In my last post, I covered the independently liberal Stephen Young However, there was in the past a conservative faction of the state’s Democrats. The most prominent of these in the early 20^th century and the most successful of the Republican 1920s was Alvin Victor Donahey (1873-1946).

He started his political career in the 1898 election, serving as the clerk of Goshen Township Board of Trustees for five years. From 1905 to 1909, he was simultaneously auditor of Tuscarawas County and on New Philadelphia’s Board of Education. Donahey won his reputation-making office in 1912 when he was elected State Auditor. Serving until 1921, he gained the nickname “Honest Vic”. According to New York Times correspondent Chailfs M. Dean (1934), “A State employee presented an itemized expense account including the cost of a meal at a Cleveland hotel. During the meal he consumed a baked potato. Donahey’s analysis of the expense account proved that he had paid thirty-five cents for a baked potato. The item was disallowed. Every farmer in Ohio cheered. Many of them were unable to obtain thirty-five cents a bushel for potatoes at the time”.  Although Democrats were not always popular in Ohio, Donahey was, and was one of their biggest vote-getters.

In 1920, he ran for governor, but the odds were too long even for him in that strongly Republican year, losing by six points. However, it should be noted that he ran ahead of Democratic presidential nominee James Cox by seven points. Although Donahey’s first try in running for governor was unsuccessful, 1922 was a far better year for Democrats and he narrowly won, even as Senator Atlee Pomerene went down to defeat against Republican Congressman Simeon Fess. Donahey furthered his good reputation as governor given his strong sense of honesty as well as his independence. Such independence was expressed through his many vetoes, vetoing 76 bills in his first term in office. Bills that got vetoed included Klan-backed legislation for Bible reading in schools, making Prohibition offenders who hadn’t paid fines perform manual labor, and any tax increases (NGA). Donahey overall opposed Prohibition and how it was enforced. On one occasion, he pardoned 2,000 people convicted on such charges and did so as he saw enforcement as hitting the poor disproportionately hard (NGA). Donahey won reelection in 1924 by a stronger margin despite the year being good for Republicans nationwide. His 1926 reelection was quite close, and in 1928 he decided against another term. Donahey was briefly considered as a potential candidate for 1928, and at the Democratic National Convention he received five votes. However, with the Great Depression and Republicans becoming quite unpopular nationwide Donahey had a solid opportunity to return to public office.

In 1934, Donahey took on Senator Fess, but whether he would commit to the New Deal was uncertain to the concern of strong New Deal supporters, as in every speech he delivered he said, “I will support President Roosevelt in every proper manner” (Dean). Days before the election, it was widely believed that Donahey was going to prevail over Fess, and he did by 20 points.

Donahey as a senator, 1938.

New Deal supporters who were concerned about Donahey being a reliable voter would in time be proven correct in their concerns. In his first year he largely stuck with the Roosevelt Administration, such as casting votes for the Wagner Act and to uphold the “death sentence” clause of the Public Utilities Holding Company Act. He was more in line with the Roosevelt Administration at the time than Ohio’s other senator, Democrat Robert J. Bulkley, whose independence of the administration had included his votes against the Agricultural Adjustment Act and opposition to the “death sentence” clause. However, Donahey’s votes in opposition to the World Court presaged his foreign policy views regarding World War II. He also opposed work relief legislation, and after the 1936 election his opposition to the New Deal would grow, as he became increasingly committed to curbing spending. Donahey also opposed the “court packing plan” and the reorganization bill in 1938, certainly much to the chagrin of the president. He also opposed the Neutrality Act Amendments of 1939, which repealed the arms embargo, and opposed the peacetime draft in 1940. However, Donahey still did support the administration in some matters, such as retaining funds for the Civilian Conservation Corps and permitting the purchase of private power generating facilities by the Tennessee Valley Authority from Commonwealth & Southern. That year, he opted not to run for reelection, and he was succeeded by Republican Harold Burton. Donahey’s DW-Nominate score was a 0.107, which is quite high for a Democrat and indicated a lot of opposition to Roosevelt’s domestic agenda. Donahey did not run for office again, resuming his career in the private sector until his death on April 8, 1946.

References

Bulkley, Robert Johns. Voteview.

Retrieved from

https://voteview.com/person/1224/robert-johns-bulkley

Dean, C.M. (1934, November 4). Ohio Convinced Fess is Defeated. The New York Times.

Retrieved from

Donahey, Alvin Victor. Voteview.

Retrieved from

https://voteview.com/person/2652/alvin-victor-donahey

Gov. Alvin Victor Donahey. National Governors Association.

Retrieved from

Alvin Victor Donahey