Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives
Previous Post: Tale of two LG candidates: One on a short leash, the other unleashed
Next Post: Good for the goose…
Posted in:
* This week in history. From 1964…
Former #president #HarryTruman in Springfield for Paul Powell fundraiser June 20, 1964. #spihistory pic.twitter.com/uS2A69iAuv
— Rich Saal (@RichSaal) June 19, 2014
* The Question: Caption?
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 1:55 pm
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: Tale of two LG candidates: One on a short leash, the other unleashed
Next Post: Good for the goose…
WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
powered by WordPress.
“Did you buy those shoes here, in Springfield? I hope you didn’t throw out the box, I save show boxes, sort of a hobby of mine, actually…”
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 1:58 pm
“Great pair of shoes you have there Mr. Powell! Did you keep the box?”
Comment by Stones Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 1:59 pm
The only thing worse than a defeated politician is a broke one
Comment by foster brooks Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:01 pm
“Illinois bucks … stop in my shoe boxes…”
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:05 pm
This picture is so cool for so many reasons…
Comment by Old Shepherd Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:05 pm
Masonic Handshake.
Comment by John A Logan Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:10 pm
Powell to HST
Too bad you were in the haberdashery business. Sales in shoes are so much more lucrative.
Comment by train111 Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:13 pm
“Shoebox Greetings”
And for the youngsters who are asking themselves, “WTH?!?”: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-02-24/news/ct-per-flash-paul-powell-0224-20130224_1_shoe-box-clothes-closet-hotel-room
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM (@MisterJayEm) Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:15 pm
HST looks great. Must have really enjoyed retirement and being away from Washington.
Comment by walker Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:18 pm
The Box Stops Here.
Comment by The End Is Near Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:23 pm
“Money, it’s gotta be the shoes!”
As an aside I ran across a quirky little book the other day — “Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip” — about Truman and Bess driving from Independence to the East Coast and back shortly after he left office.
No interstates. No Secret Service. No aides. And not a whole lot of money.
From an article by the author:
–Harry and Bess Truman were frugal travelers. They ate a lot of fruit plates at roadside diners. In Decatur, Ill., they stayed at the Parkview, a motel on Route 36 where rooms cost about five bucks a night. (That motel is now a prison for work-release inmates.)–
Great light read, about a time and place that today is hard to imagine existed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/opinion/05algeo.html
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:27 pm
Sadly they brought the meaning of the upside down backward secret handshake to the grave!
Comment by William j Kelly Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:29 pm
Is that Otto Kerner in the background?
Comment by Mister Whipple Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:30 pm
MW, sure looks like Kerner.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:32 pm
The Haberdasher meets the Cash Stasher.
Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:33 pm
President Truman laughs and says, “He’s trying to slip me a $20.”
Comment by Norseman Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:39 pm
Ironically , it is Kerner , the cleanest of the three, who ends up convicted.
Comment by x ace Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:44 pm
I tell ya Harry, Sometimes I wonder why I keep running for Secretary of State. I can’t hardly make ends meet on the measly $30,000 a year salary it pays.
Comment by Joe M Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:46 pm
“Graft just ain’t what it used to be”–Blago
Comment by D.P.Gumby Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:48 pm
Mr. President: I have a sign on my desk too. It says “If you can read this you better be thinking of a pretty good lie.”
Comment by The Prince Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:48 pm
There’s a good reason I stay in the closet and it’s tens of thousands of miles away from what you might think.
Comment by A guy... Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:55 pm
Where are they cooking the meat?
Comment by Keyser Soze Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:56 pm
I read that when Harry visited Chicago he would stroll down Wabash, maybe with an aide, and go into Miller’s Pub for lunch.
Comment by Rory Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:56 pm
“If you can’t convince them, confuse them.”
Comment by bottom rung. Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 2:57 pm
we both love creamed corn mmm….
Comment by PoolGuy Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 3:01 pm
As is always the case here, some very funny comments. To the caption….
Separated at birth?
Comment by Republicrat Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 3:11 pm
–I read that when Harry visited Chicago he would stroll down Wabash, maybe with an aide, and go into Miller’s Pub for lunch.–
The late Jimmy Gallos would tell the story of cleaning up at the old Miller’s early on a Sunday morning when he opened a knock on the back door to find ex-pres. Truman.
Truman was staying at the Palmer House, was out for his morning walk, and wanted to buy a couple of pops of Jack Daniels (this is like seven in the morning).
