Vincent F. Harrington
Encyclopedia
Vincent Francis Harrington (May 16, 1903 - November 29, 1943) was a Democratic U.S. Representative
from Iowa
. Harrington was commissioned in the United States Army Air Corps
after the Pearl Harbor attack, resigned from Congress when President Franklin D. Roosevelt
disallowed members of Congress from serving in the military at the same time, and died of natural causes while on active duty in England. A Liberty Ship
was named in his honor.
to Thomas F. and Maria Harrington, Vincent Harrington attended Cathedral Grammar School in Sioux City, Iowa
. He then attended Trinity College Academy, a school in Sioux City built on land purchased from Harrington's parents by the Order of St. Francis.
He attended the University of Notre Dame
in South Bend, Indiana
, where he played football for Knute Rockne
, as a second-stringer on the legendary "Four Horsemen
" team that dominated all opponents in the 1924 season
.
After graduating from Notre Dame in 1925, he served as an instructor and athletic director at Columbia University (now named as the University of Portland
) in Portland, Oregon
, from 1926 to 1927, where he taught economics and history. He then returned to Sioux City, where he worked with his father at Continental Mortgage Company, serving as treasurer and assistant manager, and later as vice president and general manager.
On June 7, 1927, Harrington married Catherine O'Connor of Homer, Nebraska
. Mr. and Mrs. Harrington were the parents of two daughters, Catherine Tim and Patricia Ann Harrington.
, a candidate for re-election in Iowa's 9th congressional district
, ran instead in the special election to serve out the remainder of Murphy's Senate term. This prompted Harrington, a 9th district resident, to withdraw from the race for Lieutenant Governor to accept the Democratic nomination to replace Gillette on the ballot for the U.S. House of Representatives. In the general election, Harrington defeated Republican Fred B. Wolf by over 10,000 votes.
, minus one county, became the new 8th congressional district
. The exception was Monona County
, which Harrington had carried in 1940 by a thousand-vote margin. When Monona County was placed in the reconfigured 7th congressional district
, it was considered a blow to Harrington's chances for re-election in 1942.
In the months before the United States' entry into World War II, Harrington declined to support President Roosevelt's departures from a policy of strict neutrality. In the fall of 1941, Harrington voted against additional funding for the Lend-Lease
program, the repeal of the arms embargo, and the repeal of the ban on arming merchant ships. At the time, his support for strict neutrality and split with Roosevelt, whose popularity in Iowa had declined after 1936, likely matched the views of many of his constituents. However, after the Pearl Harbor attack, congressmen with such a voting record would have difficulty keeping their seats.
However, before the 1942 general election, President Roosevelt issued an order as commander-in-chief that forced members of Congress serving in the military to resign from one position or the other. To abide by his promise to go to war, Harrington resigned from Congress on September 5, 1942.
Because of his resignation, voters in his district were required to cast two votes in the 1942 general election—one to decide who would serve out the final two months of Harrington's term in the Seventy-seventh
Congress, and another for a term in the next Congress. Republican Harry E. Narey
was elected to serve out Harrington's term in the disbanding 9th congressional district, while Republican Charles B. Hoeven
was elected to the seat Harrington had sought for his next term, in the new 8th congressional district.
, England
, Harrington suffered a fatal heart attack. He was interred in Cambridge American Cemetery
, in Cambridge, England.
In July 1944, Mrs. Harrington christened the SS Vincent Harrington, a Liberty Ship named in honor of her husband.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. Harrington was commissioned in the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
after the Pearl Harbor attack, resigned from Congress when President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
disallowed members of Congress from serving in the military at the same time, and died of natural causes while on active duty in England. A Liberty Ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
was named in his honor.
Personal background
Born in Sioux City, IowaSioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
to Thomas F. and Maria Harrington, Vincent Harrington attended Cathedral Grammar School in Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
. He then attended Trinity College Academy, a school in Sioux City built on land purchased from Harrington's parents by the Order of St. Francis.
He attended the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
in South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
, where he played football for Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
, as a second-stringer on the legendary "Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (football)
The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame comprised a winning group of American football players at the University of Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. They were the backfield of Notre Dame's 1924 football team...
" team that dominated all opponents in the 1924 season
1924 college football season
The 1924 college football season was the year of the Four Horsemen as the Notre Dame team, coached by Knute Rockne, won all of its games, including the Rose Bowl, to be acclaimed as the best team in the nation. Notre Dame and Stanford were both unbeaten at season's end, and the Fighting Irish won...
.
After graduating from Notre Dame in 1925, he served as an instructor and athletic director at Columbia University (now named as the University of Portland
University of Portland
The University of Portland is a private Roman Catholic university located in Portland, Oregon. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross and is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1901, UP has a student body of about 3,600 students...
) in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, from 1926 to 1927, where he taught economics and history. He then returned to Sioux City, where he worked with his father at Continental Mortgage Company, serving as treasurer and assistant manager, and later as vice president and general manager.
On June 7, 1927, Harrington married Catherine O'Connor of Homer, Nebraska
Homer, Nebraska
Homer is a village in Dakota County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 590 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Homer is located at ....
. Mr. and Mrs. Harrington were the parents of two daughters, Catherine Tim and Patricia Ann Harrington.
