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Ralph R. Harding | |
|---|---|
 Harding in 1963 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIdaho's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Hamer Budge |
| Succeeded by | George Hansen |
| Member of theIdaho State Legislature | |
| In office 1955–1956 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1929-09-09)September 9, 1929 |
| Died | October 26, 2006(2006-10-26) (aged 77) Blackfoot, Idaho, US |
| Resting place | Malad City Cemetery Malad City, Idaho |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Wilhelmina Conrad Harding (m.1954–2006, his death) |
| Children | 2 sons, 3 daughters |
| Residence | Blackfoot |
| Profession | Agriculture,Accountant |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1951–1953 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Korean War |
Ralph R. Harding (September 9, 1929 – October 26, 2006) was a formercongressman from easternIdaho; he served two terms as aDemocrat from 1961 to 1965.[1][2]
Born inMalad City, Idaho, Harding served as amissionary forthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for two years. He graduated fromBrigham Young University inProvo,Utah in 1956, after serving inKorea from 1951 to 1953 in theU.S. Army, where he rose to the rank oflieutenant.
Harding served in the Idaho state legislature from 1955 to 1956. He ran against Republican congressmanHamer Budge, a ten-year incumbent in Idaho's2nd district in1960. Harding pulled off an upset victory with 51.1 percent, winning by 4,000 votes. He was re-elected in1962, but was one of the few incumbent Democrats in the U.S. House who lost to Republican challengers even as PresidentLyndon B. Johnson won in a landslide in1964. Many attribute Harding's loss to a speech he made in the U.S. House of Representatives for criticizing LDS ApostleEzra Taft Benson for being a "spokesman for the radical right of this nation"; Harding's congressional district was home to a large LDS population.
Benson wasSecretary of Agriculture for two terms during the Eisenhower administration. After he left the Department of Agriculture, Benson vigorously supported the views ofJohn Birch Society founder Robert Welch. In his book "The Patriot" Welch called Eisenhower a communist sympathizer. In a letter, Eisenhower thanked Harding for defending him against Welch's allegations.
After his 1964 defeat, Harding served as special assistant to theSecretary of the Air Force.[3] In 1966, Harding won the Democratic nomination for theU.S. Senate, but was defeated byRepublican incumbentLen Jordan in the general election.
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Ralph Harding | 90,161 | 53.0% | Hamer Budge (inc.) | 86,100 | 47.0% | ||
| 1962 | Ralph Harding (inc.) | 83,152 | 52.8% | Orval Hansen | 74,203 | 47.2% | ||
| 1964 | Ralph Harding (inc.) | 84,022 | 47.8% | George Hansen | 91,838 | 51.8% |
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Ralph Harding | 112,637 | 44.6% | Len Jordan (inc.) | 139,819 | 55.4% |
Harding attempted to regain the 2nd district seat again in1978, but lost the Democratic primary to Stan Kress.[4] He then worked on a variety of business ventures, including representing thePhilippinesugar industry and attempting to launch anAsian version of theNBA.
Harding died at the age of seventy-seven inBlackfoot. According to a news report in theIdaho Statesman, a cause of death was not released by the hospital or family at the time of his death. Harding was an active member ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is interred at Malad City Cemetery inMalad City.
In 1977, Harding andbaseballhall of famerHarmon Killebrew ofPayette co-founded theDanny Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament.[5][6][7] The first edition included formerPresidentGerald Ford,Speaker of the HouseTip O'Neill, and Hall of Fame sluggerMickey Mantle.[8][9][10] Now the Killebrew–Thompson Memorial, the event is held annually inSun Valley in late August to benefitleukemia andcancer research at St. Luke's Mountain States Tumor Institute in Idaho and Masonic Cancer Center at theUniversity of Minnesota.[2][11]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States House of Representatives,Idaho Second Congressional District January 3, 1961–January 4, 1965 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic Party nominee,U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Idaho 1966 (lost) | Succeeded by |
| Territorial (1863–1890) |
|  | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oneat-large seat (1890–1913) |
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| Two at-large seats (1913–1919) |
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| Districts (1919–present) |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
