Dean Alfange (December 2, 1897 – October 24, 1989)
was an American politician who held nominations and appointments from a number of parties, including the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
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*De ...
, the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
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, the
American Labor Party
The American Labor Party (ALP) was a political party in the United States established in 1936 that was active almost exclusively in the state of New York. The organization was founded by labor leaders and former members of the Socialist Party of A ...
, and the
Liberal Party of New York, of which he was a founding member.
Born in the
Ottoman Empire to two native
Greek parents, Alfange remained involved in
Greek-American organizations for much of his life, as well as activist
Zionist groups.
He was a prominent liberal legal commentator who supported the notion of
judicial activism and a
Living Constitution. He ran for a number of offices, including
Governor of New York
The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ha ...
, where his candidacy split the liberal vote, allowing
Thomas E. Dewey to win the governorship. He also ran for the
United States House of Representatives, but lost again. He is well remembered for a short piece he wrote entitled either "An American's Creed" or simply "My Creed". The Creed espouses the ideas of self-reliance and freedom.
Life
Early life and education
Alfange was born Constantine Alflangi in Constantinople in the
Ottoman Empire, to two ethnic
Greek parents.
[ His parents moved to ]New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ...
in 1902, where they raised him in Utica, New York.[ He graduated from ]Utica Free Academy
Utica Free Academy, whose predecessor, Utica Academy, opened in 1814, was a high school in Utica, New York, which operated from 1840 until 1990, when it was consolidated with Thomas R. Proctor High School. The combined entity operated briefly at ...
in 1918, and joined the United States Army during World War I.
After the war, he attended Hamilton College
Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...
and graduated in 1922 with honors in philosophy, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society.[ Alfange remained active at the college, and when he received the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Award for his book ''The Supreme Court and the National Will'', he donated the prize to Hamilton College, establishing the ongoing Dean Alfange Essay Award, given to two students each year for essays on American constitutional government. He received a juris doctor from ]Columbia University Law School
Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked ...
and became a lawyer in Manhattan.[
]
Later life
He was married to Thalia Perry, with whom he had one child, Dean Alfange, Jr.,[ who went on to become a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts. Alfange died October 24, 1989 in Manhattan from cancer.][
]
Legal career
Alfange received his degree from Columbia University Law School, and was admitted to the American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acade ...
in 1925.[ He criticized the United States Supreme Court for its treatment of New Deal programs, urging they adopt a more progressive attitude towards the policies. He contended that the programs should not be evaluated solely on their legality, but on their possible moral and economic effects, as well as public perception at the time.] He supported Truman's notion of a Living Constitution.[
Later in his political career, Alfange served as the Deputy ]New York State Attorney General
The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government o ...
.[
]
Political career
Democratic Party
In 1940, Franklin Delano Roosevelt made Alfange chairman of the Democratic foreign-language speakers' bureau of his third election campaign.[ In 1941, he received the nomination for the United States Congress running out of the ]Upper East Side
The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...
, then known as the Silk Stocking District, but lost to Joseph C. Baldwin,[ receiving 16,690 votes.
]
American Labor Party
Alfange served as head of the American Labor Party
The American Labor Party (ALP) was a political party in the United States established in 1936 that was active almost exclusively in the state of New York. The organization was founded by labor leaders and former members of the Socialist Party of A ...
for several years in the late 1930s.[ In ]1942
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in ...
, he received the nomination for Governor of New York
The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ha ...
. Though he received the nomination, the American Labor Party only officially fielded a candidate after Sen. James Mead, the man they had backed for the Democratic nomination, lost to John J. Bennett, Jr. in the primary. Mayor of New York City Fiorello La Guardia supported Alfange in this election. Alfange finishing in third place[ with 409,047 votes, or about 9.7 percent of votes cast. With this figure, Alfange garnered more votes than any other American Labor candidate ever had or would again in a state-wide election; these votes were accused of splitting the liberal vote and thus playing a large role in Thomas E. Dewey's victory, however, Dewey won with a majority, garnering 52% of the vote.
]
Liberal Party
Alfange led a walkout against the Labor Party in 1944 when pro and anti- Communist factions within the organization came into increased conflict. This walkout led to the formation of the Liberal Party of New York.[
]
Republican
Then Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...
named Alfange head of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board
The New York State Gaming Commission is the official governing body that oversees casino gaming, charitable gaming, horse racing, lottery, and video lottery terminals in New York State. Based in Schenectady, it was formed on February 1, 2013, upon ...
in the early 1970s. He served until Hugh L. Carey abolished the board in 1975.[
]
Activism
Alfange served in a number of activist and ethnic organizations, including heading the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association
The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA, usually referred to as the Order of AHEPA) is a fraternal organization founded on July 26, 1922, in Atlanta, Georgia. AHEPA was founded to fight for civil rights and against discrim ...
, an organization for the advancement of Greek-Americans
Greek Americans ( el, Ελληνοαμερικανοί ''Ellinoamerikanoí'' ''Ellinoamerikánoi'' ) are Americans of full or partial Greek ancestry. The lowest estimate is that 1.2 million Americans are of Greek descent while the highest es ...
. He also served as president of La Guardia Memorial House, a settlement house
The settlement movement was a reformist social movement that began in the 1880s and peaked around the 1920s in United Kingdom and the United States. Its goal was to bring the rich and the poor of society together in both physical proximity and ...
, for more than 40 years.[
Alfange headed the Zionist organization "Committee to Arm the Jewish State", a group that sought to end ]arms embargo
An arms embargo is a restriction or a set of sanctions that applies either solely to weaponry or also to "dual-use technology." An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes:
* to signal disapproval of the behavior of a certain actor
* to maintain ...
es against Zionist groups working to create Israel before independence. He also served as the chairman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
of the Emergency Committee to Save the Jewish People of Europe, a group that sought to rescue victims of the then ongoing Holocaust. Through this organizations, Alfange urged that it was a Christian's moral and religious duty to help Jews victimized by the Nazis.[
]
An American's Creed
Alfange is remembered for a short statement he wrote in the 1950s entitled "An American's Creed" or simply "My Creed". The creed originally appeared in '' This Week'' magazine, and a condensed version appeared in '' Reader's Digest'' in both the October 1952 and January 1954 issues. The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge
The Freedoms Foundation is an American non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian educational organization, founded in 1949. The foundation is located adjacent to the Valley Forge National Historical Park, near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
Bill of R ...
gave Alfange an award for the composition in 1952."I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon. I seek to develop whatever talents God gave me—not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any earthly master nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say – 'This, with God's help, I have done.' All this is what it means to be an American."
Bibliography
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfange, Dean
1897 births
1989 deaths
20th-century American politicians
American Labor Party politicians
Greek emigrants to the United States
American Zionists
Columbia Law School alumni
Hamilton College (New York) alumni
Horse racing in New York (state)
Liberal Party of New York politicians
New York (state) Democrats
New York (state) lawyers
New York (state) Republicans
Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to the United States
Politicians from New York City
20th-century American lawyers