Election to the U.S. House (1936)
In June 1936, Harrington won the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Iowa. However, the following month, Iowa electoral politics was thrown into disarray when Democratic U.S. Senator Richard Louis Murphy was killed in a car accident. Democratic Congresssman Guy M. Gillette of Cherokee, IowaCherokee, Iowa
Cherokee is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,932 at the 2010 Census, up from 5,369 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cherokee County. Cherokee is also the home of the Cherokee Mental Health Institute, under the Iowa Department of Human Services...
, a candidate for re-election in Iowa's 9th congressional district
Iowa's 9th congressional district
Iowa’s 9th congressional district existed from 1873 to 1943. The district was configured four times, first as part of a nine-district plan, then twice in eleven-district plans, then again in a nine-district plan...
, ran instead in the special election to serve out the remainder of Murphy's Senate term. This prompted Harrington, a 9th district resident, to withdraw from the race for Lieutenant Governor to accept the Democratic nomination to replace Gillette on the ballot for the U.S. House of Representatives. In the general election, Harrington defeated Republican Fred B. Wolf by over 10,000 votes.
Re-election in 1938 and 1940
Harrington was re-elected in 1938 and 1940. However, his re-election wins (both over Republican Albert F. Swanson) were much closer than his original victory. In 1938, he won by only 269 votes out of over 94,000 cast (down from 339 after Swanson challenged Harrington's election and the House disallowed 70 Harrington votes), and in 1940 he won by only 2,140 votes out of over 130,000 cast.1941 events complicating 1942 re-election chances
Iowa lost one of its nine congressional seats following the 1940 census, requiring the Republican-controlled 1941 Iowa General Assembly to divide the state into eight congressional districts. The old 9th congressional districtIowa's 9th congressional district
Iowa’s 9th congressional district existed from 1873 to 1943. The district was configured four times, first as part of a nine-district plan, then twice in eleven-district plans, then again in a nine-district plan...
, minus one county, became the new 8th congressional district
Iowa's 8th congressional district
Iowa's 8th congressional district existed from 1873 to 1963. The district was configured five times. Although the district encompassed four different areas of Iowa in its ninety-year existence, it was always predominantly rural, and elected a Republican lawyer to the United States House of...
. The exception was Monona County
Monona County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 9,243 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,697 housing units, of which 4,050 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, which Harrington had carried in 1940 by a thousand-vote margin. When Monona County was placed in the reconfigured 7th congressional district
Iowa's 7th congressional district
Iowa's 7th congressional district is a former congressional district in Iowa. It was eliminated after the 1970 election, leaving Iowa with six congressional districts. The state has since been reduced to five congressional districts.-Redistricting:...
, it was considered a blow to Harrington's chances for re-election in 1942.
In the months before the United States' entry into World War II, Harrington declined to support President Roosevelt's departures from a policy of strict neutrality. In the fall of 1941, Harrington voted against additional funding for the Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
program, the repeal of the arms embargo, and the repeal of the ban on arming merchant ships. At the time, his support for strict neutrality and split with Roosevelt, whose popularity in Iowa had declined after 1936, likely matched the views of many of his constituents. However, after the Pearl Harbor attack, congressmen with such a voting record would have difficulty keeping their seats.
1942 Army Air Corps & resignation from the House
In the 1940 race, he had promised that, if he ever voted for war, he would himself go to war. Thus, after he voted to declare war following the Pearl Harbor attack, he entered in May 1942 in the Army Air Corps, where he was commissioned as a captain, and took a leave of absence from Congress while becoming a candidate for re-election. He declared that "the decision as to my congressional status after January 3, 1943 is entirely up to the people of the district."However, before the 1942 general election, President Roosevelt issued an order as commander-in-chief that forced members of Congress serving in the military to resign from one position or the other. To abide by his promise to go to war, Harrington resigned from Congress on September 5, 1942.
Because of his resignation, voters in his district were required to cast two votes in the 1942 general election—one to decide who would serve out the final two months of Harrington's term in the Seventy-seventh
77th United States Congress
-Major events:* December 7, 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor* December 8, 1941: Joint Session of Congress met to hear President Roosevelt deliver his "Day of Infamy" speech...
Congress, and another for a term in the next Congress. Republican Harry E. Narey
Harry E. Narey
Harry Elsworth Narey was a Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa for several weeks between the 1942 general election and the commencement of the 1943-44 Congress. He was the last Congressman to serve in Iowa's 9th congressional district...
was elected to serve out Harrington's term in the disbanding 9th congressional district, while Republican Charles B. Hoeven
Charles B. Hoeven
Charles Bernard Hoeven held elective office for forty consecutive years. He was elected or re-elected eleven times to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent districts in northern Iowa...
was elected to the seat Harrington had sought for his next term, in the new 8th congressional district.
Active Air Corps service and death
On November 29, 1943, in while serving in the Air Corps as a security control officer in RutlandRutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Harrington suffered a fatal heart attack. He was interred in Cambridge American Cemetery
Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial
-External links:**...
, in Cambridge, England.
In July 1944, Mrs. Harrington christened the SS Vincent Harrington, a Liberty Ship named in honor of her husband.