On this episode of Our American Stories, Professor Jeff Bloodworth tells the story of John McCormack, who rose from humble beginnings in South Boston to become a masterful legislator and the first Catholic Speaker of the House.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
And we continue with our American stories. Our next story
comes to us from Jeff Bloodworth, who's a professor of
American history Again and University. He's also a fellow at
the Jack Miller Center, a partner of ours here on
our American stories. Let's take a listen.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
John McCormick was the most American Speaker of the House
in US history, But the roots of this americanness are
not what he claimed them to be. The supposed son
of Irish immigrants rose to national prominence on alongside John Kennedy.
In nineteen sixty one, jfk was inaugurated as the nation's
(00:50):
first Catholic president. Later that year, McCormick became the first
ever Catholic Speaker of the House. Proof positive of immigrant
and Erica's rise to the mainstream. McCormick, ironically had reinvented
his immigrant story. In this he could not be more American.
(01:10):
America is the land of reinvention. Ben Franklin, who was
often called the first American, established the template. Born in Boston,
he escaped and dentured servitude as a teen by fleeing
to Philadelphia. In that city, he reinvented his roots and
in the process bade himself into a founding father. McCormick
(01:31):
followed a similar path. He reinvented his immigrant story to
become Speaker of the House. In that office, he presided
over the most prodigious legislative session in American history and
remade the nation's immigration policy. John McCormick claimed to be
the eldest son of Irish immigrants who dropped out of
(01:53):
grammar school when his father died to be the family's breadwinner.
In reality, his dad, Joe McCormick, was neither Irish nor dead.
Joe McCormick was a Protestant Scotsman who hailed from Canada
before settling in Boston. The Novises, they were called, were
despised in Irish Catholic Boston and far from dead. Joe
(02:14):
McCormick had instead abandoned his family. Added to this, the
Speaker was not his eldest son to succeed in Irish
Catholic Boston politics. Young McCormick had reinvented his family history.
His living Scottish Novi father became a dead Irish immigrant.
(02:35):
His live Irish mother, who was born in Boston to
Irish immigrants, was now born in the Old Country. His
three older siblings, who were very much alive, were said
to have died in infancy. The eldest son of Irish
immigrants who supported a widow mother was a biography more
befitting an ambitious politician. McCormick came from humble rooms once
(03:01):
his father left. He did drop out of high school
to work and support his mother and younger siblings. That
much was true. Tall, gaunt and reserve, he lacked the
Shamrocks style made famous by colorful Boston politicians. Tellingly, in Congress,
he'd befriended powerful southern congressional barons of scotch Irish descent.
(03:24):
The scotch Irish were Protestant Scots who had emigrated to
Ireland in the seventeenth century before coming to America in
the eighteenth century. The scotch Irish, as they were dubbed,
largely settled in Appalachia and the South. Not coincidentally, McCormick,
the reinvented Irish Catholic with a Scottish father, shared much
(03:46):
in cultural style with these men. In Congress, McCormick was
a bridge who built relationships and alliances across religious and
regional lines. But the reinvented Irish politician nevertheles less, carried
an urban Catholic grudge his entire political life. In the
nineteen twenties, Rule Protestant America struck against Catholic urban immigrants
(04:11):
via prohibition and immigration restrictions. Most everyone knows about Prohibition,
but forgotten to history was the nineteen twenty four National
Origins Act. This legislation was the source of McCormick's grudge.
The nineteen twenty census revealed that urbanites outnumbered Rule Americans
(04:31):
for the very first time in US history. Massive overseas
immigration to cities had shifted power to urbanites from Rule Americans.
In reaction, Congress passed the nineteen twenty four National Origins Act.
The law and effect froze immigration, especially for Catholics and
Jews coming from southern in Eastern Europe. Elected to Congress
(04:55):
in nineteen twenty eight, McCormick devoted his very first House
speech to denouncing the law. He may have reinvented his
Irish immigrant story, but the congressman was a devout Catholic
who loathed the anti Catholicism and ruled bias in the law.
