Charlie on the Gavel

At every Republican Convention since 1936, Indiana Congressman Charlie Halleck has backslapped his way among the delegates, like the Hoosier horse trader that he is. In 1940 he nominated fellow Indianian Wendell Willkie for the presidency. In 1948 Halleck swung Old Guard Indiana to Internationalist Tom Dewey on the promise, he thought, of the vice-presidential nomination (California's Earl Warren got it). In 1952 Halleck's support of Dwight Eisenhower was a sharp blow to the embittered forces of Ohio's Bob Taft. In 1956 he nominated Ike.

Last week Hoosier Halleck was hoisted from the floor to the rostrum to be permanent chairman of next month's Republican Convention in Chicago. National Chairman Thruston Morton, with a nod from Vice President Nixon, overlooked plain-mugged Charlie Halleck's lack of TV appeal, heeded Halleck's claim to the job by virtue of being the House Republican leader. Knowing Halleck's onetime dreams of a Nixon-Halleck ticket (unshared by Nixon), G.O.P. brass hoped that Halleck would accept the chairman's gavel as his full reward for work well done.

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