"...the life of James A. Farley should serve as an example for present and future generations of Americans of the vital contributions which individual citizens can make to the life of the nation through diligent public service..."

House Resolution 368, 97th Congress, 2nd Session, March 2 1982

"...the great personnel director himself, chief patronage dispenser of the New Deal, Postmaster General James A. Farley...this living legend...who never forgot a name -- or a political affiliation."

Robert Caro, The Path to Power

James (Jim) Aloysius Farley (May 30, 1888–June 9, 1976) was an American politician who served as head of the Democratic National Committee and Postmaster General. Farley was the campaign manager for New York State politicians Alfred E. Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelts gubenetorial campaigns as well as Roosevelts presidential campaigns in 1932 and 1936. Farley predicted large landslides in both, and was responsible for pulling together the New Deal Coalition of Catholics, labor unions, and big city machines. Farley was heavily concerned with party issues as well as aspects of policy, and supported the liberal New Deal programs. Farley, and the administration's patronage machine he presided over, helped to fuel the social and infrastructure programs of the New Deal via the Postal Department and WPA/PWA programs. Farley opposed Franklin Roosevelt breaking the two term tradition of the presidency, and broke with Roosevelt on that issue in 1940. Farley, served as the #2 commissioner on the second Hoover Commission, which helped to develop American modern law in regards to executive powers and the presidency. This was due in part to his public opposition over the third term candidacy. The Landmark James Farley Post Office (James A. Farley Building/former General Post Office Building) in New York City, and future home of Moynihan Station and Madison Square Garden, is designated in his honor.(H. Res.368, 3/2/1982) Image File history File links USARfarley. ... Image File history File links USARfarley. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the 1976 Gregorian calendar. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics. ... Former Vermont Governor Dr. Howard Dean is the current Chairman of the DNC. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal campaign and fund-raising organization affiliated with the United States Democratic Party. ... The United States Postmaster General is the executive head of the United States Postal Service. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... Alfred Emanuel Smith ( December 30, 1873– October 4, 1944), often known as Al Smith, was Governor of New York and a U.S. presidential candidate in 1928. ... FDR redirects here. ... The New Deal coalition was the alignment of interest groups and voting blocks who supported the New Deal and voted for Democratic presidential candidates from 1932 until approximately 1966, which made the Democratic Party the majority party during the Fifth Party System. ... Note: This article is about the two commissions, 1947-1949 and 1953-1955, headed by former President Herbert Hoover to recommend administrative changes to promote efficiency in the United States Government. ... The James A. Farley Post Office, New York Citys General Post Office, is located at 421 Eighth Avenue, between 31st Street and 33rd Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the street from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Penn Stations underground Long Island Rail Road concourse Pennsylvania Station is one of New York Citys main railway stations, sharing the Pennsylvania Station name with several stations in other cities. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Early career

Farley was born in Grassy Point, New York, one of five sons whose grandparents were Irish Catholic immigrants. His father was involved in the brick-making industry, first as a laborer and later as a part owner of three small schooners engaged in the brick-carrying trade. Stony Point is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Rockland County, New York, USA. The population was 11,744 at the 2000 census. ... Irish population density in the United States, 1872. ...

Farley always had his heart set on a political career. In 1911, he officially began his service as a politician when he was elected town clerk of Grassy Point. After helping Alfred E. Smith become Governor of New York State , Farley served as port warden of NYC . Farley was later appointed Chairman of the NYS Athletic Commission and became Boxing Commissioner of NYS from 1923 until the early 30's. Farley also was named secretary of the Democratic State Committee in 1928. Introduced to Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) by Ed Flynn, FDR asked Farley to run his 1928 campaign for New York governor. Farley orchestrated FDR's narrow victory in the 1928 gubernatorial election, and his reelection in 1930. Farley helped bring to Roosevelt's camp the powerful newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst via Joseph Kennedy, and helped Roosevelt win the 1932 nomination and election. This was due to the Farley's ability to corale the Catholics, Unions, and big city machines into the New Deal Coalition . Farley repeated this process in 1936 and correctly predicted the states Roosevelt would carry. Alfred Emanuel Smith ( December 30, 1873– October 4, 1944), often known as Al Smith, was Governor of New York and a U.S. presidential candidate in 1928. ... FDR redirects here. ... William Randolph Hearst (April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper magnate. ... Joseph Joe Patrick Kennedy, Sr. ... The New Deal coalition was the alignment of interest groups and voting blocks who supported the New Deal and voted for Democratic presidential candidates from 1932 until approximately 1966, which made the Democratic Party the majority party during the Fifth Party System. ...

