Brien McMahon
Encyclopedia
Brien McMahon, born James O'Brien McMahon (October 6, 1903 July 28, 1952) was an American
lawyer
and politician
who served in the United States Senate
(as a Democrat from Connecticut
) from 1945 to 1952. McMahon was a major figure in the establishment of the Atomic Energy Commission
, through his authorship of the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 (the McMahon Act).
McMahon served as chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Atomic Energy, and the first chairman of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy
. McMahon was a key figure in the early years of atomic weapons development and an advocate for the civilian
(rather than military
) control of nuclear development in the USA. Also, in 1952, McMahon proposed an "army" of young Americans to act as "missionaries of democracy", which sowed the seeds for what later became the Peace Corps
.
McMahon was born James O'Brien McMahon in 1903 in Norwalk, Connecticut
. McMahon graduated Fordham University
in 1924. and then Yale University Law School
, New Haven, Connecticut
in 1927. McMahon changed his name to Brien McMahon the same year as being admitted to the bar
.
McMahon began a practice in Norwalk and later served as a judge
in the city, appointed to the position by Connecticut Governor Wilbur L. Cross. However, McMahon quickly resigned to become special assistant to the Attorney General of the United States in 1933. Attorney General Homer Cummings
was also from Connecticut. McMahon in 1935 was appointed as United States Assistant Attorney General
overseeing the Department of Justice's
Criminal Division
. Among prominent cases McMahon was associated with in the Criminal Division were the prosecutions of "John Dillinger
's lawyer, Louis Piquette (for harboring a criminal) and the trials of gangsters associated with 'Baby Face' Nelson
. However, the case which elevated McMahon to national renown and laid the foundation for his political career, was the Harlan County
Coal Miner's case ...[,] a landmark trial as the first effort to uphold the Wagner
National Labor Relations Act
, i.e., to enforce the right of labor to form unions. The case became most famous, however, not for the legal principles at stake, but for the violence and scandal that surrounded the trial. [And, d]espite [a] disappointing outcome of the case, ... McMahon ... received wide public recognition and a reputation as a courageous and honest upholder of justice, both of which would further his political ambitions," according to a biography accompanying the introduction to his papers, held by Georgetown University
library.
In 1939, McMahon left government service and resumed his law practice. In February 1940 McMahon married Rosemary Turner, and they had a daughter, Patricia. McMahon mounted a successful campaign for a Connecticut United States Senate seat in 1944, defeating incumbent John A. Danaher
, with internationalism
(McMahon) v. isolationism
(Danaher) a major point of debate.
In late 1945, McMahon managed to be appointed as the Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Atomic Energy, which was exploring legislative alternatives to the War Department sponsored May-Johnson bill. McMahon had no special knowledge of matters relating to atomic energy, but saw the opportunity as a means to assert himself as a new Senator, especially as the May-Johnson view was coming under increased attack from scientists and eventually even lost support of the White House. McMahon's Special Committee held many hearings over the course of late 1945 and early 1946, providing a forum for major arguments about domestic postwar legislation for controlling atomic energy. On December 20, 1945, McMahon introduced into the Senate legislation for an alternative atomic energy bill, which was quickly known as the McMahon bill. This was initially a very liberal bill towards the control of scientific research, and was broadly supported by scientists. McMahon himself framed the controversy as a question of military versus civilian control of atomic energy, even though the War Department bill was primarily a civilian bill as well. In the spring of 1946, several major revisions were made to the McMahon bill in order to appease more conservative elements in the Senate. The resulting bill passed the Senate and the House without major modifications. On August 1, 1946, President Harry Truman signed the McMahon bill into law as the Atomic Energy Act of 1946
.
On July 16, 1945, an atomic bomb was successfully detonated at Alamogordo, New Mexico after which Senator Brien McMahon of Connecticut called it "the most important thing in history since the birth of Jesus Christ."
As part of the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, a special Congressional committee, the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, was created. McMahon would be its chairman in 1946, and again in 1949-1952. In this position he was notably an advocate of an expanded American nuclear arsenal, as well as a major advocate for the building of the hydrogen bomb.
In 1952, before being diagnosed with what would become his fatal cancer
, McMahon launched a campaign for the presidency, with the "campaign slogan ... 'The Man is McMahon' and his main platform ... to insure world peace through fear of atomic weapons." From his sickbed, he sent a message to the Democratic state convention in Hartford, Connecticut
saying that if elected President, he would tell the Atomic Energy Commission
to manufacture thousands of hydrogen bombs.