His career helped soothe these tensions. In nineteen forty he
(05:17):
became Majority Leader alongside Texas Speaker Sam Rayburn. For twenty
one years, the duo ruled over House Democrats, but their
alliance was more than just a partnership between the two men.
They established what was called the Austin Boston Alliance. In
this a congressman from Texas and Massachusetts held either to
(05:40):
the Democratic Speaker or Majority leader post for nearly a
half century. This cemented a political alliance between the Catholic
and Jewish urban north and the rule Protestant South. Mccorick
was one half of the Democrat's political spine for more
than his purported irishness. A devout Catholic who never drank alcohol,
(06:02):
he valued loyalty, remembered everything, and kept everyone's secrets. There
was never a hint of scandal in his political life.
He and his wife, Harriet Joyce were renowned for being
one of Washington's most devoted couples. Unlike other congressional leaders
who worked late and then hit the cocktail circuit, McCormick
dined with his wife every night of their fifty one
(06:24):
year marriage. Maudest, thrifty, and upright, he was regarded as
the moral compass of the House. In nineteen sixty one,
the legendary Sam Rayburn died elevated to the Speaker's office,
the seventy one year old McCormick became the first ever
Catholic Speaker of the House. Along with jfk and Senate
Majority Leader Mike Mansfield in nineteen sixty two, America's three
(06:49):
highest ranking officials were all Catholic. This was yet another
sign of immigrant America's rise after jfkase assassination. Linda Johnson's
nineteen sixty four landslide victory gave Speaker McCormick an historic opportunity,
and the Speaker did not disappoint. In nineteen sixty five,
(07:11):
he passed ninety three percent of all White House submitted bills,
and that session, alongside Franklin Roosevelt's first Congress, is recognized
as the most productive in American history. But no single
piece of legislation pleased McCormick more than the nineteen sixty
five Immigration Act. Equipped with big majorities, passions of the
(07:33):
bill was never in doubt. The only real roadblock was
Cleveland Congressman Michael Fehan. He chaired the House Subcommittee on immigration,
and he opposed reform. The administration had pushed a bill
that gave skilled immigrants priority, but Feehan made family unification primary.
(07:54):
In other words, those migrants seeking entry into the US
with an American citizen as a family member were given priority.
V Hen believed this would keep American demography unchanged. Ironically,
Fehn's stipulation resulted in the exact opposite of his intentions.
By the nineteen sixties, European immigration to the US had ebbed,
(08:16):
but migration from Asia, Africa, and Latin America surged. It
was these migrants who used Vehn's family unification policy. The
results are clear. In nineteen sixty five, eighty four percent
of the US population consisted of non Hispanic whites. In
twenty fifteen, that number fell to sixty two percent. Today,
(08:40):
this demographic change has made immigration into a hot buttoned
political issue yet again. John McCormick would recognized today's debates,
but Speaker McCormick's career shows that immigration is a solvable issue.
We have survived these debates before and reached a consensus,
(09:00):
so we can do so again. We did so in
nineteen sixty five because Speaker McCormick with his reinvented background
had built alliances beyond ethnic, religious, and regional boundaries. The
Austin Boston alliance had bridged the rural, urban, and Catholic
Protestant divide. America is a land of reinvention. We Americans
(09:24):
are almost always in the process of reinvention and becoming
something new, but in doing so we stay true to
our roots. Americans like Ben Franklin and John McCormick know
that where are you from is not as important as
where you are going, And.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
No finer sentiment has been expressed on our show. We
Americans are almost always in the process of becoming something new.
Where you are from is not nearly as important as
where you're going. A terrific job on the production, editing
and storytelling by our own Greg Hangler. And a special
(10:05):
thanks to Jeff Bludworth for bringing us the story of
speaker John W. McCormick and what a story indeed it was.
And a special thanks to the Jack Miller Center He's
a fellow there. Professor Bludworth and the Jack Miller Center
is a nationwide network of scholars and teachers dedicated to
educating the next generation about America's founding principles and history.
(10:29):
And does this all sound familiar? Immigration debates, the divide
between rural America and the city. Well, it's still here, folks,
and that's why we love telling these stories, the story
of Speaker John W. McCormick. Here on our American Stories.
