Mo Udall

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Image:Morris Udall.jpg Morris King Udall (June 15, 1922 – December 12, 1998), better known as Mo, was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Arizona from May 2, 1961 to May 4, 1991. A former professional basketball player with the old National Basketball League Denver Nuggets, noted for his liberal views, Mo Udall was a tall, Lincolnesque figure with a self-deprecating wit and easy manner. Because of his wit, reporter David Broder deemed him "too funny to be president", which also ended up being the title of his autobiography in the 1980s. Udall earned a law degree from the University of Arizona in 1949.

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Early life

Mo was born in St. Johns, Arizona, a son of Levi Stewart Udall. He lost one of his eyes following an infection as a child, and wore a glass eye for the rest of his life. He attempted to enlist in the Army early in World War II, and almost succeeded, by covering his glass eye each time he was told to alternate during the eye exam. After he was medically cleared, another potential enlistee complained that he had been medically rejected for flat feet, while Udall had been cleared with a blind eye. This caused the examiners to retest Udall under closer scrutiny, and he was rejected. Later, medical standards changed and Mo served in the Army until the end of the war.

Later he attended the University of Arizona, where he was a star basketball player. He played for the Denver Nuggets for one year following graduation, and then returned to the University of Arizona for law school.

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Political career

In 1961 his brother Stewart Udall, the congressman for Arizona's second congressional district, was appointed Secretary of the Interior in the Kennedy administration. Mo Udall was elected to fill his brother's vacant seat and would go on to be reelected for 14 terms.

During his tenure in Congress, Udall was best-noted for his championship of environmentalist causes. He was also known for his devotion to campaign finance reform and the welfare of Native Americans. He authored the Alaska Lands Act of 1980, which doubled the size of the national parks system, as well as legislation concerned with protecting archeological finds, enacting civil service reform, legalizing Indian casinos, and providing for the safe disposal of radioactive waste.

In 1979, Udall was diagnosed with incurable Parkinson's disease. By 1991, his health had deteriorated to the point where he was forced to resign from Congress. He died on December 12, 1998 of complications from his illness.

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Presidential campaign

In 1976, he ran for the Democratic nomination for President as a liberal alternative to the Southern centrist Jimmy Carter, the former Governor of Georgia. Carter had gone from obscure maverick to frontrunner after a string of early caucus and primary victories, beginning in Iowa and New Hampshire. At the time of the Wisconsin primary in April, most of the original 10 candidates had dropped out, leaving Udall, Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson of Washington, Governor George Wallace of Alabama, and Carter. Udall looked set to win the primary and as the returns ticked in, it looked like he would win it. This might have slowed down the Carter momentum. Udall was projected the winner, exclaiming "Oh, how sweet it is". But as the election night progressed, Carter began chipping away at Udall's lead, eventually going into the lead.

Some newspapers actually proclaimed Udall the winner because of his lead the night before, not unlike the famous incident in the 1948 presidential election, in which the headlines of the Chicago Tribune erroneously proclaimed "Dewey defeats Truman."

Carter's win was by 1%, which was no more than 7,500 votes. He won 37% to Udall's 36%, gaining one more convention delegate than Udall. Despite the small margins, Carter got the headlines and a further boost to his momentum, pulling away from Udall and the other candidates.

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Quotes

  • "I'm a one-eyed Mormon Democrat from conservative Arizona, and you can't have a higher handicap than that." (He lost an eye in a childhood accident that was mistreated by a drunken doctor)
  • "Let's turn inflation over to the post office. That'll slow it down."
  • "Everything has been said but not everyone has said it."
  • "If nominated, I shall run to Mexico. If elected, I shall fight extradition. (On running for president in 1980. Some reports say he said "Canada" rather than "Mexico.")
  • "I have learned the difference between a cactus and a caucus. On a cactus, the pricks are on the outside."
  • "What's the difference between a pigeon and an Iowa farmer? A pigeon can still make a deposit on a tractor." (While criticizing the economy on the campaign trail in 1976.)
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Legacy

In 1992 the US Congress founded the Morris K. Udall Foundation for excellence in environmental policy. It is an agency of the executive branch of the federal government, and amongst other functions, gives scholarships to students of environmental policy.

Federal funds for Parkinson's research are designated through the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research and Education Act.

In 1996, Mo received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Clinton.

Udall Point, Guam, the westernmost place in the United States, is named for him.

Mo's son, Mark Udall, was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1997.

The city of Tucson, Arizona has a city park named in his honor.

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See also

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