McMahon was reelected to his seat in 1950 and served until his death in Washington, D.C.
in 1952, aged 48. McMahon is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Norwalk.
A commemorative stamp
honoring Brien McMahon and his role in opening the way to peaceful uses of atomic energy was issued by the United States on July 28, 1962 at Norwalk, Connecticut. The stamp features a portrait of McMahon facing a rendition of an atomic symbol.
Brien McMahon High School
, in Norwalk, is named after him. Brien McMahon Hall, a residence hall at the University of Connecticut
in Storrs, also bears his name.
Footage of McMahon is included in the 1982 documentary The Atomic Cafe
giving a speech urging a reasoned response to the acquisition of atomic weapons contrasting with the more McCarthyite speeches of Republican
Senators Owen Brewster
, Richard Nixon
and Democratic
Representative Lloyd Bentsen
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who served in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
(as a Democrat from Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
) from 1945 to 1952. McMahon was a major figure in the establishment of the Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
, through his authorship of the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 (the McMahon Act).
McMahon served as chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Atomic Energy, and the first chairman of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy
United States Congress Joint Committee on Atomic Energy
The Joint Committee on Atomic Energy was a United States congressional committee that was tasked with exclusive jurisdiction over "all bills, resolutions, and other matters" related to civilian and military aspects of nuclear power from 1946 through 1977...
. McMahon was a key figure in the early years of atomic weapons development and an advocate for the civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
(rather than military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
) control of nuclear development in the USA. Also, in 1952, McMahon proposed an "army" of young Americans to act as "missionaries of democracy", which sowed the seeds for what later became the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
.
McMahon was born James O'Brien McMahon in 1903 in Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
. McMahon graduated Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
in 1924. and then Yale University Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
in 1927. McMahon changed his name to Brien McMahon the same year as being admitted to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
.
McMahon began a practice in Norwalk and later served as a judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
in the city, appointed to the position by Connecticut Governor Wilbur L. Cross. However, McMahon quickly resigned to become special assistant to the Attorney General of the United States in 1933. Attorney General Homer Cummings
Homer Stille Cummings
Homer Stille Cummings was a U.S. political figure who was United States Attorney General from 1933 to 1939. He also was elected mayor of Stamford, Connecticut, three times before, founding the legal firm of Cummings & Lockwood in 1909...
was also from Connecticut. McMahon in 1935 was appointed as United States Assistant Attorney General
United States Assistant Attorney General
Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an Assistant Attorney General.The President of the United States appoints individuals to the position of Assistant Attorney General with the advice and consent of the Senate...
overseeing the Department of Justice's
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
Criminal Division
United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division develops, enforces, and supervises the application of all federal criminal laws in the United States, except those specifically assigned to other divisions. Criminal Division attorneys prosecute many nationally significant cases and formulate and...
. Among prominent cases McMahon was associated with in the Criminal Division were the prosecutions of "John Dillinger
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
's lawyer, Louis Piquette (for harboring a criminal) and the trials of gangsters associated with 'Baby Face' Nelson
Baby Face Nelson
Lester Joseph Gillis , known under the pseudonym George Nelson, was a bank robber and murderer in the 1930s. Gillis was known as Baby Face Nelson, a name given to him due to his youthful appearance and small stature...
. However, the case which elevated McMahon to national renown and laid the foundation for his political career, was the Harlan County
Harlan County, Kentucky
Harlan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1819. As of 2000, the population was 33,200. Its county seat is Harlan...
Coal Miner's case ...[,] a landmark trial as the first effort to uphold the Wagner
Robert F. Wagner
Robert Ferdinand Wagner I was an American politician. He was a Democratic U.S. Senator from New York from 1927 to 1949.-Origin and early life:...
National Labor Relations Act
National Labor Relations Act
The National Labor Relations Act or Wagner Act , is a 1935 United States federal law that limits the means with which employers may react to workers in the private sector who create labor unions , engage in collective bargaining, and take part in strikes and other forms of concerted activity in...
, i.e., to enforce the right of labor to form unions. The case became most famous, however, not for the legal principles at stake, but for the violence and scandal that surrounded the trial. [And, d]espite [a] disappointing outcome of the case, ... McMahon ... received wide public recognition and a reputation as a courageous and honest upholder of justice, both of which would further his political ambitions," according to a biography accompanying the introduction to his papers, held by Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
library.
