When it comes to politics, no matter how popular you may be, sometimes you just can't win them all.
Back in 1954, if you'd asked then U.S. Senator Irving M. Ives about this, he would've told you such a statement was true. It was that year when Ives, who called The Heartland of New York his home, lost in a tight race for governor of New York to W. Averell Harriman.
Three-time Governor Thomas E. Dewey made an announcement Sept. 7, 1954, that he would not seek another term "under any circumstances." Dewey was considered to be one of the nation's most prominent Republicans at the time. The announcement wasn't really a shock to some, as Dewey had said in 1950 that he wouldn't run but had yielded to pressure to stay another term.
The Republican state convention was coming up on Sept. 22 to 23 in Syracuse, and the name most mentioned as the likely nominee was Sen. Irving Ives, who then called Norwich home. Ives had said at the time of Dewey's retirement that he was not a candidate. Enough arm-twisting apparently changed Ives' mind, and he ran for governor while still in the U.S. Senate.
The Oneonta Star endorsed Ives in its Oct. 21, 1954, edition. Averell Harriman was no lightweight in politics. In 1952, he ran but lost in the Democratic presidential primary against Adlai Stevenson.
"We put up a good fight," Ives said in his Nov. 2 concession speech. That was true, as Harriman's margin of victory was about 10,000 votes, the closest election for the state's top office since 1938. Ives was strongest in upstate New York, but Harriman got the majority downstate.
Ives returned to his job as U.S. Senator after his first defeat for an elected office.
Irving M. Ives was born in Bainbridge in January 1896. In the days shortly before World War I, Ives left his home to complete secondary schooling at Oneonta High School. From 1912-14, he roomed with Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bowdish on Ford Avenue and had his meals at Miss Alice Pearl's boarding house on Elm Street.
Ives' college days were delayed because of his service in the war. Afterward, he went to Hamilton College where he graduated with high honors with the class of 1920.
Ives began his career with banking in New York City with the Manufacturers Trust Co., and later represented that company in Norwich from 1923-30, then switching his career to insurance brokerage.
At about the time of the career switch, Ives ran for and won a seat in the New York State Assembly. By 1935, Ives had been elevated to minority leader, speaker in 1936, and then majority leader from 1937-46.
During his time as majority leader, Ives served as chairman of the New York State Temporary Commission Against Discrimination, which functioned from 1945-46. It was at this time that the Ives-Quinn Act was passed in 1945. The act, which predated the Civil Rights Act by nearly 20 years, was one of the earliest examples of racial-employment legislation.
Ives also served as the founding dean of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations between 1945-47, and its primary building is named Ives Hall in his honor. That building was opened in 1962.
Ives was then elected to the U.S. Senate in 1946 and served until 1958. Ives defeated former Gov. Herbert Lehman in that contest, which was Lehman's first defeat in New York politics.
Shortly after announcing his retirement in 1958, Ives told a reporter from the Syracuse Herald-Journal how wonderful retirement was, minus the stress and strain, and actually boasted of a new vitality.
"Shucks," Ives said, "I can't remember when I've felt more eager and raring to go. I have no feeling of pressure or strains." Ives and his wife of many years, Marian, kept a part-time residence in New York, where he had a business interest, and maintained a full-time home in Norwich.
Ives passed away in late February 1962 and was buried in Bainbridge. Ives was honored in 2008 by the Oneonta High School Alumni Association as a member of their Wall of Distinction.
This weekend, another Oneonta mayoral election had participation from one of its colleges.
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City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com.
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