Conventions in Hartford

In Connecticut politics, everybody knows that Governor John Lodge yearns to move from Hartford back to Washington (where he was born and where he served as a Republican Congressman, 1947-1951). Twice this year, the governor has had a chance to run for U.S. Senator; twice he has stifled his hankering and insisted that he must finish his four-year gubernatorial stint (up in 1955).

The first chance arose last spring, when the party had to pick a candidate for the seat held by the Democrats' William Benton, who is up for re-election this fall. With Lodge declining, the Republicans nominated Manufacturer (hardware) William Purtell. Then, last July, came the death of Connecticut's other Democratic Senator, Brien McMahon. After a soul-searching vacation in the Virgin Islands, Lodge returned to Hartford, again declared he was not a candidate. He promised a free and open convention (i.e., he would remain neutral) to choose a nominee.

Last week the convention assembled in Hartford. Former Congresswoman Clare Boothe Luce put on a vigorous campaign for the nomination, but the state's Republican leaders were determined to have Wall Street Banker Prescott Bush, and their will was done.

Nominee Bush, 57, is a handsome, hearty Yaleman (class of '17), a partner (along with Averell Harriman) in Brown Brothers, Harriman & Co., a director of the Columbia Broadcasting System and the Prudential Insurance Co., a fellow (along with Dean Acheson and Robert Taft) of the Yale Corporation. He is a crack golfer (shot a 66 last year), an enthusiastic glee clubber. He served as the party's finance chairman, 1947-50, and put on a razzle-dazzle show against razzle-dazzle Benton in the 1950 Senatorial campaign, which Bush lost by a narrow 1,102-vote margin.

Connecticut Democrats also nominated a candidate to run for McMahon's unexpired term: Hartford Congressman Abraham A. Ribicoff. The able, earnest son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, Ribicoff, who is 42, came out of University of Chicago Law School in the Depression, built a successful practice, went into politics, served four years in the state legislature, was elected to Congress in 1948 and again in 1950, running well ahead of the rest of his ticket. No razzle-dazzle campaigner, he prides himself on his stick-to-the-issues plainness, his visits by Ford convertible among voters everywhere in the state.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.