William F. Knowland - United States Senator

United States Senator

Hiram Johnson, the senior U.S. Senator from California, died on August 6, 1945. On August 14, 1945, Governor Earl Warren appointed Knowland to fill Johnson's seat. Warren first offered the Senate seat to Joseph R. Knowland, who declined Warren's offer, saying: "I lost the Senate Seat in 1914, I have the responsibility of the Oakland Tribune, Bring my boy, Billy home". Major William F. Knowland was serving on special duty with the Army Public Relations Section as part of the European Occupation Forces in Paris. Knowland always said he learned of his new job from an article in Stars and Stripes; Knowland's wife Helen tried to telephone him with the news, but she couldn't get past the military censors, who said it was not essential government business.

Knowland was sworn in as a freshman Senator of the 79th Congress September 6, 1945, the day the Senate adjourned in memory of Hiram Johnson. He was assigned membership in the Commerce Committee, the Irrigation and Reclamation and Immigration Committee, and the National Defense Committee (formerly the Truman Committee).

In 1946, in a special election for the last part of Johnson's term, Knowland defeated Democrat Will Rogers, Jr. by 334,000 votes. The special election featured a blank ballot, whereby electors had to write in the name of their choice. He also defeated Rogers in the general election by nearly 261,000 votes, winning a full term in the Senate in his own right.

Knowland became a caustic critic of the Harry S. Truman administration. He was critical of the actions in the "loss" of China to Communism and the Korean War. However, Knowland admired the former Senator from Missouri personally.

Knowland was known as the "Senator from Formosa" for his strong support for Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist government in China against Mao Zedong and the Communists. A keen opponent of China's accession to the United Nations, Knowland tangled with Indian statesman V. K. Krishna Menon over the issue, leading the latter to acidly recommend psychiatric treatment to the former.

At the 1948 Republican National Convention, Knowland made the nominating speech for Governor Warren as the Vice Presidential candidate, and was seen on the podium with presidential candidate Thomas E. Dewey.

In the June 1952 primary election, Knowland "cross-filed", running for both the Republican and Democratic nominations. He got 2.5 million votes to 750,000 for his Democratic opponent, Clinton D. McKinnon, and won both nominations. In the general election he was opposed only by an "Independent Progressive", and won with 88% of the vote, carrying 57 of the 58 counties.

The 1952 Republican National Convention met in Chicago. General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower and U.S. Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio, were the two main candidates. On July 8, 1952, Taft asked Bill if he were interested in the vice presidency. Eisenhower was nominated and selected for his ticket California's Junior U.S. Senator Richard M. Nixon.

September 23, 1952, Republican vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon gave the Checkers speech. Republican presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower's aides contacted Bill Knowland, and persuaded him to fly from Hawaii to join General Eisenhower and be available as a potential replacement running mate. However, seeing public opinion, Eisenhower retained Nixon on the 1952 GOP ticket.

When Senator Robert A. Taft died on July 31, 1953, Knowland was chosen to succeed him as Senate Republican Leader (Majority Leader from 1953 to 1955; Minority Leader from 1955 to 1959). At age 44, he is the youngest senator to occupy the position of Majority Leader. His Democratic counterpart was Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas.

Knowland called the Senate the "most exclusive club of 96". He was slow to criticize its most infamous member, Wisconsin's Republican junior Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Knowland briefly floated his candidacy for President in 1956, but withdrew when Dwight D. Eisenhower decided to run for re-election. On appointing Knowland as delegate to the Eleventh General Assembly of the United Nations in 1956, Eisenhower wrote: "Knowland brings to his leadership post an absolute, unflinching integrity that rises above politics. In the councils of government, he inspires faith in his motives and gives weight to his words."

Knowland had a long-running battle with Richard Nixon, with whom he served in the Senate from 1951 to 1953, for influence in California Republican Party affairs. Nonetheless, he gave Nixon the constitutional oath for Vice President of the United States January 20, 1953 and January 21, 1957 on East Portico of the U.S. Capitol. It was reported that Knowland said afterwards, "I had to have my picture taken with that dirty bastard!". In 1968, Nixon came across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco to Oakland, an aide pointed out the Oakland Tribune Tower, Nixon replied, "Bastard."

Knowland was Temporary Chairman of the 1956 Republican National Convention, held at the San Francisco Cow Palace.

Knowland and Johnson crafted and passed, in the Senate, the watered down Civil Rights Act of 1957. It was the first such act since Reconstruction. After the bill was passed Knowland wept because the bill's weakness was a setback for civil rights.