Since it was Sunday morning, Gallos couldn’t sell it to him, so he gave him a couple of shots. Truman drank and explained the history of the Jack Daniels distilling process.
Then, he thanked him and continued his walk.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 3:13 pm
When Harry met Paul. “What’s that woman over there having. I want some, too.”
Comment by Deep South Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 3:30 pm
Wordslinger, I was there, a kid in the back of the room during Truman’s press conference.
He was a firecracker. When a statehouse reporter, seated, asked a question, Harry said “When you ask a former President a question stand up! If you don’t, you won’t get an answer.” The reporter stood and repeated the question.
The book you referred to is agreat read.
Comment by Publius Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 3:36 pm
I’ve got this shoebox, and it’s bleeping’ golden.
Comment by Amalia Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 4:15 pm
“…and then the little girl asked if I was Boss Pendergast.”
Comment by Emanuel Can't Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 4:25 pm
I think I got one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdQ9jh5GvQ8
Comment by Tatler Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 4:26 pm
I have been traveling and just happened to check “the Fax”. My father was a life long friend of Paul’s and I was actually with him when this photo was taken. What memories!
Knowing him as my family did I would guess that Paul was probably speaking in one of his food metaphors. My favorite? “I smell the meat a cookin’.”
Thanks for bringing back some very fond memories! When I get back to Illinois it will be time to get out the old photos!
Comment by Old and In the Way Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 5:33 pm
That is Otto in the background. BTW do you know who Otto’s wife’s father was? Anton Cermak. She was there as well.
Comment by Old and In the Way Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 5:36 pm
This photo really stirred some memories. In thinking about it I recall that just the Friday before this event the US Senate, after one it’s longest continuous debates passed the Civil Rights Act. Truman was standing in for LBJ who I think was campaigning out west. 1964 was a presidential election year and I think LBJ was out west. He wasn’t that popular among most Illinois pols and Harry was the perfect stand in. BTW he and Paul went way back.
Comment by Old and In the Way Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 6:09 pm
Rich Saal’s father was surely there too. Although I don’t recall specifically, but being a Dem fund raiser and stalwart from Tazwell County he probably sold a lot of the tickets! The memories….
Comment by Old and In the Way Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 6:27 pm
“The Democratic Party’s got no room for loafers, Paul.”
“Yeah, but we got room for their boxes, Harry.”
Comment by Streator Curmudgeon Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 6:51 pm
I am surprised at some of the references here toward Truman. Growing up in the area where he is from I have heard a great many things about him. The haberdashery he was part owner of failed during the recession in the early 1920’s. His mother Martha was a Confederate supporter during the Civil War partially because her farm was burned by Jayhawks.
My caption…. I said the buck stops here..I said nothing about passing you any.
Comment by FormerParatrooper Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 9:56 pm
Harry and Paul’s connections predate this photo by at least 30 years. People forget Paul was Speaker of the Illinois House twice and before that a long serving rep. Their respective political territories literally bordered on one another at that time. Lots of stories there. Truman was yet to be a US Senator.
Comment by Old and In the Way Thursday, Jun 19, 14 @ 11:03 pm
–Their respective political territories literally bordered on one another at that time. Lots of stories there. Truman was yet to be a US Senator.–
Truman was elected to the Senate in 1934. Prior to that, he was an elected administrator of Jackson County (Kansas City).
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jun 20, 14 @ 7:08 am
I’ve read “Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure” too and it is a fascinating read… hard to believe that an ex-president and First Lady could actually attempt to drive cross-country like regular folk, with no Secret Service or cross-country entourage.
“His mother Martha was a Confederate supporter during the Civil War partially because her farm was burned by Jayhawks.”
She was about 10 or 11 years old when that happened, and lived to be 94 years old, long enough to see her son become president. When she was first invited to the White House, she reportedly told her son she’d rather sleep on the floor than in the Lincoln Bedroom — because, for the reasons cited above, she totally despised Lincoln.
Comment by Secret Square Friday, Jun 20, 14 @ 8:58 am
Thanks to all, what a great post and comments.
- wordslinger -, the stories…the stories. Ala ways appreciate the knowledge drop.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jun 20, 14 @ 9:09 am
@Wordslinger:
You might like the new biography of Coolidge too. Not at all a pretender or an egotist. Lived modestly before and after the Presidency.
Comment by Upon Further Review Friday, Jun 20, 14 @ 9:12 am
Truman: As the young-ins are saying “I wanna hold your hand”
Comment by Nonplussed Friday, Jun 20, 14 @ 9:12 am