J. Glenn Beall | |
|---|---|
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| United States Senator fromMaryland | |
| In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Herbert O'Conor |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Tydings |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's6th district | |
| In office January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1953 | |
| Preceded by | Katharine Byron |
| Succeeded by | DeWitt Hyde |
| Member of theMaryland Senate | |
| In office 1930–1934 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Glenn Beall (1894-06-05)June 5, 1894 Frostburg, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | January 14, 1971(1971-01-14) (aged 76) Frostburg, Maryland, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Margaret Schwarzenbach |
| Children | 3, includingGlenn andGeorge |
| Alma mater | Gettysburg College |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1918–1919 |
| Unit | Ordnance Corps |
James Glenn Beall (June 5, 1894 – January 14, 1971) was an American businessman and politician. A member of theRepublican Party, he served as aU.S. representative (1943–1953) and aU.S. senator (1953–1965) fromMaryland.
J. Glenn Beall was born inFrostburg, Maryland, to Olin and Florence (née Glenn) Beall.[1] He was a descendant of ColonelNinian Beall, who immigrated fromScotland in 1658 as anindentured servant and eventually became a wealthy landowner.[2] His maternal grandfather served as a captain in theConfederate Army during theCivil War.[2] As a child, Beall suffered frompolio and underwent several operations before age 12; his left arm and leg were permanently withered.[1] He received his early education at public schools in Frostburg, and then studied atGettysburg College inPennsylvania.[3]
Beall briefly worked in a clerical capacity at the First National Bank of Frostburg.[2] DuringWorld War I, he served in theUnited States Army Ordnance Corps (1918–1919), being discharged as asergeant.[4] He subsequently worked in theinsurance andreal estate business in Frostburg andCumberland, establishing the Beall Insurance & Realty Company in 1919.[4]
Beall began his political career as a member of theAllegany County Road Commission, serving in that position from 1923 to 1930.[3] In 1926, he married Margaret Schwarzenbach (1900–2005), to whom he remained married until his death; the couple had three sons, includingJohn Glenn Beall Jr. andGeorge Beall.[5][6] He served one term in theMaryland State Senate, where he represented Allegany County, from 1930 to 1934.[3] He then became a member of the Maryland State Roads Commission, serving as chairman from 1938 to 1939.[4]
In 1942, afterDemocratic incumbentKatharine Byron decided to retire, Beall was elected as aRepublican to theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's 6th congressional district.[3] He defeated DemocratE. Brooke Lee, a formerSpeaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, by a margin of 59%-40%.[7] He was subsequently re-elected to four more terms. During his 10-year tenure in the House, he served on the committees on theDistrict of Columbia, flood control, roads and public works.[4]
In 1952, following the retirement of Democratic incumbentHerbert O'Conor, Beall was elected to theU.S. Senate from Maryland.[3] He defeated DemocratGeorge P. Mahoney, a former chairman of the State Racing Commission, by a margin of 52%-47%.[8] His 449,823 votes were the largest number a Republican Senate candidate ever received in Maryland.[9]
During his Senate career, Beall earned a reputation as a moderate Republican.[4] In 1954, he served as chairman of a subcommittee of the Senate Banking and Currency Committee that investigated a dramatic rise in coffee prices. He supportedhome rule for the District of Columbia, ceasefire withChina, and the creation of a national institute for medical research. He also introduced legislation to create an Inland Navigation Commission, to permit voluntary non-sectarian prayer in public schools, and to turn White Sand Island off the Maryland coast into a federal recreation area.[4] Beall did not sign the 1956Southern Manifesto, and voted in favor of theCivil Rights Acts of 1957,[10]1960,[11] and1964,[12] as well as the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.[13]
Beall was narrowly re-elected in 1958 after defeating DemocratThomas D'Alesandro Jr., themayor of Baltimore and father of futureHouse SpeakerNancy Pelosi, by a margin of 51%-49%.[14] However, he was heavily defeated in his bid for a third term in 1964; he lost to DemocratJoseph Tydings, theUnited States Attorney for the District of Maryland (a position Beall's son George later held from 1970 to 1975), by a margin of 63%-37%.[15] Beall's son,J. Glenn Beall Jr. in turn defeated Tydings for re-election in 1970. Maryland's other U.S. Senate seat had been held byMillard Tydings (the father of Joseph) from 1927 to 1951. As a consequence of this, Maryland was represented by a father and son of the Tydings family, and then a father and son of the Beall family, trading seats almost (with a break only from January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1953) consecutively from 1927 to 1977 (Tydings 1927–1951, Beall 1953–1965, Tydings 1965–1971, and Beall 1971–1977), when the chain was broken by the re-election defeat of J. Glenn Beall, Jr. in 1976 by DemocratPaul Sarbanes, the father of U.S. RepresentativeJohn Sarbanes.
Beall returned to Frostburg, where he resumed his insurance business. He also served as president of the League for Crippled Children of Allegany County, of the Cumberland Fair Association, and of the First National Bank of Western Maryland.[4]
Beall died at age 76, and is buried in the Frostburg Memorial Park.[3]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forUnited States Senator from Maryland (Class 1) 1952,1958,1964 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's 6th congressional district 1943–1953 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 1) from Maryland 1953–1965 Served alongside:John Marshall Butler,Daniel Brewster | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
