Jack Tenney
Jack B. Tenney (1898 – November 4, 1970) was an American politician who was noted for leading anti-communist investigations in California in the 1940s and early 1950s. Tenney was also the composer of several well-known songs, most notably "Mexicali Rose".
Early career
Tenney was born in 1898 in St. Louis, Missouri, but moved to California in 1909. After serving in the Army during World War I, he returned home and worked his way through law school. While a young attorney, he turned to songwriting and wrote such songs as "Mexicali Rose" and "On the Banks of the Old Merced".[1]
Tenney ran for the California State Assembly as a Democrat in 1936 and won; he then ran for the State Senate as a Republican, and served three four-year terms [1]. He was also one of California's electors, casting his vote for Franklin Roosevelt, in 1940. In 1942, Tenney ran for State Senate as a Republican, and would serve three four year terms there.[1]
The Tenney Committee
Tenney made his name in the State Senate as a foe of communism, and was chair of the State un-American activities committee from 1941 to 1949.[2] He stated, "You can no more coexist with communism than you can coexist with a nest of rattlesnakes."[1] The chairman of the Senate's Fact Finding Committee on Un-American Activities, which investigated alleged communists in California, Tenney "vigorously attacked everyone he believed to be a Communist or to have Communist sympathies".[1] Those investigated by Tenney's committee included:
- singer, actor and activist Paul Robeson[3]
- writer Carey McWilliams and other members of the Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee[4]
- housing expert Catherine Bauer Wurster, who successfully defended herself and her husband William Wurster[5]
- Guatemalan-born labor organizer Luisa Moreno.[2]
- actor Edward G. Robinson, who Tenney denounced in 1949 as being "frequently involved in Communist fronts and causes"[6]
Tenney ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for Senate in 1944, was removed from the chairmanship of his committee in 1949, and also that year ran for mayor of Los Angeles, placing fifth. The conduct of the hearings "egregiously violated due process"[7] and of the hundreds of people subpoenaed and interrogated in its eight years, not a single one had been indicted, much less convicted, of any sort of subversion[8].
In 1952, Tenney sought to move to the United States House of Representatives, accepting the help of anti-Semite Gerald L. K. Smith.[1] He lost to Joseph F. Holt, who won the general election. Tenney also produced a number of anti-semitic books, one called Anti-Gentile Activity in America[9], another called Zionist Network from 1953[10].
Tenney ran for Vice President on the Christian National Party ticket, which gained few votes. In 1954, the head of the state Republican committee pointed to this race as a reason to oppose Tenney for renomination. He was defeated by Mildred Younger, who lost the general election to the Democratic candidate.[1] The New York Times saw his defeat as part of the ending for McCarthyism.[11]
Later life
Tenney moved to Banning, California in 1959, and worked as a part-time city attorney in nearby Cabazon, California. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1962. He died in 1970, survived by his wife and two children.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h West, Richard (1970-11-06), "Jack B. Tenney ex-state sen., foe of communism, dies at 72" (PDF), Los Angleles Times, retrieved 2009-08-20 (fee for article)
- ^ a b Griswold del Castillo, Richard (Summer 1997), "Luisa Moreno and the Beginnings of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement in San Diego", Journal of San Diego History, 43 (3), San Diego Historical Society, retrieved 2009-11-30.
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Duberman, Martin. Paul Robeson, 1989, pg 307.
- ^ Encyclopedia of Minorities in American Politics: Hispanic Americans and ... By Jeffrey D. Schultz page 518
- ^ Houser: The Life and Work of Catherine Bauer By H. Peter Oberlander, Eva Newbrun page 257
- ^ City of nets: a portrait of Hollywood in the 1940's By Otto Friedrich, page 380
- ^ Embattled Dreams: California in War and Peace, 1940-1950 By Kevin Starr, page 307
- ^ Embattled Dreams: California in War and Peace, 1940-1950 By Kevin Starr, page 307
- ^ American prophet: the life & work of Carey McWilliams By Peter Richardson page 131
- ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries. Third Series: 1953: July-December By Library of Congress. Copyright Office, page 632
- ^ "End in sight", The New York Times, 1954-06-13, retrieved 2009-08-20 (fee for article)