South Carolina's Jimmy Byrnes, the almost president
I didn't know James F. (Jimmy) Byrnes as anything other than a name on a high school in South Carolina. I guess a guy needs to do something of interest to have a school named after him. I didn't realize the impact of the man until I started reading David McCullough's brilliant biography Truman, about the man thrust into the presidency when Franklin D. Roosevelt died in 1945.
By all rights, the man to take FDR's place should have been Jimmy Byrnes.
The Democrats faced a huge decision in 1944 as FDR was readying his bid for a fourth term as president. The current vice president, Henry Wallace, was viewed as the wrong man to remain in the job. The party wanted a man with the right qualifications, someone with experience in working with Congress and who had a strong record in foreign relations. Jimmy Byrnes was that man. FDR said as much, and the Democrats entered the 1944 convention in Chicago with Byrnes the clear frontrunner to get the nod. The problem was that Byrnes had baggage that would make him a detriment in certain areas, most particularly New York state. You see, Jimmy Byrnes was a segregationist, and party officials worried that such a legacy would hurt "the Negro vote" in that key state.
Byrnes had the requisite skills other than his stance on civil rights. He had been a member of the House of Representatives and a senator. He accompanied FDR to the Yalta Conference, and the South Carolinian was familiar with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. He sat down with those world leaders in face-to-face meetings. Byrnes also was at the Potsdam Conference in July of 1945 as the leaders of the three powers met again to discuss strategy following the fall of Nazi Germany. Of particular interest were the moves and motives of Stalin as his forces showed no sign of wanting to give up territory they held in Eastern Europe and a large section of Germany. It was a contentious issue that became only more contentious in the aftermath of the war. The Soviets were not going to give up their territories. Byrnes also was responsible for informing Truman about the Manhattan Project, the American effort to build an atomic bomb. Truman had led a Senate committee that examined military spending, but he was in no position to be informed of the bomb and the progress of scientific work in New Mexico. Byrnes was so well regarded by FDR that he knew as much as any man about the bomb and its potential. He was one of the figures who pushed for the use of the bomb against Japan.
When Truman needed a Secretary of State who was well-versed in the international situation, particular regarding the Soviets, he chose Byrnes. The man then met many times with Stalin and his leading cohorts, usually in Moscow, and he kept Truman informed of the worsening situation. The split between America and the West and the Soviets was made complete when Stalin announced that capitalism and communism could never be on friendly terms. The Cold War began as a result.
Byrnes and Truman had a falling out as the path of Soviet talks kept veering away from the Americans' goals. Truman felt that Byrnes had too much leeway in dictating policy rather than informing the president and waiting for direction. Byrnes' stint as Secretary of State ended in 1947, and Truman made the wise choice of General George Marshall as his replacement. The work of Truman and Marshall changed America's role in the world. The U.S. for the first time entered as a world leader in peacetime by voting to back teetering economies in Greece and Turkey, thereby blunting Soviet efforts in those regions. Marshall took that role much further by pushing to pledge billions of dollars to rebuild a shattered Europe. The Marshall Plan, approved by Congress, is credited with providing a foundation for a renewed Europe that could better withstand the Soviet threat.
Byrnes had one more go at politics, serving as South Carolina governor from 1951 to 1955. He had the distinction of being the only man to serve in all three branches of American government as a member of Congress, a Secretary of State, and a Supreme Court justice. His role on the Supreme Court began in 1941 with his appointment by FDR, but he found politics more to his liking than judicial matters, and he resigned from the court after about a year and a half.
I now credit Byrnes with being a towering figure in American diplomacy. The man was a giant of his times.
By all rights, the man to take FDR's place should have been Jimmy Byrnes.
The Democrats faced a huge decision in 1944 as FDR was readying his bid for a fourth term as president. The current vice president, Henry Wallace, was viewed as the wrong man to remain in the job. The party wanted a man with the right qualifications, someone with experience in working with Congress and who had a strong record in foreign relations. Jimmy Byrnes was that man. FDR said as much, and the Democrats entered the 1944 convention in Chicago with Byrnes the clear frontrunner to get the nod. The problem was that Byrnes had baggage that would make him a detriment in certain areas, most particularly New York state. You see, Jimmy Byrnes was a segregationist, and party officials worried that such a legacy would hurt "the Negro vote" in that key state.
Byrnes had the requisite skills other than his stance on civil rights. He had been a member of the House of Representatives and a senator. He accompanied FDR to the Yalta Conference, and the South Carolinian was familiar with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. He sat down with those world leaders in face-to-face meetings. Byrnes also was at the Potsdam Conference in July of 1945 as the leaders of the three powers met again to discuss strategy following the fall of Nazi Germany. Of particular interest were the moves and motives of Stalin as his forces showed no sign of wanting to give up territory they held in Eastern Europe and a large section of Germany. It was a contentious issue that became only more contentious in the aftermath of the war. The Soviets were not going to give up their territories. Byrnes also was responsible for informing Truman about the Manhattan Project, the American effort to build an atomic bomb. Truman had led a Senate committee that examined military spending, but he was in no position to be informed of the bomb and the progress of scientific work in New Mexico. Byrnes was so well regarded by FDR that he knew as much as any man about the bomb and its potential. He was one of the figures who pushed for the use of the bomb against Japan.
When Truman needed a Secretary of State who was well-versed in the international situation, particular regarding the Soviets, he chose Byrnes. The man then met many times with Stalin and his leading cohorts, usually in Moscow, and he kept Truman informed of the worsening situation. The split between America and the West and the Soviets was made complete when Stalin announced that capitalism and communism could never be on friendly terms. The Cold War began as a result.
Byrnes and Truman had a falling out as the path of Soviet talks kept veering away from the Americans' goals. Truman felt that Byrnes had too much leeway in dictating policy rather than informing the president and waiting for direction. Byrnes' stint as Secretary of State ended in 1947, and Truman made the wise choice of General George Marshall as his replacement. The work of Truman and Marshall changed America's role in the world. The U.S. for the first time entered as a world leader in peacetime by voting to back teetering economies in Greece and Turkey, thereby blunting Soviet efforts in those regions. Marshall took that role much further by pushing to pledge billions of dollars to rebuild a shattered Europe. The Marshall Plan, approved by Congress, is credited with providing a foundation for a renewed Europe that could better withstand the Soviet threat.
Byrnes had one more go at politics, serving as South Carolina governor from 1951 to 1955. He had the distinction of being the only man to serve in all three branches of American government as a member of Congress, a Secretary of State, and a Supreme Court justice. His role on the Supreme Court began in 1941 with his appointment by FDR, but he found politics more to his liking than judicial matters, and he resigned from the court after about a year and a half.
I now credit Byrnes with being a towering figure in American diplomacy. The man was a giant of his times.
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