"My Son Jack"

Many a good son owes his job to the influence of a potent father and little is said about it. But last week Inquisitor Samuel Seabury of the legislative committee investigating New York's municipal government had a good deal to say because rotund old John H. (for "Success") McCooey, Brooklyn's Democratic boss, had tried to get a good job for his rotund young John Jr. Inquisitor Seabury was interested deeply because the job was a seat on the New York Supreme Court.

Last spring New York's Republican Legislature passed a bill creating twelve new judgeships in the strongly Democratic Second Judicial district. Two months ago nominations were made by both parties. Interesting facts about the nominations were: 1) Five Republicans and seven Democrats were nominated; 2) the Republicans endorsed the Democratic nominees and the Democrats approved the Republican choices; 3) one nominee was Meier Steinbrink, who was Republican leader of Brooklyn when the bill was passed; 4) another nominee was 32-year- old John H. McCooey Jr. Newspapers immediately denounced a "deal." Inquisitor Seabury said he would discover how it came about.

Before the Seabury committee one day last week appeared 67-year-old Boss McCooey, State Republican Leader William Kingsland Macy and Mr. Steinbrink. Blue-blooded Leader Macy said he knew nothing about the "deal" until the bill came up in the Legislature. Mr. Steinbrink said he knew nothing about it until Mr. Macy told him. Boss McCooey pulled his long white mustache, said "Harya?" to the assembled newshawks, smiled genially at Mr. Seabury. Tapping the ends of his fingers together, he frankly told Mr. Seabury all about it.

Presiding Justice Edward Lazansky of the Appellate Division had, a year ago, urged the creation of additional judgeships to relieve calendar congestion. The Brooklyn Bar Association recommended the creation of eight places. Boss McCooey "took the initiative myself," planned to increase the number of places to twelve.* He offered the Republicans, who controlled the legislature, five of them. The law was passed. Two hours before the Republican and Democratic judicial conventions last September, Boss McCooey met Frederick J. H. Kracke, who had succeeded Mr. Steinbrink as Brooklyn's Republican boss, and they exchanged the names of the candidates slated for nomination. One of the names Boss McCooey gave was that of his son. Said Boss McCooey:

"Nearly every leader in the party urged me very strongly to nominate Jack. Of course I must express whatever views I do express with a little bit of diffidence in discussing my own son."

Inquisitor Seabury: Well, I don't think you need have any more diffidence about the discussion of it than you would have in making the recommendation that he be nominated.

Boss McCooey: Except that I was the political leader and I had something to do with urging those nominations. I might say, of course, that he has been at the Bar for ten years, is generally regarded as capable and efficient, has the poise and the character and the industry, and so long as he was in a receptive mood I was very glad to recommend him.

Inquisitor: And you have no doubt that it was your recommendation that secured his nomination?

Boss: No question about that.

He added that Jack had "youth, vigor, mentality and legal training." When he departed, he said it had been "a very nice examination."

* All twelve judiciary candidates had the approval of the Brooklyn Bar Association. The New York County Lawyers' Association and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York both denounced the "deal."

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