And we continue with our American stories. Our next story
comes to us from Jeff Bloodworth, who's a professor of
American history Again and University. He's also a fellow at
the Jack Miller Center, a partner of ours here on
our American stories. Let's take a listen.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
John McCormick was the most American Speaker of the House
in US history, But the roots of this americanness are
not what he claimed them to be. The supposed son
of Irish immigrants rose to national prominence on alongside John Kennedy.
In nineteen sixty one, jfk was inaugurated as the nation's
(00:50):
first Catholic president. Later that year, McCormick became the first
ever Catholic Speaker of the House. Proof positive of immigrant
and Erica's rise to the mainstream. McCormick, ironically had reinvented
his immigrant story. In this he could not be more American.
(01:10):
America is the land of reinvention. Ben Franklin, who was
often called the first American, established the template. Born in Boston,
he escaped and dentured servitude as a teen by fleeing
to Philadelphia. In that city, he reinvented his roots and
in the process bade himself into a founding father. McCormick
(01:31):
followed a similar path. He reinvented his immigrant story to
become Speaker of the House. In that office, he presided
over the most prodigious legislative session in American history and
remade the nation's immigration policy. John McCormick claimed to be
the eldest son of Irish immigrants who dropped out of
(01:53):
grammar school when his father died to be the family's breadwinner.
In reality, his dad, Joe McCormick, was neither Irish nor dead.
Joe McCormick was a Protestant Scotsman who hailed from Canada
before settling in Boston. The Novises, they were called, were
despised in Irish Catholic Boston and far from dead. Joe
(02:14):
McCormick had instead abandoned his family. Added to this, the
Speaker was not his eldest son to succeed in Irish
Catholic Boston politics. Young McCormick had reinvented his family history.
His living Scottish Novi father became a dead Irish immigrant.
(02:35):
His live Irish mother, who was born in Boston to
Irish immigrants, was now born in the Old Country. His
three older siblings, who were very much alive, were said
to have died in infancy. The eldest son of Irish
immigrants who supported a widow mother was a biography more
befitting an ambitious politician. McCormick came from humble rooms once
(03:01):
his father left. He did drop out of high school
to work and support his mother and younger siblings. That
much was true. Tall, gaunt and reserve, he lacked the
Shamrocks style made famous by colorful Boston politicians. Tellingly, in Congress,
he'd befriended powerful southern congressional barons of scotch Irish descent.
(03:24):
The scotch Irish were Protestant Scots who had emigrated to
Ireland in the seventeenth century before coming to America in
the eighteenth century. The scotch Irish, as they were dubbed,
largely settled in Appalachia and the South. Not coincidentally, McCormick,
the reinvented Irish Catholic with a Scottish father, shared much
(03:46):
in cultural style with these men. In Congress, McCormick was
a bridge who built relationships and alliances across religious and
regional lines. But the reinvented Irish politician nevertheles less, carried
an urban Catholic grudge his entire political life. In the
nineteen twenties, Rule Protestant America struck against Catholic urban immigrants
(04:11):
via prohibition and immigration restrictions. Most everyone knows about Prohibition,
but forgotten to history was the nineteen twenty four National
Origins Act. This legislation was the source of McCormick's grudge.
The nineteen twenty census revealed that urbanites outnumbered Rule Americans
(04:31):
for the very first time in US history. Massive overseas
immigration to cities had shifted power to urbanites from Rule Americans.
In reaction, Congress passed the nineteen twenty four National Origins Act.
The law and effect froze immigration, especially for Catholics and
Jews coming from southern in Eastern Europe. Elected to Congress
(04:55):
in nineteen twenty eight, McCormick devoted his very first House
speech to denouncing the law. He may have reinvented his
Irish immigrant story, but the congressman was a devout Catholic
who loathed the anti Catholicism and ruled bias in the law.
His career helped soothe these tensions. In nineteen forty he
(05:17):
became Majority Leader alongside Texas Speaker Sam Rayburn. For twenty
one years, the duo ruled over House Democrats, but their
alliance was more than just a partnership between the two men.
