Monroney, Almer Stillwell (Mike), United States Senator from Oklahoma (1951-1969); U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 5th district (1939-1951), 1902-1980

Person

Biographical:

Almer Stillwell "Mike" Monroney, longtime member of Congress from Oklahoma, was born in Oklahoma City on March 2, 1902. Spending his childhood in what would become the state capital, Monroney grew up along with the new state. Monroney's earliest professional interest was reporting. Beginning while still in high school with a weekly column for a city paper, he further learned the business by working in the mail room, running errands, and delivering papers. After graduating with honors from the University of Oklahoma in 1924, he worked as a political reporter until his father became ill. The younger Monroney then took over the family business, a furniture store. Monroney, a Democrat, first ran for public office in 1937 when the death of Congressman Robert Hill necessitated a special election in the Fifth District. Though he lost the primary, he ran the following year, winning both the primary and the general election. He served in the House until he was elected to the Senate in 1950, where he stayed until defeated for reelection in 1968. Senator Monroney died on February 13, 1980, in Rockville, Maryland. A moderate liberal in the House, Monroney supported most of the New Deal and Fair Deal legislation but veered from party line on many labor issues. He received his greatest accolades with his efforts to reorganize government. The process of lawmaking had not been changed since 1893, and with Senator Francis Maloney of Connecticut, Monroney sponsored resolutions to create the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress. Roughly 80 percent of the original bill was eventually passed into law in 1946, and Monroney himself called that portion only 50 percent effective. It was noteworthy legislation, however, and won him Collier's Congressman of the Year Award. In addition to his efforts to reorganize government, Monroney, while in the House, served on the Banking and Currency Committee and worked for price and rent controls and housing legislation. Interested in foreign affairs, he fully supported President Truman in his endeavors. Monroney turned his sights to the Senate race in 1950. In doing so he took on twenty-three-year incumbent Elmer Thomas. The result of the primary was so close there had to be a runoff, which Monroney won along with the general election. During his tenure in the Senate, Monroney served on a variety of committees and subcommittees. He was chair of the Legislative Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, chair of the Aviation and Automobile Marketing Subcommittees of the Commerce Committee, and chair of the Postal Affairs Subcommittee of the Post Office and Civil Service Committee. He also served on the Select Committee on Standards and Conduct and as co-chair of the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress. Earning the name "Mr. Aviation," Monroney devoted a great deal of energy to the airline industry. He authored the Federal Aviation Act of 1958; the Federal Aid to Airports Acts of 1955, 1959, and 1961; and the Permanent Certification of Feeder Airlines Acts of 1957 and 1961. In 1961 he was involved with the reorganization of the Civil Aeronautics Board to make it more capable of handling the challenges of the airline industry. Other pieces of legislation authored or coauthored by Monroney include the Automobile Labeling Act of 1958, the Monroney-Clark Federal Aid to Education amendment to provide for matching funds to states, and the National Defense Act of 1961. In 1960 Monroney was the sponsor of legislation for free television time for the debate between presidential candidates John Kennedy and Richard Nixon.