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Reviews
Wayne Morse: A Political Biography
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By Mason Drukman
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Oregon Historical Society Press, Portland, 2003. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. 557 pages. $18.00 paper.
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Reviewed by David H. Stratton
Washington State University, Pullman
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| Publishers are often reluctant to acceptmanuscripts of political biographies that exceed five hundred pages in length. Likewise, some journal editors balk at granting eight hundred words for the review of any book. This biography of Oregon's Wayne Morse breaks both of these common ground rules, raising the question of whether it is worthy of such double-barreled special treatment. The answer is a slightly qualified yes. Regardless of this particular account's merits, however, Morse himself has notable historical significance for two reasons: as a prime example of the distinctive character of Pacific Northwest politics and for his influence in national affairs, especially as a U.S. senator from 1945 to 1969. |
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On the first point, Morse — who grew up in Wisconsin, where he was thoroughly imbued with Robert M. La Follette's progressive ideals — was a perfect match for Oregon, with its Populist-Progressive legacy of independent action and disregard for party labels. First elected to the Senate as a Republican in 1944, Morse turned his back on the Eisenhower-Nixon ticket of 1952, soon left the Republican party, and emerged officially as an Independent. Prior to the election of 1956 he became a Democrat and was reelected with that label. No matter what party flag he flew, however, he remained highly principled, frequently embroiled in controversy, and always a maverick who battled alike with fellow senators, presidents, and members of his own Oregon Democratic congressional delegation. In particular, he vociferously opposed President Lyndon B. Johnson's conduct of the Vietnam War, gaining distinction as one of only two senators who voted against the Tonkin Gulf war authorization resolution of 1964. Finally, by 1968, he had stirred up too many arguments and waged too many battles and was defeated for reelection by Republican Robert Packwood. |
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Before he entered the Senate, Morse had gained national recognition at the University of Oregon as the youngest law school dean in the country, as a highly effective labor mediator, and as the dominant member of the National War Labor Board during World War II. As a senator, he made major contributions on legislation involving education, public power, labor relations, and foreign affairs. He had a scrupulous regard for the constitutional separation of powers, especially the limitations placed on presidential authority. Similar constitutional convictions made him an outspoken opponent of McCarthyism and a natural supporter of civil rights measures. Morse also gained renown for frequent floor speeches, heated debates, record-setting filibusters, and parliamentary maneuvers to block proposals he considered undesirable, such as the nomination of Clare Boothe Luce as ambassador to Brazil. |
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At the beginning of this book, Mason Drukman states that it is a straightforward political biography without any attempt to probe such things as psychohistory innuendoes of childhood influences on the man. Then, however, he proceeds to provide abundant, detailed information on Morse's early as well as later years that would delight any psychologist. Accordingly, this study is far more than a political biography; it is closer to a full-fledged account of Wayne Morse's life, from his hardscrabble rural boyhood in Wisconsin to national prominence. Throughout, Drukman emphasizes Morse's maverick disposition, which was energized by long-held convictions going back to his youth. Contentious qualities are not overlooked. An ambitious, hard-driving workaholic, Morse made few close friends, often neglected his family, overworked his staff, and indulged in only one hobby — fine horses. His daily life, according to the author, "overflowed" with people who were fair game for verbal attacks because of his disapproval, suspicion, or contempt (p. 300). Yet few ever questioned Morse's superior intellect or devout liberalism. |
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The earlier qualified yes on the merits of this Morse biography involves primarily certain parts that could have been shortened by the author or his editor without doing appreciable harm to the narrative. In particular, chapter 9, which at sixty pages is twice as long as most of the other chapters, covers in excessive detail the long, and finally soured, relationship with Senator Richard Neuberger of Oregon. One of the most intriguing aspects of the book is the discussion of Morse's relationship with President Johnson, which continued with apparent harmony on domestic issues even after the senator's outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War. In fact, Drukman suggests that Johnson shrewdly set up Morse for a reelection defeat in 1968 by excessive use of him as a labor mediator, thus undercutting crucial union support. |
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Until recently, interested readers usually depended on Robert A. Smith's outdated The Tiger in the Senate, published in 1962, for a characterization of Wayne Morse. With solid research, even-handed interpretation, and thorough coverage, Mason Drukman's readable account is now the best biography of Oregon's "notoriously independent," maverick senator. |
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