Forrest C. Donnell
Encyclopedia
Forrest C. Donnell was a United States Senator
and the 40th Governor of Missouri
. He was a Republican.
.
Donnell graduated from Maryville High School (Missouri) in 1900 and where his father was once mayor ironically living in the same home as Albert Morehouse who had also been governor.
At the University of Missouri
he was a member of the Kappa Sigma
and Phi Delta Phi
fraternities and was elected to member in Phi Beta Kappa, Theta Kappa Nu
and QEBH
societies. He was valedictorian of the 1904 class and received a law degree in 1907.
In 1907 he moved to St. Louis, Missouri
. In October 1911 he and future Senator Selden P. Spencer
formed the law firm of Spencer & Donnell. In 1917 he was president of the Association of Young Republicans
of Missouri; in 1918-1920 as a member of the executive committee of the Republican State Committee of Missouri; and in 1919 as president of the Twenty-eighth Ward Republican Club of St. Louis.
He was the city attorney of Webster Groves, Missouri
, a suburb
southwest of St. Louis City
.
Donnell was the first Republican governor after the collapse of the Thomas Pendergast political machine and the only major Republican elected statewide in the 1940 election and Democrats were to delay seating him for six weeks until being forced to do so by the Missouri Supreme Court in what would be called the “Great Governorship Steal.”
Donnell had defeated St. Louis politician Lawrence “Larry” McDaniel by 3,613 votes out of nearly 2 million cast thanks largely to votes cast in rural areas.
Donnell’s predecessor Lloyd C. Stark
had wrested control of federal appointments in the state from the Pendergast machine in 1936. Consequently there was unease with a Republican taking over the appointments.
Within hours of the election several members of the Democratic party met at the DeSoto Hotel in St. Louis to plot strategy. Among those attending were Senator Bennett Champ Clark
, St. Louis Mayor Bernard F. Dickmann
, Democratic Party Chairman Robert Hannegan, Attorney General Roy McKittrick and state Democratic Chairman C. Marion Hulen.
Their strategy was to charge that Republican votes were fraudulently bought and to use a provision of the Missouri Constitution that provided the Speaker of the House "would count – tabulate – the votes and proclaim to the general public who won".
Donnell was refused to be seated while the Speaker investigated the votes. Governor Stark urged that he be seated. The Missouri Supreme Court ultimately seated him.
Donnell was a Mason
and would be elected Grand Master of the Missouri chapter during his term as governor. Ironically, Democrat Harry S. Truman
was to imply that Donnell helped Truman win the 1940 Senate election because of their Mason bond.
Truman said:
in the Democratic primary. He served from 1945 to 1951. He lost to former U.S. Representative Thomas C. Hennings, Jr.
by 53.6%-to-46.4% in the United States Senate elections, 1950
He died in 1980 at the age of 95 in St. Louis.
He is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery.
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...
and the 40th Governor of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. He was a Republican.
Early life
Donnell was born in Quitman, MissouriQuitman, Missouri
Quitman is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 46 at the 2000 census.-History:Quitman was first platted in 1856 by R. R. Russell and was initially called Russellville. It was later changed Quitman in honor of John A. Quitman, a former governor of Mississippi and...
.
Donnell graduated from Maryville High School (Missouri) in 1900 and where his father was once mayor ironically living in the same home as Albert Morehouse who had also been governor.
At the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
he was a member of the Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
and Phi Delta Phi
Phi Delta Phi
Phi Delta Phi, ΦΔΦ, is the world's second largest legal fraternity. Phi Delta Phi is the second oldest legal organization in continuous existence in the United States and third oldest in North America...
fraternities and was elected to member in Phi Beta Kappa, Theta Kappa Nu
Theta Kappa Nu
Theta Kappa Nu Fraternity was founded on June 9, 1924, at Springfield, MO. Delegates from eleven local fraternities from nine different states united to form the new fraternity...
and QEBH
QEBH
QEBH is a senior honor society at the University of Missouri. Founded in 1897, it is the oldest of six recognized secret honor societies on campus.-History:The society was founded in November 1897 by eight men...
societies. He was valedictorian of the 1904 class and received a law degree in 1907.
