Evening star., 1954-12-24
New Foees II Congress
New Foees i Congress
Bender Squeezed in On Pledge
OF 10O9o Eisenhower Support
81 Harold B. Rogers

RepubIican legislator Of IA
years experience IN the House
and successor to the Senate seat
Of the late Robert A. Taft. IS
D robust. fousine political opera
tor. VIM achieved fame as i ben
ringer and song leader ct Re-
publiean conventions.
In Z tight race for the Senate
seat. Mr Bender won over Demo-
cratie Senator Thomas A. Burke.
who had held the post By ap-
pointner1t for q year and q hall. /
Mr.. Burke called for 3 recount
and gained some votes but not
enough to win.
Senafor-elect Bender will MI
out the unexpired term Of Sena-
tor Taft which still has two
more years to run, throughout
the new 64th Congress.
The victor. 58-year-old busi-
nessman and publisher. Of Cha-
grin Falls, Ohio. suburb Of
Cleveland, campaigned on q
platform Of 100 per cent support
Of the Eisenhower program.
Senator Burke. former Mayor
Of Cleveland. had challenged the
administrations policies, but
Mr.. Bender carried on q strenu-
Gus fight in defense Of the Pres
ident's economic. labor and farm
program.
Fought for Taft Nomination.
Mr.. Bender, after vigorously
supporting Senator Taft for the
presidential nomination. as his
colorful cheerleader at q noisy
Republican convention. later 10y
ally backed Gen. Eisenhower as
the q. o. p. standard bearer In
1852.
Mr.. Bender regards the Presi-
dent as the greatest asset to
the Republican party since Linz
coin. During the 83d Congress.
he actively supported the adj
ministration 76 per cent Of the
time. opposed 1t only 10 per
cent?.
Mr.. Bender, after heading an
investigation by q House SUBJ.
committee into purported Cleve-
land labor racketeering, mar
rowiy escaped injury last Octo-
Der when dynamite was found
unexploded in his automobile
near his home. Mrs. Bender
found the seven-incli stick Of
explosive broken In half, on the
rear floor Of the car. early one
morning. Only the detonator
cap, police said. had exploded,
si1owering the car with bomb
Erappings.
Refused To Be Scared.
The subcommittee chairman
said he did not know what it's
all about" but declared, ut was
Q stupid act. Somebody Is trying
to scare me. but they're not
going to do It,"
Born In Cleveland on Septem-
Der q, 1896. Mr.. Bender is de-
scended from Moravian ances-
tors. with deep religious con-
victions, who settled in Ohio. He
recalls that his early life was pro-
foundly Influenced by his asso-
citation with the Rev. Joel Hay
den, one of the church leaders
in Cleveland. He has been active
In Methodist Church work.
His ringing baritone voice. de-
veioped in church choirs, was
heard resounding through sew
erai Republican conventions.
Getting into politics early, the
young Bender was q schoolboy
orator for Theodore Roosevelt
who ran for President in the
Bull Moose campaign Of 1912.
Elected to the Ohio State Sem
ate in 1920. one of the youngest
men ever seated there. he served
there for flve consecutive terms.
Beginning his congressional
career In 1888, Mr.. Bender was
elected Ohio Congressman ct
large. at the time Mr.. Taft first
came to the Senate.
sSH Lost Seat in 1s4s.
He was reelected In 1910,
1912. 1874 and 1916. The unex-
@pected Truman victory In 1948,-
brought Mr.. Bender defeat. But
J IN 1882. redistricting Of Ohio
eliminated the post Of Congress
man at large. So Mr.. Bender