The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-11-27

Charles Hamilton ed by everyone,
with the presi-
Dental story still waiting to be
tackled.
NV guess would be that Charlie
Hamilton was the oldest member
OF the National Press club. There's
no club record, however, ancient
enough to tell just when he did
join il.
In all likelihood he was the old
est member Of the congressional
press gallery also. That connection,
like his club membership, dated too
far back into past history to be
accurately ascertainable.
I've mentioned Charlie to several
exceedingly old-timers in the
Washington journalistic field, and
asked EN- If they recalled any era
before he was present in their
midst. They don't. Their account is
that he was the first newspaper
man they were introduced TO upon
their respective arrivals in the
capital They surmise that he'd
been here a heck of a while previ-
ously, but I can't ind any docu-
mentary evidence on the subject.
Getting Along
I ought to have questioned
Charlie himself, but l didn't realize
that he was getting so venerable. /
can remember when he was so. He
mentioned it to me and said he felt
he was growing elderly. He was
pretty clipper, nevertheless, and
reckoned he'd stiu be with US up
to 100.
Charlie was, by birth, an Eng
lishman.
His family landed in the L. S. A.
when he was about u. and l I'M
derstand that he never returned,
even for a visit, to his initial home
land. There never was a more gen.
uine American, anyhow, except for
the trihing detail Of a birth certif-
cate. The fact is that birthplaces
are largely accidental. I've
daughter OF my own who was born
south Of the Equator and she's as
Yankee as am.
Originally, Charlie was to have
been a doctor.
With that idea in view, he was
wished into job in a drug store.
That was back when the family
lived in Buffalo.
The medical program didn't
take.
The then small kid already had
printers ink in his system.
He became a Buffalo newspaper
delivery boy. At that game he had
wonderful adventures. He often
told me about EN-. Other gamins
tried to interfere with his deliv-
cries, and what he did to EN- was
aplenty. He wasn't very big even
when he got to be so. but he was
warlike upon due provocation.
Well, ultimately he headed into
the reportoriai game and presently
concentrated in Washington. l
can't tell precisely when it was,
but II was around the early half
OF the 1SS0's. Ask Arthur Dodge or
one Of those other Methuselas.
They won't give you the exact date,
though. For one thing, they don't
remember. Secondly. they won't
admit how Internally old they are.
In addition TO being a Washing
ton correspondent, Charlie had a
farm up in the New York lake dis
trict, spent most Of his vacation
intervals in experimenting 1t, and
could talk agriculture with any ex-
pert.
His Politics
It's interesting to consider what
the old chaps politics were.
It's a question concerning which
I've consulted one Of his oldest as
sociates-John Torrance of the Ma
tional Press club, darned nearly as
much Of a veteran as Charlie was.
why" said John, "in the main
he was a black Republican And
yet, al intervals, he could be
pretty decent Democrat"
John meant democrat with
small ID"
For years and years and years
Charlie vas treasurer of the Ma
tional Press club. He could have
been president by simply suggest
ing II. but he got more fun out OF
that treasurership, after it became
a habit with him.
The National Press club pub
fishes little periodical known as
the GOLDFISH BOWL, and I was
conscripted to write Charles
"ohit' in its next issue.