties as commander of the Machine Gun Battalion,58th Brigade,29th Division in 1918 north ofVerdun.[14] He eventually took command of the115th Infantry Regiment.[15] During the war, Markey rose to the rank ofbrigadier general, and served on the General Staff of the U.S. Army.[2] In 1923, Markey was serving as the Chairman of the Military Affairs Committee of theAmerican Legion.[16] From 1924 to 1963, he was on theAmerican Battle Monuments Commission.[2] Under GeneralJohn J. Pershing, from 1933 to 1937, he was responsible for the building of nineteen chapels and war monuments in Europe.[17][18]
In 1946, Markey ran a closely contested but unsuccessfulcampaign for one of Maryland'sU.S. Senate seats as aRepublican against former GovernorHerbert O'Conor. After the vote, both candidates claimed victory,[19][20] before the official count declared O'Conor the winner by a margin of 2,232 out of more than 470,000 votes cast.[21] On December 10, 1946, Markey requested theSpecial Committee to Investigate Senatorial Campaign Expenditures conduct a recount inBaltimore andMontgomery County, which had usedvoting machines.[21] He asked for a prompt recount and also alleged his opponents' campaign had committed financing violations.[21] The committee agreed because Maryland was unable to conduct its own official recount, and found a variation of about 400 votes.[21] The committee then sought to survey five additional counties that were likely to have irregularities.[21] Markey requested a full recount of the entire state.[21]
In the meantime, O'Conor was sworn into the Senate seat on January 4, 1947, after a slight delay.[21] Throughout the recounts, Markey implored the process be done quickly, and implied that the election evidence could go missing at any moment. In May 1947, upon completion of the recount of the five additional counties, O'Conor still maintained a margin of 1,465 votes.[21] In the aftermath, Markey complained of the O'Conor administration's control of the state government, the Democratic Party's control of the state since 1864, and law enforcement's failure to prevent polling abuses.[21] By contrast, Democratic Maryland senatorMillard Tydings alleged partisan bias on the part of the Republican-led investigating subcommittee.[22] The committee completed its full recount of the state in January 1948, and concluded that O'Conor had secured a 1,624-vote majority.[21]
Markey made another unsuccessful senate bid in1950 against Republican businessmanJohn Marshall Butler.[23] Markey held a position as commander of the Maryland American Legion from 1923 to 1924.[24]
Markey killed himself on July 20, 1963, by shooting himself with a .22 caliber rifle.[25] He was interred atArlington National Cemetery.[2] Markey and wife Edna had two children, D. John "Jack" Markey and Mary Elizabeth Hooper.[2]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland Aggies(Independent)(1900) | |||||||||
| 1902 | Maryland | 3–5–2 | |||||||
| 1903 | Maryland | 7–4 | |||||||
| 1904 | Maryland | 2–4–2 | |||||||
| Maryland: | 12–13–4 | ||||||||
| Total: | 12–13–4 | ||||||||
.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forUnited States Senator from Maryland (Class 1) 1946 | Succeeded by |