Posted on 07/29/2013 12:40:38 PM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
William W. Scranton, the moderate Republican governor of Pennsylvania from 1963 to 1967, who lost a run for his party’s presidential nomination in 1964 and later served as the United States representative to the United Nations, died on Sunday in Montecito, Calif. He was 96.
The cause was a cerebral hemorrhage, Micheal DeVanney, a family spokesman, said.
A descendant of Mayflower colonists and the founders of Scranton, Pa., heir to a fortune in railroads and utilities, the soft-spoken Mr. Scranton was heralded as a “Kennedy Republican” in the early 1960s. His amiable patrician style, and his independence as a fiscal conservative who supported civil rights and other liberal programs, proved popular with voters. He seemed poised for a national political future.
But after he won a seat in Congress in 1960 and a stunning victory for governor in 1962, his rosy political horizons clouded over. An effort to wrest the 1964 Republican presidential nomination from the archconservative Senator Barry M. Goldwater fizzled. State law limited him to one term as governor. And his last months in office dissolved into a bitter struggle with Democrats trying to wing him politically.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
If you see posts of interest to Pennsylvanians, please ping me.
Thanks!
Sorry, all, didn’t notice this was a duplicate.
Anyone who makes it to 96 must be doing something right
This brings up a favorite political memory for me:
In the race for governor of PA in 1962, Scranton had a rally in Scranton (or maybe Harrisburg) late in the campaign. About 15,000 people showed up with energetic support. The headline speaker that night was to be Jimmy Stewart of Hollywood (and retired Colonel in the Air Force)fame, who gave the opening remarks that went something like this: “Ya know... I’ve heard it said that you could take all the Republicans in the state of Pennsylvania and put them in a single phone booth.....[looks around at the screaming 15,000 and deadpans]: Some Phone Booth!”
Yes, I know Scranton was a RINO but it was nice to see a Republican win in that corrupt Demo State of Pennsylvania back then.
Thanks for the memories.
Thanks P.O.E. and Brad =
>> ... a “Kennedy Republican” ... amiable patrician style ... <<
God save us from the Patricians!
He was a good guy, and very impressive as I was growing up in the Scranton area. I remember seeing him off with the crowd at the Avoca airport as he was leaving for San Francisco in 1964. Very exciting for a young lad. Also I remember union propaganda that my grandpa would lose his job if Scranton was elected governor in 1962. He did win and my grandpa kept his job. Liars even then!
Can't help it, I have very bitter memories of the Unholy Three: Rockefellar, Romney and Scranton. They took turns stabbing Goldwater in the back when he ran for president. Goldwater was a hero for my husband and me because we learned about conservatism from him.
I know God wants me to forgive and forget, but I cried on election night 1964. Now, every time the RINOs betray America I think back to those sad days.
And 50 years later, elements within the GOP are still trying to steer us towards the patricians...
God help us, indeed!
1964 Conservative Anthem
The first six lines are sung to the tune of "Rock of Ages." The last line is sung to the tune of "Mickey Mouse."
Rockefeller's not for me.
He is not for GOP.
He is for the welfare state.
He has had more than one mate.
Rockefeller's not for me.
He is not for GOP.R-O-C-K-E-Y! Oh, you SOB!
What is it with these liberal Rockefeller Republicans and their hostility to Israel? Scranton, Percy, McCloskey, Agnew, James Baker, GHW Bush, Findley, . . .
Wonder if there are any nasty skeletons in the Rockefeller closet?
Jew Hatred is most likely a very large one.
As I was only 2 years old at the time, I don’t remember this guy.
Reading the article, I saw “Kennedy Republican”...
“a fiscal conservative who supported civil rights and other liberal programs...”
“...moderate Republican Governor...”
“...And his last months in office dissolved into a bitter struggle with Democrats trying to wing him politically. ..”
And all it says to me is, politically, he wanted to play ball with people who hated him, and sided with them against the conservatives of the day.
The more things change, the more they DON’T change, evidently.
Reagan stuck to his guns and battled with, and eventually beat, the moderate crowd for years.
The moderates, like the leftists, never really went away.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.