Dartmouth in the New Deal Dartmouth in the New Deal
An Interview withRobert Jackson 1900
HE'S FIFTY-THREE, looks not unlike William Randolph Hearst, shoots a better-than-fair game of golf from the port side of the tee, enjoys stud poker thoroughly, is a close personal friend of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was born in Dover, New Hampshire, and was aughty-aught at Dartmouth. No, he's not New Hampshire's junior Senator, Fred Brown—Fred was '03. This aughty-aughter was for a decade chairman of the Democratic State Committee of New Hampshire; was, more recently, chairman of the Speaker's Bureau of the Democratic National Committee, selecting the able speakers who played a big part in putting over Roosevelt during the campaign; and he has recently been Secretary of the Democratic National Committee. You of 'OO already know our subject to be Bob Jackson—Mr. Robert Jackson.
Back in 19 a 6 when Josephus Daniels was Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Jackson served as counsel for a sugar company which had extensive plantation interests in Cuba. Insurgents became restless, seized the son of the plantation owner, his wife and children, and held them captive. Bob went to Mr. Daniels' first assistant for aid. The gunboat Machias, off Cuba at the time, was despatched, and before noon the next day the captives were released. Mr. Daniels' assistant was, of course, Frank Roosevelt. That's how it all began, and thenceforward Bob and Frank have been close friends.
Jackson was chairman of the State Committee when New Hampshire went to the polls in March, 1932 to select delegates to the Democratic National Convention. It was a significant event. New Hampshire holds its presidential primary in advance of any other state in the nation. In this instance, it wasn't "As Maine—" but"As New Hampshire, so goes the Nation." Although it looked like a walkaway for Al Smith, Bob kept his faith in Roosevelt. With others, notably Fred Brown, he went to work. Eight times that night Albany was on the ■other end of the line, somewhat more than casually interested in what New Hampshire was doing. When word went down from the hills of a four to one victory for Roosevelt, the Albany voice replied ■warmly: "That's great, Bob. Now I can go to bed happy."
That's one of the reasons why there's a place reserved for Robert Jackson when the seats of the mighty are drawn up to the present Administration's counsel table. It's not the only reason, however. As already intimated, Bob did a great job during the campaign selecting speakers who made victory certain. Davis, Johnson, Baker, Glass, utting, and Tunney were included in the galaxy of talent at his disposal. For your information the man who ought to know says that next to Roosevelt himself, Tunney was the speaker in greatest demand, "and he was a damned good one, too;" that Hi Johnson and Carter Glass delivered the most effective speeches for the Roosevelt cause.
Now THAT THE campaign is history, now that his friend is in the White House, Mr. Robert Jackson is finding life thoroughly interesting, but just a trifle tame after the vigorous days prior to March four last. His recent title, Secretary of the Democratic National Committee, has had but little more than nominal significance in a no-election year. So he practices law in Washington with offices in the Shoreham Building, corner Fifteenth and H. Streets. He maintains a suite of rooms at the Mayflower Hotel, where, at this writing, his daughter Hope is visiting him, home from Sarah Lawrence College for the holidays. Alas for Dartmouth, Bob has no sons. His other daughter, Mrs. W. Forbes Morgan, lives in Washington on Massachusetts Avenue, close by the British Embassy. Mr. Morgan, Deputy Governor of the New Deal's Farm Credit Administration, is related by marriage to Eleanor Roosevelt Roosevelt, mistress of the White House.
Thus, surrounded by friends and relatives Bob suffers less the bereavement caused by the death of Mrs. Jackson last year. She was Miss Dorothy Branch of Manchester, N. H., and they were married on October 14, 1909. Like her husband, she was politically-minded, and became the first woman ever to be elected to a National Committee, serving as vice-chairman in charge of women's activities during the Davis campaign in 1924. Politics is in the Jackson blood. Bob's father was chairman of the New Hampshire State Democratic Committee during Cleveland's day. Bob himself is a collateral descendant of Andrew (Old Hickory) Jackson, and his Grandmother Jackson was first cousin to Thaddeus Stevens, Republican leader under Abraham Lincoln.
DURING HIS SOPHOMORE year at Dartmouth, Bob roomed in Sanborn directly across the hall from one Ernest Martin Hopkins. He and Prexy are, therefore, friends of long standing. Bob went Beta Theta Pi, but beyond being the youngest man in his class, he claims no niche in the undergraduate hall of fame. He wouldn't give ground to anyone in the matter of loyalty to Dartmouth and interest in everything connected with the College. Following graduation, he studied law at fair Hawvud, was admitted to the New Hampshire bar, and practiced in that state with offices in Concord. He proved himself an organizer of no small capacity when he set up the largest chain store in Canada-Dominian Stores, similar to the Great Atlantic and Pacific in the United States. Starting with one, he built the chain to six hundred stores, serving as its president for a period of twelve years.
In June, 1931, Roosevelt asked Jackson to come down to Boston to talk with him at the hotel where he was stopping temporarily. Bob recalls that he arrived on a Friday night at about seven-thirty. Roosevelt confided that his hat would soon be in the ring. The two men talked at some length, in fact at such length that Mrs. Roosevelt told Bob he was staying too long. So he left, but not until he had given assurance that he would do anything in his power to secure the nomination for his friend. Roosevelt had emphasized the importance of the New Hampshire primary, and Bob went to bat. His single in the early stages of that game put the Roosevelt team in a scoring position.
"It's the end of one era and the beginning of another," Bob says. "We were right at the brink of disaster, and we came near going over. It looks as though we were making progress now. All statistical evidence indicates that conditions are improving. Of one thing you may be positive—the old doctrine of laissez-faire is dead and buried."
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