Evening star., 1950-11-14
New Faces in Congress
Devereux Left Marines to Retire as Farmer,
Then Studied Politics to Win Seat in Conqress
By George Kennedy

Among the new faces in the 82d
Congress will be one that was on
the front pages and in the news
reels a few years back, for Dev-
ereux of Wake will be Devereux
of Maryland.
Brig. Gen. James Patrick Sinnott
Devereux, U. S. M. c., retired, will
be Representative Devereux, Re-
publican, answering roll calls and
voting for Maryland's I'd district.
He won out by a close 3.0O0-vote
majority in the district that in
clude's Baltimore's west end and
Carroll. Baltimore and Hartford
Counties, west and north Of the
city. It is a district that has re-
turned a Republican only three
times in this century.
And ne was not handed it on a
silver platter. He worked for it.
1t was a couple of days after
Pearl Harbor that America real
ized that a little band of Marines
under a Maj. Devereux of Chevy
Chase, Md, was holding Wake
Island. an outpost to the west,
against elements of the japanese
fleet. America waited for the de-
tenders of Wake to be reinforced
or rescued, but neither happened.
Wake, which was attacked on De-
cember 7, 1941. the same day as
Pearl Harbor. went down on
December %.
Letter Advises Son.
It was a couple of years later
when he was next heard from in
that unforgettable letter from a
prisoner-of-war camp to his 10
year-old boy. Patrick. whose
mother had died in the meantime.
1t was an affectionate letter. But
the father felt called upon to eau
tion his son. SO far away. Pat
had been doing some Dragging.
Don't be too boastful Of the
Marines" he wrote, "the Marines
will take care of themselves. Try
being a bit modest. and don't get
into too many fights" Then he
told about the pigs they were
raising in the camp and what good
experience it would be for the farm
he and Pat would have. after the
war.
Then, after more than four
years in prison camps. came the
homecoming to No. l West Brad
ley lane, Chevy Chase, Md. Col.
Devereux Che had been promoted
during his absence) was one of
10 children who were brought up
there. His parents we're dead
(his mother died while he was
away. but the brothers and sis
ters and their children and re-
porrers and cameramen and syn
dicate agents tbidding for his
story were on hand. It was a
Joyous. occasion.
After publication OF his story,
Col. Devereux dropped out of
sight. In June, 1916, he married
Miss Rachel Clark Cooke In Bal
timore. He brought q farm near
Towson in Baltimore County. He
has pigs and shorthorn cattle.
In 1948 he retired as a brigadier
general.
Now Patrick. who is II and
bigscr than his father. has two
young brothers.
His father. who Is At, had no
intention of retiring to the COM
Portable existence of a gentleman
farmer. Yesterday in his cam
paign Office in Pikesville, he told
how he planned and prepared for
a political career.
Studied for Politics.
"After I located here" he said,
IT took political science courses
nights at Loyola University, "a
Jesuit institution in Baltimore) !,
in public speaking and Maryland's
government, etc.
This spring some Of the lead
erS asked me to run"
Just then Raymond S. Clark,
Pixesville attorney who had a lot
to do with the campaign, came in.
"Why, general" he said. you've
been running for 18 months. It
was in the spring of 1949 that you
made that talk to the Republican
Women's Clubs in BealPs garage"
Osborn P. Beall, proprietor of
the garage, is Republican chair