A Man for All Seasons: Monroe Sweetland and the Liberal Paradox by William G. Robbins

Abstract

105 Reviews A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS: MONROE SWEETLAND AND THE LIBERAL PARADOX by William G. Robbins Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, 2015. Illustrations, notes, index. 312 pages. $24.95 paper. Beginning in the 1880s, the Republican Party overwhelmingly dominated elections in Oregon for seven decades, often holding all but a handful of seats in the legislature and every statewide office. There were a few exceptions. In the 1930s, the Democratic Party gained control of the House of Representatives for four years. It was also able to capture the governor’s office on rare occasions when divisions in the Republic Party enabled a Democrat to triumph. But these victories were few and far between. In the 1950s, however, the Democratic Party’s fortunes changed. The pivotal year was 1954. Richard Neuberger was elected to the U.S. Senate. Edith Green defeated newcomer Tom McCall to win the third congressional district race. The number of Democrats in the state house grew from nine to twenty-five and in the state senate from four to six. A large part of the party’s newfound success reflected postwar demographic changes in the state, which boosted Democratic Party registration. Yet two men were also vital in rebuilding the party: Howard Morgan, chair of the Oregon Democratic Party, and Monroe Sweetland, one of two Oregon representatives to the Democratic National Committee. William G. Robbins, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of History at Oregon State University , tells Sweetland’s story. Robbins follows Sweetland from his birth in Salem, Oregon, in 1910, to his death in Milwaukie in 2006. Along the way, Sweetland was reared in Constantine, Michigan; attended Cornell and Syracuse law schools without graduating from either; worked for the progressive League for Industrial Democracy, organizing students on college campuses in the 1930s; married Lillie Megrath; was hired by the American Red Cross to be a field director in the central Pacific during the Second World War; published the Milwaukie Review, Molalla Pioneer, Newport News, and the Oregon Democrat; served in the Oregon Legislature for a decade; and ran twice unsuccessfully for secretary of state. Robbins provides a fine overview of Sweetland’s importance in Oregon politics from the mid 1930s to the early 1960s, explaining his critical role in organizing the left, rebuilding the Democratic Party, and working with other Oregon leaders throughout this period. Yet he also shines light on Sweetland’s later career as a legislative consultant for the National Education Association . In this position, Sweetland played a key role in the passage of the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 and the adoption of the Twentysixth amendment, granting eighteen-year-olds the right to vote. One can find a few faults in the book. The epilogue is a bit unfocused. An occasional adjective is ill-advised. The index could be better organized, especially the three-page entry for Sweetland. The sub-title of the book seems to be a bit of an afterthought. While the author discusses what he labels a paradox in Sweetland ’s beliefs and actions, the observation is not particularly profound. Sweetland’s switch from being a pacifist and civil libertarian in the 1930s to becoming a strong supporter of President Lyndon Johnson despite the war in Vietnam may seem surprising, but political attitudes do change, as they did for many on the left after both the onset of World War II and the growing revelations about Stalin. Fortunately, Robbins does not belabor this point. These are minor quibbles. Over the years, there have been several good biographies written on different political leaders in Oregon, but a lot of the state’s political history remains unexplored . This book fills a critical gap, providing a valuable understanding of a central political figure during an important transitional period in the state. Overall, this is a well-researched and written book by one of Oregon’s foremost historians. It should be of interest to anyone who wants to better understand Oregon’s history and politics. Richard A. Clucas Portland State University ...