Richard Shank
Columnist
Alf Landon by Richard Shank
With the chaos and confusion so common with American politics these days
made me wonder what would Kansas’ legendary governor and presidential candidate Alf Landon be thinking about these times.
Landon was elected Kansas governor in 1932 and re-elected two years later, the only Republican governor in the nation to achieve that distinction in a time when America was dealing with a crisis dubbed the “Great Depression.”
Alf Landon cut his teeth in politics in 1912 when he supported the third party campaign of Teddy Roosevelt who made a valiant effort to recapture the Presidency under the banner of the Bull Moose Party. Twenty years later, Landon, a wealthy Independence, Kansas oil man, won the first of two terms as Governor.
As America dealt with the worst economic downturn in the country’s history and Kansas endured what has become known as the Dust Bowl, Landon gained national prominence, in 1934, by balancing the state’s budget. He was lauded as the only Governor in the nation who could make that claim.
The national news media took note and suggested he should consider a run for the Presidency, and on September 8, 1935, Landon tossed his hat into the ring.
Defeating Franklin Roosevelt, the incumbent, would be no small task but the Governor of Kansas was more than willing to try.
Landon ventured east in the spring of 1936, winning the Massachusetts and New Jersey primaries, no small accomplishment for a Midwestern governor, as his chances for the Republican nomination soared.
The GOP met in Cleveland for its convention in June 1936, where Landon swamped his main challenger Idaho Senator William Borah by a vote of 984 to 19.
A study of Landon’s 1936 campaign for president is living proof that political movements and polling have changed much during the past nine decades of American political life.
The fall campaign would produce its share of stories worth repeating.
As the campaign got underway, it was obvious that Roosevelt’s New Deal was on trial and, in particular, a new law called “Social Security” was slated to go into effect the following year.
Landon and Roosevelt crisscrossed the country by train. In the week preceding the election, the Kansas Governor was feted with a ticker tape parade through New York City as millions turned out to see the Kansas Governor waving to the crowds as he was driven down Times Square.
A new phenomenon called “polling” entered the political arena that year and created humorous stories still told in American political circles.
Literary Digest, a respected publication of its time, mailed a postcard to its 10 million subscribers asking readers to state their preference. When 57 percent returned postcards in favor of Landon, Literary Digest went to print stating, without question, Landon was on his way to a landslide victory. After all, the publication’s editors accurately claimed they had never been wrong before in previous postcard polls, but failed to consider that a majority of its readers were registered Republicans.
Then, Maine, during that era voted in September instead of November gave the Republicans big majorities, which added more credibility to the expression “As Maine goes, so goes the nation.”
On the other hand, George Gallup polled a cross section of 50,000 voters nationwide and raised more than a few eyebrows when he reported Roosevelt just might be on his way to a big win.
Election Day, November 3, 1936, told the story as Roosevelt was swept back into office, winning 46 states including Kansas. Although Landon is remembered as a popular and progressive Governor, voters in his home state had a great affection for Roosevelt, whose policies were starting to bring the country back from the brink of economic disaster.
Roosevelt topped Landon among Kansas voters by a vote of 464,520 to 397,727.
Landon carried two states—Main and Vermont, which prompted Democratic power broker James Farley to boast that “As goes Maine, so goes Vermont.”
Landon, the perfect gentleman, took the landslide loss in stride and stayed true to his pledge to never seek office again. Always a man with a great sense of humor, he named his two horses Maine and Vermont after the two states that were loyal to him in his campaign for the nation’s highest office.
It has been reported he and Roosevelt were friends and remained so even after a long campaign. Roosevelt was known to call Landon seeking his advice and council on issues affecting the Mid-West.
Landon survived the 1936 campaign by 51 years, living to age 100 before his death in 1987 and would see his daughter Nancy elected United States Senator in 1978. He would continue his business ventures until late in his life and would be sought for comments by reporters from throughout the world. President Reagan stopped to visit him in his Topeka home several days before his 100th birthday.
In 1966, he lent his name to a lecture series named in his honor at Kansas State University, and soon thereafter was selected as an Adjunct Professor at the school.
In a 1970 interview with the Kansas City Star, Landon was candid about his life. When asked if he regretted not running for the Senate in 1938 as he was encouraged to do. “I just like Kansas people and the Kansas climate,” Landon said. “I like my surroundings. And, it is near my business. I am still in the oil business. I have some wells in Greenwood County.”
When the reporter Ivan Goldman asked if he was concerned about what would happen when he was gone, the former governor laughed and said, “I’ve drilled too many dry holes to worry about that.”
In a lecture to a class at Kansas State, a young student posed a question to Landon, “What was it like to run for President?”
Landon, looking more poker faced than usual, thought for a moment and said, “When you are running for President, you meet a lot of people that you will never forget and others you want to forget right away.”
Former President Harry Truman (left) is photographed giving a tour of his presidential library in Independence, Missouri to Alf Landon (right). Pictured in the middle is Landon’s son Jack. Date of photo is unknown.
