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James H. Rowe Jr. | |
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 Rowe in 1939 | |
| Born | (1909-06-01)June 1, 1909 Butte, Montana, U.S. |
| Died | June 17, 1984(1984-06-17) (aged 75) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Alma mater | Harvard College Harvard Law School |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Ulman Rowe |
James H. Rowe Jr. (June 1, 1909 – June 17, 1984) was an Americanlawyer and New Dealer who was selected by PresidentHarry Truman to work on the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government, commonly known as theHoover Commission.[1] He was a political strategist in the Democratic Party and is best known for his memo to Truman on re-election strategy.[2] He was an advisor to bothLyndon B. Johnson andHubert Humphrey.
Rowe was born to James Rowe and his wife, inButte, Montana.[3][4]
Rowe attendedHarvard University, where he earned his undergraduate degree, and thenHarvard Law School, where he earned hislaw degree.
After graduating, Rowe held the office of Secretary toUS Supreme Court Associate JusticeOliver Wendell Holmes Jr. In 1935, he moved over to theReconstruction Finance Corporation, where he served as alegal adviser; he spent most of the rest of 1935 to 1939 moving from oneNew Deal agency to another before he was, from 1939 to 1941, Administrative Assistant to the PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt.[citation needed]
In 1941 to 1945, during theSecond World War, Rowe undertook double duty as a member of theUS Naval Reserve and asUS Assistant Attorney General. Former Attorney GeneralFrancis Beverley Biddle brought Jim Rowe with him when Biddle was assigned to be a judge at theNuremberg trials. Rowe and Adrian Fisher, with Robert Stewart, JudgeJohn J. Parker's assistant, drafted the judgments that the American judges would make on each defendant.[5]
After the war, he moved over to theBureau of the Budget where he worked with DirectorJames E. Webb to balance theUS budget. From there, he moved to theHoover Commission. Rowe's demands from the commission ensured that its final report would be delayed until after November 1948 election.[citation needed]
Indeed, Rowe played another role before the election; he was a member of the six-men legal team that fought in September 1948 to getLyndon B. Johnson on the ballot as theDemocratic Party's choice as theUS Senator fromTexas. The other five members of the elite legal team wereAbe Fortas,Thomas Gardiner Corcoran, former 58th U.S. Attorney General,Francis Beverley Biddle,Joseph L. Rauh Jr., andBenjamin Victor Cohen.[citation needed]
Rowe continued public sector employment during theTruman administration and ended up in theUS Department of State. With the rise of theEisenhower administration, Rowe returned to the private sector and resumed his legal practice.[citation needed]
In the private sector, Rowe still maintained his activism within the political process in the Democratic Party. In 1960, he was thecampaign manager inLyndon B. Johnson's unsuccessful bid to become the President. In 1968, he served as Campaign Manager forHubert H. Humphrey in his unsuccessful bid to become the President.[citation needed] In 1972, he aligned with forces intent on denying the Democratic presidential nomination to George McGovern by maneuver in the Credentials Committee prior to the nominating convention. "(T)he majority of us Democrats don't like McGovern; and so long as we have any power left, we plan to use it," he said.[6]
In addition, in 1965 to 1971, Rowe served as a member ofHarvard University's Board of Overseers.[citation needed]
Rowe marriedElizabeth Holmes Ulman on September 6, 1937, at her parents’ home in Washington, DC.[4] They had three children: Elizabeth, Clarissa, and James.[3]
Rowe died on June 17, 1984, inWashington, D.C.[3] His obituary appeared in theNew York Times on June 19, 1984.[7]
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