In 1907 he moved to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. In October 1911 he and future Senator Selden P. Spencer
Selden P. Spencer
Selden Palmer Spencer was a United States Senator from Missouri. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, he attended the public schools there and graduated from Yale College in 1884 and from the law school of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1886. He was admitted to the bar, commencing...
formed the law firm of Spencer & Donnell. In 1917 he was president of the Association of Young Republicans
Young Republicans
The Young Republicans is an organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. It has both a national organization and chapters in individual states....
of Missouri; in 1918-1920 as a member of the executive committee of the Republican State Committee of Missouri; and in 1919 as president of the Twenty-eighth Ward Republican Club of St. Louis.
He was the city attorney of Webster Groves, Missouri
Webster Groves, Missouri
Webster Groves is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 22,995 at the 2010 census. The city is named after New England politician Daniel Webster....
, a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
southwest of St. Louis City
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
Governor
He served as the Governor of Missouri between 1941 and 1945.Donnell was the first Republican governor after the collapse of the Thomas Pendergast political machine and the only major Republican elected statewide in the 1940 election and Democrats were to delay seating him for six weeks until being forced to do so by the Missouri Supreme Court in what would be called the “Great Governorship Steal.”
Donnell had defeated St. Louis politician Lawrence “Larry” McDaniel by 3,613 votes out of nearly 2 million cast thanks largely to votes cast in rural areas.
Donnell’s predecessor Lloyd C. Stark
Lloyd C. Stark
Lloyd Crow Stark was the 39th Governor of the U.S. state of Missouri. He was a Democrat.Stark was born in Louisiana, Missouri. Stark is a 1908 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. After serving four years as a naval officer, Stark went into the family business, the Stark Brothers...
had wrested control of federal appointments in the state from the Pendergast machine in 1936. Consequently there was unease with a Republican taking over the appointments.
Within hours of the election several members of the Democratic party met at the DeSoto Hotel in St. Louis to plot strategy. Among those attending were Senator Bennett Champ Clark
Bennett Champ Clark
Joel Bennett Clark , better known as Bennett Champ Clark, was a Democratic United States Senator from Missouri from 1933 until 1945, and was later a United States federal judge.-Biography:...
, St. Louis Mayor Bernard F. Dickmann
Bernard F. Dickmann
Bernard Francis Dickmann was the thirty-fourth mayor of St. Louis .-Biography:...
, Democratic Party Chairman Robert Hannegan, Attorney General Roy McKittrick and state Democratic Chairman C. Marion Hulen.
Their strategy was to charge that Republican votes were fraudulently bought and to use a provision of the Missouri Constitution that provided the Speaker of the House "would count – tabulate – the votes and proclaim to the general public who won".
Donnell was refused to be seated while the Speaker investigated the votes. Governor Stark urged that he be seated. The Missouri Supreme Court ultimately seated him.
Donnell was a Mason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and would be elected Grand Master of the Missouri chapter during his term as governor. Ironically, Democrat Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
was to imply that Donnell helped Truman win the 1940 Senate election because of their Mason bond.
Truman said:
- I had a Catholic friend in St. Louis by the name of James E. Wade. He attended a meeting [where] Davis made his usual charges. Forrest Donnell, who afterwards became [Republican] Governor and Senator, was speaking from the same platform. Donnell was just behind me in the Grand Lodge line and would be Grand Master in a year or two.
- So Jim Wade went up to him . . . and asked him if I could be the low sort of fellow that Davis charged and still be Grand Master of Masons of Missouri. Mr. Donnell said: 'No, Jim, he could not.' That ruined Mr. Davis—I won by 276,000 votes."
Senator
Donnell was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1944. In that race, he defeated state Attorney General Roy McKittrick by 1,988 votes out of nearly 1.56 million cast http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=261846. McKittrick had unseated incumbent U.S. Senator Bennett Champ ClarkBennett Champ Clark
Joel Bennett Clark , better known as Bennett Champ Clark, was a Democratic United States Senator from Missouri from 1933 until 1945, and was later a United States federal judge.-Biography:...
in the Democratic primary. He served from 1945 to 1951. He lost to former U.S. Representative Thomas C. Hennings, Jr.
Thomas C. Hennings, Jr.
Thomas Carey Hennings, Jr. was an American political figure from Missouri, and a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives , and the United States Senate ....
by 53.6%-to-46.4% in the United States Senate elections, 1950
He died in 1980 at the age of 95 in St. Louis.
He is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery.