Matthew M. Neely | |
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 Portrait byHarris & Ewingc. 1920s | |
| United States Senator fromWest Virginia | |
| In office January 3, 1949 – January 18, 1958 | |
| Preceded by | Chapman Revercomb |
| Succeeded by | John D. Hoblitzell Jr. |
| In office March 4, 1931 – January 12, 1941 | |
| Preceded by | Guy D. Goff |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Rosier |
| In office March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1929 | |
| Preceded by | Howard Sutherland |
| Succeeded by | Henry D. Hatfield |
| 21st Governor of West Virginia | |
| In office January 13, 1941 – January 15, 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Homer A. Holt |
| Succeeded by | Clarence W. Meadows |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWest Virginia's1st district | |
| In office January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947 | |
| Preceded by | A. C. Schiffler |
| Succeeded by | Francis J. Love |
| In office October 14, 1913 – March 3, 1921 | |
| Preceded by | John W. Davis |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin L. Rosenbloom |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Matthew Mansfield Neely (1874-11-09)November 9, 1874 Grove, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | January 18, 1958(1958-01-18) (aged 83) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery Fairmont, West Virginia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Alberta Ramage Neely |
| Profession | Politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Rank | Private |
| Battles/wars | Spanish–American War |
Matthew Mansfield Neely (November 9, 1874 – January 18, 1958) was an AmericanDemocraticpolitician fromWest Virginia. He is the only West Virginian to serve in both houses of theUnited States Congress and as the 21stgovernor of West Virginia. He is also the only person to have held a full term in both Senate seats from the state.
He was born inGrove, West Virginia on November 9, 1874.[1] He attendedSalem College of West Virginia (nowSalem International University), but did not earn a degree. At the outbreak of theSpanish–American War he entered theUnited States Army as aprivate. Following the war, he earned a law degree fromWest Virginia University. In 1903, he marriedAlberta Ramage.[2]
He entered the practice of law inFairmont, West Virginia and was elected itsmayor in 1908.
Neely was elected as aCongressman to an unexpired term in 1913 and was reelected in 1914, 1916, and1918. In the1920 election, he was defeated, due to his association with the policies ofWoodrow Wilson.
In1922, Neely ran for, and was elected to, theUnited States Senate as a Democrat. He was defeated for reelection in1928. He then ran for the state's other Senate seat in1930 and was elected. He was reelected in1936. In1940 he ran for governor and resigned the remaining two years of his Senate term.
He soon regretted his decision and strongly considered resigning to run for his old Senate seat in1942. In later life he expressed strong regret about his term as governor. During Neely's term as governor, child welfare laws were reformed and a State Planning Board was created.[1] Upon the expiration of his term as governor in 1944, he ran for and was elected to his old House seat. He was defeated for reelection in1946.
In1948, he was again elected to the Senate, beginning his third non-consecutive term there. He served until his death in 1958, after which he was interred in Fairmont'sWoodlawn Cemetery.
Neely was a New Deal Democrat and advocated for organized labor and civil rights. During his Senate terms in the 1930s he sponsored "anti-lynching" legislation, but it never passed. Neely did not sign the 1956Southern Manifesto despiteschool segregation being legally required in West Virginia untilBrown v. Board of Education (1954),[3] but he did not vote on theCivil Rights Act of 1957.[4][5] When he returned to the Senate after a term as governor and another term in the House of Representatives, he had lost his seniority, although he had many friends among the senior senators. He was assigned the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia, where he became the preeminent proponent of "home rule" for the District, effectively urging that the government of the District of Columbia be turned over to its citizens. He died in 1958, several years before the home rule he had sponsored finally passed both houses of Congress.
Neely was also a mentor to then West Virginia attorney and later member of CongressGeorge W. Crockett, Jr., who credited Neely with converting him from a Lincoln Republican to a New Deal Democrat.[6]
Neely was known through his career as a master orator. In his honor,Fairmont State University sponsors an annual oratory contest named for him.
His grandson wasRichard Neely, an author and politician who served as the chief justice of theWest Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
Neely introduced the firstDepartment of Peace bill in 1935.[7] He reintroduced the bill in 1937 and 1939.[7] In 1937, along with SenatorHomer Bone and RepresentativeWarren Magnuson, Neely introduced theNational Cancer Institute Act, whichFranklin Roosevelt signed into law on August 5 of that year.[8] TheNeely Anti-Block Booking Act gradually brokefilm studios' control ofmovie theaters.
Media related toMatthew M. Neely at Wikimedia Commons| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromWest Virginia's 1st congressional district October 14, 1913 – March 3, 1921 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromWest Virginia's 1st congressional district January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 1) from West Virginia March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1929 Served alongside:Davis Elkins,Guy D. Goff | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from West Virginia March 4, 1931 – January 12, 1941 Served alongside:Henry D. Hatfield,Rush D. Holt | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from West Virginia January 3, 1949 – January 18, 1958 Served alongside:Harley M. Kilgore,William R. Laird,W. Chapman Revercomb | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of West Virginia January 13, 1941 – January 15, 1945 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromWest Virginia (Class 1) 1922,1928 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromWest Virginia (Class 2) 1930,1936 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of West Virginia 1940 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromWest Virginia (Class 2) 1942,1948,1954 | Succeeded by |
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