Evening star., 1953-01-11
Fourth Of q Series

eral of the United States. But
he has not lost the eager
friendly manner of a nice young
man trying to get along.
He is quick and warm with
the handshake and the smile
that lights up his face is an auto
matte reflex. It is obvious he is
a man who has had lot of fun
in business and politics.
He laughed when asked about
an already published story of his
early married life. 1t was that
he and his wife were so intent
on saving so that he could leave
the auto plants and make
start for himself that their only
recreation was Saturday night
10-cent (for two) trolley ride.
That's true" he said. How
do they dig up all that stuff
Ill tell you about it later"
He Is an Agile Man.
Mr.. Summerfield is five feet
eight inches tall and weighs 165
pounds. He has black wavy hair,
graying at the temples. He is
agile as he moves about his office.
It is easy to see why political
writer's have not hesitated to
term this 53-year-old man the
leader of the younger element OF
the party. He is youthful to an
extraordinary degree-not only
in appearance but in attitude
and actions.
He wears double-breasted suits
with the jacket unbuttoned when
he is in action, and white shirts
and dark ties.
His Office is an unusual one.
It is five-sided. 1t occupies a
corner of his big dealer estab-
lishment, out Saginaw street
near the Buick plant, and three
of the sides are windows with
Venetian blinds. The other two
walls are a panorama of the
plaza of st. Marks in Venice.
the buildings and the famous
lions outlined in sepia brown.
His large desk is covered with
hand-tooled leather and his
waste basket looks like a huge
tome from the library of the
Doges.
Would See Paris Each Spring.
when my wife and I were
In Europe in 1851" he explained,
I'VE decided we would visit Paris
and Italy every spring. I was
even thinking of retiring. I did
get back to Paris in the spring
OF so, but that was to see Eisen-
hover. 1 am afraid it will be
some time before we will be able
to enjoy Springtime in Paris
again"
The only portrait in the Office
Is a photograph of the late
Spencer Bishop, son of one of
General Motors first families,
whose money made it possible
for him to start in the auto
mobile agency business % years
ago.
He readily acknowledged that
he was for Taft in the spring
of so.
Il had come to know and to
have great respect for Senator
Taft" he said.
Mr. Summerfield feels that
one of his greatest accomplish
ments was getting all the can
didates for the Republican; nomi-
nation to come to Michigan and
talk to the people. They all
came to the State except Gov.
Warren. who had planned to
come but had to go to hospital
instead.
I'VE had to get our people
thinking and talking about ma
tional issues to overcome the
Democratic-C -CIO-PAC propagan-
da-there are no Jeffersonian
Democrats left here" he said,
land to overcome the propa-
ganda from the bureaus in
Washington. The way to do that
was to get the national figures
to come here and state their
views"
The Michigan Story.
Perhaps it would be we'll to
interject here an account of the
situation that developed as the
delegates prepared to entrain for
Chicago. Mr.. Summerfield under
standably avoided any reference
to this in his conversation with
a reporter.
It became apparent that the
delegations of two States, both
uncommitted, would do much to
determine whether Senator Taft
or Gen Eisenhower would be
the nominee. One was the
Pennsylvania delegation led by
Gov. David S. Fine. Gov. Fine
was in a technically neutral
position. The only preference
he had indicated was for Gen.
Macarthur AS a continuing
Governor, Mr.. Fine had patron-
age power to influence his dele
CATION. The t"Ar delegation
was Michigan. 1t was led by Mr..
Summerfleld. who represented
the State on the national COM
mittee of the party. He had no
patronage power. The Governor
of Michigan, G. Mennen Will
liams. is Democrat. Mr.. Sum-
merheld was known to favor
Senator Taft.
The way things worked out
testifies to Mr.. Summerfield's
political acumen and winning
personality. Both Gen. Eisen-
hover and. Senator Taft had
conferences with Gov. Fine and
the Pennsylvania delegation in
June The picnic on the Eisen-
hover farm at Gettysburg and
the get-to-gether with Senator
Taft at Hershey. The. Senator
was in Michigan several times
before the convention and Gen.
Eisenhower made speech in