Political Career
In 1946, Markey ran a closely contested but unsuccessful campaign for one of Maryland's U.S. Senate seats as a Republican against former Governor Herbert O'Conor. After the vote, both candidates claimed victory, before the official count declared O'Conor the winner by a margin of 2,232 out of more than 470,000 votes cast. On December 10, 1946, Markey requested the Special Committee to Investigate Senatorial Campaign Expenditures conduct a recount in Baltimore City and Montgomery County, which had used voting machines. He asked for a prompt recount and also alleged his opponents' campaign had committed financing violations. The committee agreed because Maryland was unable to conduct its own official recount, and found a variation of about 400 votes. The committee then sought to survey five additional counties that were likely to have irregularities. Markey requested a full recount of the entire state.
In the meantime, O'Conor was sworn into the senate seat on January 4, 1947, after a slight delay. Throughout the recounts, Markey implored the process be done quickly, and implied that the election evidence could go missing at any moment. In May 1947, upon completion of the recount of the five additional counties, O'Conor still maintained a margin of 1,465 votes. In the aftermath, Markey complained of the O'Conor administration's control of the state government, the Democratic Party's control of the state since 1864, and law enforcement's failure to prevent polling abuses. By contrast, Democratic Maryland senator Millard Tydings alleged partisan bias on the part of the Republican-led investigating subcommittee. The committee completed its full recount of the state in January 1948, and concluded that O'Conor had secured a 1,624-vote majority.
Markey made another unsuccessful senate bid in 1950 against Republican businessman John Marshall Butler. By 1950, Markey held a position as commander of the Maryland American Legion.
He committed suicide by shooting himself with a 22 caliber rifle in 1963 and is interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Markey and wife Edna had two children, D. John "Jack" Markey and Mary Elizabeth Hooper.
Read more about this topic: D. John Markey
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