Evening star., 1945-02-08
Hart Seems Destined
To Be First Career
Navy Officer in Senate

Navy Officer in Senate
BY JAY G. HAYDEN.
Something brand-new In American
politics will have occurred. and GER
tainly an interesting personality viii
be added to the Senate If reported
bipartisan agreement to make Ad-
miral Thomas c. Hart a Senator
from Connecticut holds good.
Congressional historians were un-
able to find any instance of a high
ranking regular naval onlcer becom-
ing Senator.
There have been many members
of both Houses of Congress with
some previous naval service. Two
recent Senators, John w. Weeks Of
Massachusetts, and Robert B. Howell
of Nebraska, were graduates of the
Naval Academy, but they resigned
from the Navy long before they were
elected to the Senate.
There was 1t. Richmond Pearson
Hobson, whose record Of heroism in
the Spanish-American War won him
an Alabama seat in the House.
Career Navy men, however, have
been rarity in politics, chiefly be-
cause their job disassociates them
from home affairs. Few of them
even vote.
And, curiously enough, it is Ad-
miral Hart's almost complete lack
of a partisan background that lis
landing him in the Senate.
In jam Over Procedure.
When Senator Maloney died last
month Connecticut State authorities
found themselves in a peculiar jam.
There was no law providing for
interim appointment by the Gov
ernor, as is the rule in most States,
and q special statute to enable SOL
dier voting would put of q special
election for many months.
The easy way vas for the Legisla-
ture to authorize appointment by
the Governor, but there was q polit-
ical hitch there also. Gov. Raymond
E. Baldwin and the State House Of
Representative are Republican, but
the State Senate is Democratic, II
to Is. The latter body baked at
facilitating the appointment Of .
Republican until q number of its
Democratic members got together
with Gov. Baldwin and agreed to
Admiral Hart, on the theory that
he is no politician.
1t was agreed further that the
appointment will hold until the next
regular congressional election onI
November, 1916, thus obviating al
special election. /
Appointed by Republican.
Admiral Hart's political back
ground is sketchy. but what there is
of 1t is Republican. He was born on
a farm near Davidson, Mich, and
Representative David D. Aiken, who
appointed him to the Naval Academy
In 1897, was a Republican. as were
all other Michigan members of Con-
gress at that time.
Admiral Hart's one known vote
during his So years of naval service
was last November. Then he regis
tered at his farm home near Sharon,
Conn, as. a Republican, and cast q |
ballot, for whom he won't tell.
He will be named to the Senate
as Republican, boosting the mem
bership1 of that party to 50, ast
against IS Democrats and 1aPro-
gressive. /
There are number of factors, !
aside from politics, that may make
Admiral Hart's Senate tenure i'm
portant. For one thing, he was, as
commander in chief of the Asiatic
Fleet, a central figure in connecticut
with the japanese attack on PEARL
Harbor, and he since has traSe3edI
widely for the Navy, taking testi-
mony Of Pearl Harbor survivors.
Would Have Background.
, As naval officer, Admiral Hart's |
tongue Is tied as to events of that
period, but as Senator, If the sub
ject should come up, his course
could not fail to be guided by his |
inner knowledge and certainly his |
words will be given extraordinary
attention. There may be issues re-
lated to the remainder of the war;
with Japan on which his opinion
will carry great weight.
The same is true of his judgments
on the postwar future of all
branches Of the armed services,
which are likely to be determined
in some degree during the coming
two years. Admiral Hart comes to
the Senate directly from the Gen.
eral Board of the Navy. He has
been continued in active service
since passing the retirement age 80
he may sit on the board.
Last but not least the factor that
contributed most toward persuad-
ing Connecticut Democrats to accept
Admiral Hart was their conviction
that he will stand four square for
American postwar collaboration
with other nations. Certainly he
adds strength to President Roose-
velt's hand with that regard.
released by North American Newspaper
Alliance, Inc.)
10 More Enlisted Men