They established what was called the Austin Boston Alliance. In
this a congressman from Texas and Massachusetts held either to
(05:40):
the Democratic Speaker or Majority leader post for nearly a
half century. This cemented a political alliance between the Catholic
and Jewish urban north and the rule Protestant South. Mccorick
was one half of the Democrat's political spine for more
than his purported irishness. A devout Catholic who never drank alcohol,
(06:02):
he valued loyalty, remembered everything, and kept everyone's secrets. There
was never a hint of scandal in his political life.
He and his wife, Harriet Joyce were renowned for being
one of Washington's most devoted couples. Unlike other congressional leaders
who worked late and then hit the cocktail circuit, McCormick
dined with his wife every night of their fifty one
(06:24):
year marriage. Maudest, thrifty, and upright, he was regarded as
the moral compass of the House. In nineteen sixty one,
the legendary Sam Rayburn died elevated to the Speaker's office,
the seventy one year old McCormick became the first ever
Catholic Speaker of the House. Along with jfk and Senate
Majority Leader Mike Mansfield in nineteen sixty two, America's three
(06:49):
highest ranking officials were all Catholic. This was yet another
sign of immigrant America's rise after jfkase assassination. Linda Johnson's
nineteen sixty four landslide victory gave Speaker McCormick an historic opportunity,
and the Speaker did not disappoint. In nineteen sixty five,
(07:11):
he passed ninety three percent of all White House submitted bills,
and that session, alongside Franklin Roosevelt's first Congress, is recognized
as the most productive in American history. But no single
piece of legislation pleased McCormick more than the nineteen sixty
five Immigration Act. Equipped with big majorities, passions of the
(07:33):
bill was never in doubt. The only real roadblock was
Cleveland Congressman Michael Fehan. He chaired the House Subcommittee on immigration,
and he opposed reform. The administration had pushed a bill
that gave skilled immigrants priority, but Feehan made family unification primary.
(07:54):
In other words, those migrants seeking entry into the US
with an American citizen as a family member were given priority.
V Hen believed this would keep American demography unchanged. Ironically,
Fehn's stipulation resulted in the exact opposite of his intentions.
By the nineteen sixties, European immigration to the US had ebbed,
(08:16):
but migration from Asia, Africa, and Latin America surged. It
was these migrants who used Vehn's family unification policy. The
results are clear. In nineteen sixty five, eighty four percent
of the US population consisted of non Hispanic whites. In
twenty fifteen, that number fell to sixty two percent. Today,
(08:40):
this demographic change has made immigration into a hot buttoned
political issue yet again. John McCormick would recognized today's debates,
but Speaker McCormick's career shows that immigration is a solvable issue.
We have survived these debates before and reached a consensus,
(09:00):
so we can do so again. We did so in
nineteen sixty five because Speaker McCormick with his reinvented background
had built alliances beyond ethnic, religious, and regional boundaries. The
Austin Boston alliance had bridged the rural, urban, and Catholic
Protestant divide. America is a land of reinvention. We Americans
(09:24):
are almost always in the process of reinvention and becoming
something new, but in doing so we stay true to
our roots. Americans like Ben Franklin and John McCormick know
that where are you from is not as important as
where you are going, And.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
No finer sentiment has been expressed on our show. We
Americans are almost always in the process of becoming something new.
Where you are from is not nearly as important as
where you're going. A terrific job on the production, editing
and storytelling by our own Greg Hangler. And a special
(10:05):
thanks to Jeff Bludworth for bringing us the story of
speaker John W. McCormick and what a story indeed it was.
And a special thanks to the Jack Miller Center He's
a fellow there. Professor Bludworth and the Jack Miller Center
is a nationwide network of scholars and teachers dedicated to
educating the next generation about America's founding principles and history.
(10:29):
And does this all sound familiar? Immigration debates, the divide
between rural America and the city. Well, it's still here, folks,
and that's why we love telling these stories, the story
of Speaker John W. McCormick. Here on our American Stories.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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