In 1939, McMahon left government service and resumed his law practice. In February 1940 McMahon married Rosemary Turner, and they had a daughter, Patricia. McMahon mounted a successful campaign for a Connecticut United States Senate seat in 1944, defeating incumbent John A. Danaher
John A. Danaher
John Anthony Danaher was a United States Senator from Connecticut.Born in Meriden, Connecticut, he attended the local schools and during the First World War served in the Student's Army Training Corps at Yale University and in the Officers' Reserve Corps...
, with internationalism
Internationalism (politics)
Internationalism is a political movement which advocates a greater economic and political cooperation among nations for the theoretical benefit of all...
(McMahon) v. isolationism
Isolationism
Isolationism is the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by...
(Danaher) a major point of debate.
In late 1945, McMahon managed to be appointed as the Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Atomic Energy, which was exploring legislative alternatives to the War Department sponsored May-Johnson bill. McMahon had no special knowledge of matters relating to atomic energy, but saw the opportunity as a means to assert himself as a new Senator, especially as the May-Johnson view was coming under increased attack from scientists and eventually even lost support of the White House. McMahon's Special Committee held many hearings over the course of late 1945 and early 1946, providing a forum for major arguments about domestic postwar legislation for controlling atomic energy. On December 20, 1945, McMahon introduced into the Senate legislation for an alternative atomic energy bill, which was quickly known as the McMahon bill. This was initially a very liberal bill towards the control of scientific research, and was broadly supported by scientists. McMahon himself framed the controversy as a question of military versus civilian control of atomic energy, even though the War Department bill was primarily a civilian bill as well. In the spring of 1946, several major revisions were made to the McMahon bill in order to appease more conservative elements in the Senate. The resulting bill passed the Senate and the House without major modifications. On August 1, 1946, President Harry Truman signed the McMahon bill into law as the Atomic Energy Act of 1946
Atomic Energy Act of 1946
The Atomic Energy Act of 1946 determined how the United States federal government would control and manage the nuclear technology it had jointly developed with its wartime allies...
.
On July 16, 1945, an atomic bomb was successfully detonated at Alamogordo, New Mexico after which Senator Brien McMahon of Connecticut called it "the most important thing in history since the birth of Jesus Christ."
As part of the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, a special Congressional committee, the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, was created. McMahon would be its chairman in 1946, and again in 1949-1952. In this position he was notably an advocate of an expanded American nuclear arsenal, as well as a major advocate for the building of the hydrogen bomb.
In 1952, before being diagnosed with what would become his fatal cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, McMahon launched a campaign for the presidency, with the "campaign slogan ... 'The Man is McMahon' and his main platform ... to insure world peace through fear of atomic weapons." From his sickbed, he sent a message to the Democratic state convention in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
saying that if elected President, he would tell the Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
to manufacture thousands of hydrogen bombs.
McMahon was reelected to his seat in 1950 and served until his death in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1952, aged 48. McMahon is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Norwalk.
Commemorative stamp
A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary, to honor or commemorate a place, event or person. The subject of the commemorative stamp is usually spelled out in print, unlike definitive stamps which normally depict the subject along with the...
honoring Brien McMahon and his role in opening the way to peaceful uses of atomic energy was issued by the United States on July 28, 1962 at Norwalk, Connecticut. The stamp features a portrait of McMahon facing a rendition of an atomic symbol.
Brien McMahon High School
Brien McMahon High School
Brien McMahon High School is a secondary school located in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA. It is named after Brien McMahon, a former United States Senator from Norwalk. The school's mascot is a Senator with the school colors being red, white, and blue. The school's first senior class graduated in 1962...
, in Norwalk, is named after him. Brien McMahon Hall, a residence hall at the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
in Storrs, also bears his name.
Footage of McMahon is included in the 1982 documentary The Atomic Cafe
The Atomic Cafe
The Atomic Cafe is an American documentary film produced and directed by Jayne Loader, Kevin Rafferty, and Pierce Rafferty.-Synopsis:The film covers the beginnings of the era of nuclear warfare, created from a broad range of archival film from the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s - including newsreel...
giving a speech urging a reasoned response to the acquisition of atomic weapons contrasting with the more McCarthyite speeches of Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Senators Owen Brewster
Owen Brewster
Ralph Owen Brewster was an American politician from Maine. Brewster, a Republican, was solidly conservative...
, Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
and Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Representative Lloyd Bentsen
Lloyd Bentsen
Lloyd Millard Bentsen, Jr. was a four-term United States senator from Texas and the Democratic Party nominee for Vice President in 1988 on the Michael Dukakis ticket. He also served in the House of Representatives from 1949 to 1955. In his later political life, he was Chairman of the Senate...
.