New Deal Years 1933-40

James Farley, Eleanor Roosevelt, and FDR

FDR appointed Farley Postmaster General and chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 1933. Farley controlled patronage in the new administration and was very influential within the Roosevelt's Brain Trust and the Democratic party throughout the United States. Farley was conservative in private, yet politically liberal and masterfully used the patronage machine to line up support for the New Deal's liberal programs. He helped to bring about the end to Prohibition and the defeat of the Ludlow Resolution, a 1939 attempt by isolationists to limit the foreign affairs powers of the president. Farley's close relationship with FDR deteriorated in 1940 because Roosevelt encouraged Farley to run for the nomination and then decided to break the two term tradition instituted by Thomas Jefferson. Farley opposed FDR's pursuit of a third term and because of Roosevelt's "purge" of Democratic Party regulars. Farley resigned as Postmaster General and party chairman and was nominated to be the Democratic Party's canidate for President at the Chicago convention in 1940 by Carter Glass of Virginia . Done in protest to the third term, Farley came in a very distance second in the amount of delegates needed to secure the nomination which he conceeded to Roosevelt, and called for a unanimous nomination to preserve party unity. Eleanor Roosevelt flew to the convention to try to repair the damage in the Roosevelt-Farley relationship, and although Farley remained close to ER, he felt betrayed by FDR and refused to join FDR's 1940 campaign team. Farley also ran for Governor of New York in two unsuccessful bids and the Senate. Image File history File links Farley22. ... Image File history File links Farley22. ... The United States Postmaster General is the executive head of the United States Postal Service. ... Former Vermont Governor Dr. Howard Dean is the current Chairman of the DNC. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal campaign and fund-raising organization affiliated with the United States Democratic Party. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... The Brain Trust was the name given to a group of diverse academics who served as advisers to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the early period of his tenure. ... The New Deal was the title President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave to the series of programs he initiated between 1933 and 1938 with the goal of providing relief, recovery, and reform (3 Rs) to the people and economy of the United States during the Great Depression. ... The term Prohibition, also known as A Dry Law, refers to a law in a certain country by which the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or illegal. ... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ... Carter Glass Carter Glass (January 4, 1858–May 28, 1946) was an American politician from Virginia, who served many years in Congress, as well as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under Woodrow Wilson. ...

Later career in business

The headstone of James Farley in Gate of Heaven Cemetery

In 1938, Farley wrote his autobiography, Behind the Ballots. After leaving the administration, Farley was named Chairman of the Board of Coca-Cola Export Corporation until his retirement in 1973. Remembered as one of America's greatest campaign managers, Boss, and business minds. Farley remained active in state and national politics until his death at age 88 on June 9, 1976, in New York City. Prior to his death, Farley had been the last surviving member of FDR's Cabinet. James Farley is interred at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2288x1712, 900 KB) I took this photograph of the grave of James Farley in Gate of Heaven Cemetery on January 2, 2007. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2288x1712, 900 KB) I took this photograph of the grave of James Farley in Gate of Heaven Cemetery on January 2, 2007. ... The Gate of Heaven Cemetery, approximately 25 miles north of New York City, was established in 1917 at 10 West Stevens Ave. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The wave shape (known as the dynamic ribbon device) present on all Coca-Cola cans throughout the world derives from the contour of the original Coca-Cola bottles. ... Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the 1976 Gregorian calendar. ... The Gate of Heaven Cemetery, approximately 25 miles north of New York City, was established in 1917 at 10 West Stevens Ave. ... Hawthorne is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York. ...

It was Farley who, after Roosevelt's overwhelming victory over Republican Alf Landon in 1936, quipped, "As Maine goes, so goes Vermont." Farley, the former chairman of Coca-Cola export, was the only man to serve as National Party Chairman, New York State Party Chairman, and Postmaster General simultaneously. At the time, the Postmaster General was a patronage position. ______________Was Athletic commissioner of NY during the 1920s and early 30's, and was known as the "KingMaker", and "Mr. Democrat". Combined five building supply firms in the late 20's to form "General Builders Co." which supplied building supplies for projects such as the Empire State Building. Farley's respect crossed party lines. Towards the end of his career, Farley the elder political boss pushed for campaighn finance reform, and less influence of interest groups and corporations in party business and political activity. The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... Alf Landon Alfred Mossman Alf Landon (September 9, 1887 – October 12, 1987) was an American Republican politician from Kansas, who was defeated in a landslide by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1936 presidential election. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... As Maine goes, so goes Vermont is a famous 1936 U.S. political joke by Democratic party leader James Farley. ... The Empire State Building in New York The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in New York, NY. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of New York. ... 1869 tobacco label featuring Boss Tweed A boss, in political science, is a person who wields de facto power over a particular political region or constituency. ...

• "The James A. Farley Award" is the Boxing Writers Associations highest honor, awarded to those who exhibit honesty and integrity in the Sport of Boxing
• James A. Farley was also the first guest on NBC's Meet the Press, the longest running show in television history.
• Farley is also known for his eponymous device, the Farley File.
• In 1962, Mr. Farley received The Hundred Year Association of New York's Gold Medal Award "in recognition of outstanding contributions to the City of New York."
• Farley's Law- Voters will decide the Presidential canidate they are most likely to vote for by Labour Day.
• As explained in the book, "How to make friends and influence people", Jim Farley was known for his ability to remember names and details of almost every person he met. He is said to have used the name-picture association method.
• A mathematical genious, Farley scored a near perfect 97% on his Algebra Regents.

Meet the Press (MTP) is a weekly television news show produced by NBC. It started as a radio show in 1945 as American Mercury Presents: Meet the Press, originating from WRC-AM in Washington. ... A farley file is a set of records kept by politicians on people they have met previously. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The logo of The Hundred Year Association of New York The Hundred Year Association of New York was founded in 1927 to recognize and reward dedication and service to the City of New York by businesses and organizations that have been in operation in the City for a century or...

See also

• James Farley Post Office

The James A. Farley Post Office, New York Citys General Post Office, is located at 421 Eighth Avenue, between 31st Street and 33rd Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the street from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden. ...

References

• Farley, James A. Jim Farley's Story: The Roosevelt Years (1948)
• Farley, James A. Behind the Ballots: The Personal History of a Politician (1938)
• Spencer, Thomas T. "'Old' Democrats and New Deal Politics: Claude G. Bowers, James A. Farley, and the Changing Democratic Party, 1933-1940" Indiana Magazine of History 1996 92(1): 26-45. ISSN 0019-6673
• Scroop, Daniel "Mr. Democrat: Jim Farley, The New Deal, and The Making of Modern American Politics."

External links

• USPS James A. Farley Bio.
• James Farley biography at the National Park Service website.
• Burial record for James A. Farley at Findagrave.com
• James Farley biography at the Spartacus Educational website
• Bill designating Landmark General Post Office the "James A. Farley Building"