1. James Aloysius Farley was an American politician who simultaneously served as chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and postmaster general under President Franklin D Roosevelt, whose gubernatorial and presidential campaigns were run by Farley.
James Farley found himself in a transitional period in party politics, as Roosevelt and the New Deal coalition moved from a traditional party system built on local organizations and patronage to a national party system where parties campaigned on specific issues and relied on the support of auxiliary organizations.
In Roosevelt's second term, James Farley found himself sidelined by Roosevelt, and broke with the president over his attempts to influence Congressional primary elections in favor of pro-New Deal candidates.
James Farley mounted a failed campaign for president to prevent Roosevelt from winning a third term in 1940.
James Farley remained active in New York politics and served on the Hoover Commission from 1953 to 1956.
James Farley made his entry into politics in 1908, working for Alex Sutherland during his unsuccessful campaign to become town clerk of Stony Point.
In 1910, James Farley ran for the office of town clerk himself and won.
James Farley was elected chairman of the Rockland County Democratic Party in 1918.
Smith appointed James Farley to be a Port Warden of New York City between 1918 and 1919.
James Farley ran for the New York State Assembly in 1922 and won in Rockland County, normally a solid Republican stronghold.
James Farley sat in the 146th New York State Legislature in 1923, where he introduced 33 bills, 19 of which passed.
James Farley soon became chairman of the commission and held the title until he joined the Roosevelt administration in 1933.
In 1926, James Farley threatened to resign his post as Athletic Commissioner if boxing champion Jack Dempsey did not fight the mandatory challenger, African-American fighter Harry Wills.
James Farley banned Dempsey from fighting Gene Tunney and publicly threatened to revoke Tex Rickard's Madison Square Garden license if he ignored the ruling of the commission.
James Farley was accused of purchasing thousands of tickets to boxing matches to give away as favors.
James Farley's company merged with five other building contractors to form the General Builders Supply Corporation, which Farley served as president of from 1929 to 1933.
James Farley was chosen as the secretary for the New York State Democratic Committee that summer, and launched a letter-writing campaign to the state's county organizations to support Roosevelt.
In 1929, James Farley toured the state to gather information on the state of each county party organization, which he compiled in a report to Roosevelt.
James Farley recommended that the Democrats involve more women in party affairs to better appeal to women voters and distribute patronage more fairly to the various counties, a principle he labeled "proper consideration".
James Farley encouraged county organizations to replace ineffective chairmen and establish full committees covering every precinct in their counties.
James Farley replaced William Bray as chairman of the New York Democratic Party in 1930.
James Farley toured the western United States in 1931 to determine the willingness of western Democrats to support Roosevelt, claiming that he was merely traveling to an Elks convention in Seattle, a disguise which fooled few.
James Farley used his connections to secure Roosevelt's nomination on the fourth ballot at the 1932 Democratic National Convention by offering to make Texan leader John Nance Garner the running mate.
Ahead of the 1936 Democratic National Convention, James Farley lobbied the rest of the party to repeal the convention rule requiring a two-thirds majority for presidential nominees.
James Farley continued his systematic approach to campaigning and maintained a massive correspondence list with party officials across the country, monitoring the situation on the ground and providing advice based on his experience in New York.
James Farley used his position effectively to mediate disputes between different factions during Roosevelt's first term and avoided any major scandals around appointments.
However, James Farley was frustrated by competition from cabinet secretaries for control of appointments to various New Deal programs, and disagreed with Roosevelt and other cabinet secretaries on who to reward with patronage, believing that partisan loyalty mattered more than ideological alignment with the New Deal.
James Farley's role is remembered among stamp collectors for two things.
In 1940 Farley authorized the first postage stamp featuring the likeness of an African American, Booker T Washington.
James Farley appeared as a featured speaker at the American Negro Exposition in Chicago in 1940 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of slavery in the United States at the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865.
James Farley traveled to Europe in the summer of 1939 in the hopes of raising his profile as a statesman.
James Farley visited several countries and enjoyed an audience with Pope Pius XII, but the outbreak of war in Europe upon his return discouraged him from publicly announcing his presidential candidacy.
James Farley was at a disadvantage due to his lack of experience in elected office, knowledge of foreign policy, or a defined platform.
James Farley remained optimistic of his chances as he traveled, believing that he could overcome these issues using the same methods he always had.
James Farley took great interest in his ability to meet new voters, to the point that during a tour of the southern states in April 1940, he had someone count how many people he exchanged a handshake with.
James Farley managed to shake hands with at least 9,847 voters, and estimated he met another 1,500 which were not counted.
At the 1940 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, James Farley was nominated for president by his ally Carter Glass.
James Farley finished a distant second on the first ballot, with.
In 1943, knowing he would not be allowed to participate in the war effort, James Farley moved with Bess to New York City, where he would live in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel for the remainder of his life.
James Farley remained the chairman of the New York Democratic Party after his resignations.
James Farley declined, but supported William O'Dwyer's failed campaign against La Guardia, delivering several speeches accusing La Guardia of being a communist.
James Farley would make one final attempt to seek office in 1958 with an abortive campaign to run for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Irving Ives.
In 1965, James Farley served as the campaign chairman for the failed first Mayoral bid of Abraham Beame, who would go on to be the first practicing Jewish Mayor of New York in 1973.
On November 6,1947, James Farley was the first ever guest to appear on NBC's Meet the Press program.
James Farley was given the Laetare Medal by the University of Notre Dame in 1974.
On June 9,1976, James Farley died in his suite at the Waldorf Astoria.
James Farley was commonly referred to as a political kingmaker for his work on Roosevelt's rise to the presidency.
James Farley was renowned as a political prophet for his correct predictions of the outcomes of the 1932 and 1936 presidential elections.
James Farley failed to adapt to the New Deal and the introduction of political campaigns based on ideologies and issues, preferring to work as a broker of patronage and services for party members.