Francis John Myers (December 18, 1901 – July 5, 1956) was an American teacher, lawyer, and

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politician. He represented most of

West Philadelphia West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Alhough there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the nort ...

and

Southwest Philadelphia Southwest Philadelphia (formerly Kingsessing Township) is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The section can be described as extending from the western side of the Schuylkill River to the city line, with the SEPTA. The nor ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from 1939 to 1945 and represented

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

for one term from 1945 to 1951. He was

Senate Majority Whip The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding t ...

from 1949 to 1951.

Early life and education

Francis Myers was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, to John Francis and Mary (née Donnelly) Myers, who were the children of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

immigrants. His father was a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

employee in Philadelphia for forty years, holding the position of chief auditor upon his retirement. He received his early education at George L. Brooks Elementary School in

, and graduated from St. Joseph's Preparatory School in 1919. He then attended

St. Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia and Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College. Saint Joseph's is the seventh olde ...

, where he received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in 1923. During college, he was a member of the

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

, football, and

debating Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

teams.

Early career

From 1923 to 1927, Myers served as an instructor in Latin, English, and ancient history at St. Joseph's Preparatory School. In addition to his teaching duties, he studied law in the evenings at

Temple University Law School The Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law is the law school of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1895 and enrolls about 530 students. Student body Admission for fall 2019 entering class was highly comp ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1927, and then entered private practice. From 1929 to 1931, he worked as a secretary with the Philadelphia law firm of Monaghan and Phillips. The head of the firm, John Monaghan, was also the district attorney of the city. Myers was an attorney for the

Home Owners' Loan Corporation The Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) was a government-sponsored corporation created as part of the New Deal. The corporation was established in 1933 by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation Act under the leadership of President Franklin D. Ro ...

from 1934 to 1935. He became active in Democratic politics, and was a member of the successful campaign of George Earle for Governor of Pennsylvania. In 1937, he was appointed deputy attorney general of Pennsylvania, serving in that position for only a year.

Political career

U.S. House of Representatives

In 1938, Myers was elected to the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district is a district in the state of Pennsylvania. It includes all of Chester County, the city of Reading, and Reading's southeastern suburbs in Berks County. The district is represented by Democrat Chrissy Ho ...

. He defeated incumbent Michael Stack, who largely opposed the New Deal, in the Democratic primary. He received just below 50% of the vote in the general election, defeating

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

J. Howard Berry and Congressman Stack, who ran on the

Royal Oak The Royal Oak is the English oak tree within which the future King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was in Boscobel Wood, which was part of the park of Boscobel House. C ...

ticket. He was re-elected over Republican city solicitor Frank Truscott in 1940, winning by a margin of 61%-38%. In 1942, he won a third term after defeating Republican businessman William Sylk by a ten percentage point margin.

U.S. Senate

In 1944, Myers was elected to the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

after narrowly defeating Republican incumbent James Davis by 50%-49%. He was the first Catholic to serve as Senator from Pennsylvania. At the

1948 Democratic National Convention The 1948 Democratic National Convention was held at Philadelphia Convention Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 12 to July 14, 1948, and resulted in the nominations of President Harry S. Truman for a full term and Senator Alben W ...

in Philadelphia, Myers served as chairman of the platform committee; in that position, he helped draft a party platform that strongly supported

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

. He was

from 1949 to 1951, serving under Majority Leader Scott Lucas. He lost his bid for a second term in 1950, losing to Governor Jim Duff by 51%-48%. His defeat came after being linked to 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 ...

's unpopular administration.

Later life and death

Following his Senate career, Myers resumed the practice of law. He also served as chairman of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, and as a member of the General State Authority and the Greater Philadelphia Movement. Myers died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

at Graduate Hospital in 1956, at age 55. He is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in

Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania Cheltenham Township is a home rule township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Cheltenham's population density ranges from over 10,000 per square mile (25,900 per square kilometer) in rowhouses and high-rise apartments along Chel ...

References

External links

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, Francis J. 1901 births 1956 deaths 20th-century American politicians American people of Irish descent Burials at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Democratic Party United States senators from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers Politicians from Philadelphia Saint Joseph's University alumni Temple University Beasley School of Law alumni 20th-century American lawyers