William M. Boyle
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William Marshall Boyle Jr. (February 2, 1902 – August 30, 1961) was an American Democratic political activist from Kansas. Chairman of the
Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...
from 1949 to 1951, he was a friend of President
Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
and is credited with engineering Truman's upset victory over Governor Thomas Dewey in the 1948 Presidential election. He was forced to resign as chairman of the Democratic National Committee after being charged with financial corruption. Boyle was born in
Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,351. It is located on the west bank of t ...
in 1902; he became politically active as a Young Democrat at age 16, thereby attracting the attention of
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
political boss
Thomas Pendergast Thomas Joseph Pendergast (July 22, 1872 – January 26, 1945), also known as T. J. Pendergast, was an American political boss who controlled Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri, from 1925 to 1939. Pendergast only briefly held elected o ...
, who made Boyle a precinct captain before his 21st birthday. Boyle's parents were friends of Harry Truman and the future president took him under his wing. Boyle took a law degree, practiced law and was active in Democratic politics in Kansas City. He played an active role in Truman's successful run for the U.S. Senate in 1934. He became police director of Kansas City in 1939. In 1941, he moved to Washington to take a job as counsel to the
Truman Committee The Truman Committee, formally known as the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program, was a United States Congressional investigative body, headed by Senator Harry S. Truman. The bipartisan special committee was form ...
and personal assistant to Truman in 1942. In 1944, Boyle joined the Democratic National Committee, where he helped steer Truman's 1944 Vice-presidential campaign. Boyle opened an office in Washington. In the 1948 campaign, he persuaded Truman, at the time an underdog, to launch a whistle stop tour of the Midwest. In 1949, Truman made Boyle the executive vice chairman and then chairman, of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). In 1951, a Senate subcommittee under Senator J. William Fulbright opened a probe of loan decisions by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC). The subcommittee report charged Boyle with exerting political pressure on the RFC to provide loans to political allies. Truman said the allegations were "asinine." However another Senate subcommittee opened a probe that revealed Boyle used his influence to obtain a $565,000 loan for an $8000 fee. Boyle admitting accepting fees, but denied pressing for the loan He resigned from the DNC, citing poor health.


Early life

Boyle was born in
Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,351. It is located on the west bank of t ...
in 1903, though his family moved across the state line. He attended Westport High School, where he soon organized a "Young Democrats Club" in the prosperous Fourth Ward of Kansas City. He then attended Kansas City Junior College. Boyle's political activities came to the attention of Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast, who made him a precinct captain—though Boyle was still too young to vote himself. Boyle left Kansas City for two years beginning in 1922 to attend
Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...
, though he returned home to secure his law degree at the Kansas City School of Law. He joined the Missouri Bar in 1926. (fee for article)


Political involvement

Boyle's parents were friends of the Trumans, and Harry Truman, also a member of the Pendergast machine, took young Boyle under his wing. Boyle was promoted to Democratic leader of the Eighth Ward, and also practiced law. He also became secretary to the Kansas City director of police. When an income tax investigation wrecked the Pendergast machine in 1939, Boyle survived the crash, becoming acting director of police, winning praise for his work there, and working for a time in the prosecutor's office. Truman had been elected senator in 1934. In 1941, Boyle followed him to Washington as assistant counsel to the
Truman Committee The Truman Committee, formally known as the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program, was a United States Congressional investigative body, headed by Senator Harry S. Truman. The bipartisan special committee was form ...
. When Truman's secretary (or assistant) left to return to the Army, Boyle replaced him. In 1944, Boyle helped manage Truman's successful run for Vice President on
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
's ticket. After Truman became President, and sought reelection in 1948, Boyle helped manage his campaign. He worked towards a high voter turnout, reckoning that since there were more Democrats than Republicans, a high turnout would favor his candidate. He persuaded Truman to embark on a "whistle stop" train tour of Southern Illinois and Ohio, which ''The New York Times'' credited with turning the election for Truman.


Investigation

In 1949, Boyle became the salaried assistant executive director of the DNC, and then was elected chairman in August 1949. However, in 1951, he was implicated in an
influence peddling Influence peddling is the practice of using one's influence in government or connections with authorities to obtain favours or preferential treatment for another, usually in return for payment. It is also called traffic of influence or trading i ...
scandal involving loans made by the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation The Reconstruction Finance Corporation was a government corporation administered by the United States Federal Government between 1932 and 1957 that provided financial support to state and local governments and made loans to banks, railroads, mortgag ...
. While a Senate investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing by Boyle, he resigned later that year due to "ill health". He returned to the practice of law in Washington, remaining there until he died in his sleep in 1961 at the age of 58. Boyle appeared on cover of the October 9, 1951 issue of ''Time'' magazine.


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyle, William M. 1902 births 1961 deaths Democratic National Committee chairs Missouri Democrats People from Leavenworth, Kansas