Blair Moody
| Arthur Edson Blair Moody | |
|---|---|
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| United States Senator from Michigan |
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| In office April 23, 1951 – November 4, 1952 |
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| Appointed by | G. Mennen Williams |
| Preceded by | Arthur H. Vandenberg |
| Succeeded by | Charles E. Potter |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 13, 1902 New Haven, Connecticut |
| Died | July 20, 1954 (aged 52) Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Ann Moody Ruth Moody |
| Children | Blair Moody, Jr. Christopher Moody Robin Moody |
| Alma mater | Brown University |
Arthur Edson Blair Moody (February 13, 1902 – July 20, 1954), known as Blair Moody, was a Democratic U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan.
Contents |
Early life [edit]
Moody was born in New Haven, Connecticut and attended the public schools in Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in economics in 1922. He was an instructor in history at the Moses Brown School, a preparatory school in Providence 1922-1923.
Moody moved to Detroit, Michigan and worked from 1923 to 1951 as a reporter covering Washington, D.C., for the Detroit News, a newspaper owned by his uncle, William Scripps. He was a correspondent for Barron's Financial Weekly from 1934 to 1948 and also wrote extensively for the North American Newspaper Alliance and the Bell Syndicate. Moody was a combat war correspondent in 1944, covering the war in Italy, Africa, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, and Iran. He moderated a radio and television program Meet Your Congress from 1946 to 1952. He was a foreign correspondent during 1947-1948.[1]
Government service [edit]
Following the death of U.S. Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg, Moody was appointed on April 22, 1951, as a Democrat to the United States Senate. He served from April 23, 1951, to November 4, 1952. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1952, losing to Republican Charles E. Potter.
Later years [edit]
He resumed his newspaper and radio career.
He died in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while campaigning for the Democratic nomination for United States Senator, of a heart attack following complications of viral pneumonia. Blair Moody was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.[2]
Family [edit]
Blair Moody married his first wife Mary Ann in 1930 and they had a son, Blair Jr. They were divorced in 1940 and Blair Sr. married his second wife, Ruth. From 1946 until 1954, Blair Moody had an affair with Helen Knowland, the wife of his friend Senator William Knowland. William Knowland later began an affair with Ruth Moody which lasted until her death in 1961.[3][4]
Blair and Ruth Moody had two sons, Christopher and Robin. Blair Moody, Jr., was a Wayne County Circuit Court Judge, and a Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Robin Moody is the founder and President of Daedalus Books.
An elementary school in Taylor, Michigan, is named for Senator Blair Moody.
References [edit]
- ^ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- ^ Blair Moody at Find a Grave
- ^ Gould, Lewis L., The Most Exclusive Club: A History of the Modern United States Senate, p. 182, Basic Books, 2005. ISBN 0-465-02778-4
- ^ Montgomery, Gayle B. and James W. Johnson, One Step from the White House: The Rise and Fall of Senator William F. Knowland, Chapter 23 "The Private Man", Berkeley, Calif: University of California Press, 1998. ISBN 0-520-21194-4
Bibliography [edit]
- Dictionary of American Biography
- Moody, Blair. Boom or Bust. New York: Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1941.
| United States Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Arthur H. Vandenberg |
U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Michigan 1951–1952 |
Succeeded by Charles E. Potter |
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- 1902 births
- 1954 deaths
- Deaths from myocardial infarction
- Michigan Democrats
- People from New Haven, Connecticut
- People from Ann Arbor, Michigan
- People from Providence, Rhode Island
- United States Senators from Michigan
- Appointed United States Senators
- Democratic Party United States Senators
- Brown University alumni
- Journalists from Michigan
