Robert Emmet Hannegan was an American politician. He served as Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Chair of the Democratic National Committee, and 52nd United States Postmaster General.
Background
Robert Emmet Hannegan was born on June 30, 1903 in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States. He was the second of four children and the second of three sons of John Patrick Hannegan and Anna (Holden) Hannegan. His father, who became chief of detectives in the St. Louis police department, followed in a strongly Catholic line and named his black-haired boy for the executed eighteenth-century Irish nationalist. Bob Hannegan, as he was known throughout his life, was a tall youth and nearly succeeded in enlisting in the Marines at the age of fourteen.
Education
A star athlete, Hannegan won letters in football, basketball, baseball, track, and swimming at St. Louis University, from which he graduated in law with honors in 1925. He backed up his early legal practice by playing football and minor-league baseball and coaching at his alma mater.
Career
Hannegan's climb on the political ladder began with his appointment in 1933 to fill a vacancy from his ward on the St. Louis Democratic City Central Committee. Like the city, the traditionally Republican ward went Democratic shortly afterward, and Hannegan shared the credit for his party's victory. His election as chairman of the committee in 1934 made him a power in the city administration of the new Democratic mayor, Bernard F. Dickmann. Factional strife led to Hannegan's ouster from the chairmanship in 1935, but he was reinstated a year later when Dickmann's forces regained control.
After Hannegan managed Dickmann's reelection campaign in 1937, the mayor's organization became known in the newspapers as the "Dickmann-Hannegan machine" and Hannegan as a political force to be reckoned with. A significantly successful venture in 1940-1941 was followed by a serious blunder. Hannegan made a secret agreement with Harry S. Truman to support him for renomination to the Senate even though the St. Louis Democratic organization was outwardly supporting Governor Lloyd C. Stark. Hannegan switched publicly just before the primary and his precinct workers, carrying out his plan, managed to put Truman over narrowly in St. Louis, the local margin being slightly more than Truman's statewide edge. Hannegan's undercover deal thus saved Truman's Senate seat.
But in November 1940, when the Democrats lost a close race for the governorship, Hannegan and his associates concocted a scheme to prevent the elected Republican, Forrest C. Donnell, from taking office. The state Democratic committee filed a petition charging "fraud and irregularities" that held up official certification of the election results. Governor Stark condemned the device as "a shameless steal. " The perpetrators were routed by the press, public opinion, and the Missouri Supreme Court, but only after six weeks of political upheaval during which Hannegan and all other Democratic participants were strongly criticized throughout the region.
Only a few months later, in 1942, Senator Truman proposed Hannegan for presidential appointment as collector of internal revenue for the Eastern District of Missouri. The St. Louis press denounced the choice almost without restraint, charging "disgraceful plum-passing. " Truman was adamant: "Hannegan carried St. Louis three times for the President and me. If he is not nominated, there will be no collector at St. Louis".
Roosevelt sent Hannegan's name to the Senate, and he was confirmed over strong and vocal opposition. In the fall of 1943, again with Truman's sponsorship, Hannegan was advanced to commissioner of internal revenue, the top post in the revenue service in Washington.
On January 22, 1944, with Truman's effective support, Hannegan was installed as chairman of the Democratic national committee, in charge of Roosevelt's fourth-term campaign. Hannegan simultaneously gave the party machinery a thorough dusting and set about repaying Truman for his favors. He was now in a position to maneuver his fellow Missourian into front rank as Roosevelt's running mate, in place of Vice-President Henry A. Wallace, and he made the most of it. He obtained from the president a written statement that he would be "glad to run with either Bill Douglas or Harry Truman. " When this was copied for circulation at the convention, it read "Harry Truman or Bill Douglas".
Hannegan also had to maneuver Truman's nomination around Sidney Hillman, a Roosevelt labor favorite, whose CIO ranks were strongly behind Wallace. In less than a year, Truman was nominated, elected, and elevated to the presidency. For Truman's first cabinet appointment he nominated Hannegan as postmaster general, effective June 30. Former Gov. Donnell, now United States senator, sought unsuccessfully to block confirmation. Hannegan did not devote all his energies to party politics. He worked beneficial changes in the collector's office at St. Louis, leading Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau Jr. , to call him "the best Collector of Revenue in the country".
As postmaster general, he confounded his critics by supporting liberal legislation and progressive appointments. Whether in the Post Office Department or the Internal Revenue Service, he insisted on efficiency and courteous treatment of taxpayers and patrons. Hannegan traveled around the world in 1946 on behalf of an international postal rate agreement for airmail. Democratic losses in the congressional election that year provoked complaints against the national chairman, but President Truman defended him.
Suffering from a serious back ailment, Hannegan resigned his governmental and party posts on November 25, 1947. He announced that he was quitting politics to go into business as an owner of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. Early in 1948 he declared: "I have dropped the curtain completely on political activity of any kind. " He took no public part in Truman's 1948 reelection campaign and later there was speculation that differences had come between them. To devote himself to his declining health, Hannegan sold his interest in the baseball team for a reported $1 million in January 1949.
After repeated heart attacks he died, in his forty-seventh year, at his home in St. Louis. He was buried in Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis. Although Truman and Hannegan were together at a dinner only a few days earlier, it was widely noted that Truman did not attend the last rites.
Achievements
Robert Emmet Hannegan is remembered as a noted politician. He was active in Democratic politics on the state levels and helped get Harry Truman be elected to the U. S. Senate.
As Postmaster General of the United States, he was credited for streamlining and modernizing the postal service.
His activities in lay Roman Catholic circles were recognized in 1946 by Pope Pius XII, who made him a Knight of St. Gregory, Grand Order of the Holy Cross.
Quotations:
Edward T. Folliard quoted Hannegan as having said: "When I die, I would like to have one thing put on my headstone - that I was the man who kept Henry Wallace from becoming President of the United States. "
Personality
Quotes from others about the person
Shortly before Hannegan's death, Truman, addressing a large gathering in Kansas City, turned to his compatriot and said: "Hannegan had something to do with getting me into these spots where I am now, and I don't know whether to spank him or thank him. "
Connections
On November 14, 1929, Hannegan married Irma Protzmann of St. Louis. They had two sons, Robert Emmet Jr. and William, and two daughters, Patricia and Sally.
