Robert E. Hannegan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Hannegan in 1944 | |
| 52ndUnited States Postmaster General | |
| In office June 30, 1945 – December 15, 1947 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Frank C. Walker |
| Succeeded by | Jesse M. Donaldson |
| Chair of theDemocratic National Committee | |
| In office January 23, 1944 – October 29, 1947 | |
| Preceded by | Frank C. Walker |
| Succeeded by | J. Howard McGrath |
| 27thCommissioner of Internal Revenue | |
| In office October 9, 1943 – January 22, 1944 | |
| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Guy T. Helvering |
| Succeeded by | Harold Graves (Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Emmet Hannegan (1903-06-30)June 30, 1903 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | October 6, 1949(1949-10-06) (aged 46) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Resting place | Calvary Cemetery |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Irma Protzmann |
| Education | Saint Louis University (LLB) |
Robert Emmet Hannegan (June 30, 1903 – October 6, 1949) was an American politician who served asCommissioner of Internal Revenue from October 1943 to January 1944. He also served as chairman of theDemocratic National Committee from 1944 to 1947 andUnited States Postmaster General from 1945 to 1947. At the conclusion of his political career in 1947, Hannegan and his business partnerFred Saigh purchased theSt. Louis Cardinals, aMajor League Baseball team. But Hannegan, by then ill withheart disease, sold his share of the team ownership to Saigh a few months before his death.
A power broker in the St. LouisDemocratic Party allied with SenatorBennett Clark, Hannegan helped save the political career ofHarry S. Truman in 1940 following thetax fraud conviction of Truman's ally, Kansas City bossTom Pendergast. Hannegan supported Truman for re-election to theU.S. Senate when he was challenged in the Democratic primary by GovernorLloyd C. Stark andMaurice M. Milligan, who both sought credit for bringing down Pendergast. Truman re-won the seat with increased support in St. Louis, particularly fromCatholic neighborhoods in which Hannegan wielded considerable influence. In his second term, Truman achieved national prominence by chairing a Senate committee investigating government waste in defense contracts. WhenFranklin D. Roosevelt offered Truman the position of DNC chairman, Truman declined but recommended Hannegan.
In 1944, Roosevelt appointed Hannegan, who had been the Collector of Internal Revenue in St. Louis, to the DNC after testing him by asking for his help with hisincome tax return.[1] As Democratic chairman, Hannegan was responsible for brokering the deal that made Truman Roosevelt's running matethat year. Shortly before the1944 Democratic National Convention, Roosevelt famously sent Hannegan a letter stating he would be "happy to run with" either Truman orSupreme Court JusticeWilliam O. Douglas. Vice PresidentHenry A. Wallace nearly won the nomination, but Hannegan worked feverishly to secure Truman's nomination. Hannegan later joked he wanted his tombstone inscribed with the words "Here lies the man who stopped Henry Wallace from becoming President of the United States."[2]
Though plagued with ill health for much of his tenure as party chairman, Hannegan emphasized voter turnout efforts in Roosevelt's 1944 re-election campaign and prevented an upset byThomas Dewey, who won a surprising 46 percent of the popular vote that year. He promoted aliberal policy agenda for the national party and was a strong advocate oflabor unions. Hannegan stepped down as chairman after Democrats suffered congressional losses in the 1946 midterm elections, but his ideological focus at the helm of the party contributed to Truman's upset win in the presidential election of 1948, and influenced hisFair Deal proposals.
_at_Calvary_Cemetery%2c_St._Louis_1.jpg)
Hannegan died inSt. Louis, Missouri, on October 6, 1949. He is interred inCalvary Cemetery.[3]
Hannegan was mentioned in the filmMiracle on 34th Street in his role as Postmaster General. Therefore, in the film, by implication, he was responsible for affirming that the central character, Mr. Kris Kringle, was the one and only Santa Claus.
Hannegan was portrayed by actorJohn Finn in the 1995 filmTruman.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commissioner of Internal Revenue 1943–1944 | Succeeded by Harold Graves Acting |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theDemocratic National Committee 1944–1947 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | United States Postmaster General 1945–1947 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
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