Thomas Eagleton
Thomas Francis Eagleton (September 4, 1929 – March 4, 2007) was an American politician and attorney who represented Missouri as a Democratic United States Senator from 1968 to 1987.[1][2] Eagleton began his political career as circuit attorney for St. Louis before winning election as Missouri's attorney general in 1960, a position he held until 1965, during which he prosecuted organized crime and gambling operations.[1][3] He then served as lieutenant governor from 1965 to 1969 prior to his successful U.S. Senate campaign in 1968, in which he secured appointment to complete the remainder of a term and won full terms in 1974 and 1980.[1] In 1972, Eagleton was selected as the Democratic vice presidential nominee by George McGovern but resigned from the ticket after 18 days when it emerged that he had undergone electroshock therapy for depression three times in the early 1960s—a history he had not fully disclosed to campaign staff amid inadequate vetting—and McGovern's initial unqualified support wavered under media scrutiny.[1][3] Despite the episode, Eagleton continued in the Senate, advocating for agricultural interests important to Missouri, supporting arms control measures, and contributing to legislation on food stamps and highway funding, before retiring in 1987 and later teaching public policy at Washington University in St. Louis.[1][3]Early Life and Education
Family Background and Childhood
Thomas Francis Eagleton was born on September 4, 1929, in St. Louis, Missouri, the second of two sons born to Mark D. Eagleton, a distinguished trial lawyer, and Zitta Louise Swanson Eagleton.[3][4] His father, the son of a poor immigrant laborer from County Cork, Ireland, had earned a law degree from St. Louis University in 1916 after working his way through school and built a successful practice in the city.[5] Mark Eagleton harbored political ambitions, running unsuccessfully for mayor of St. Louis in 1953 as a Democrat, and exposed his sons to politics early by hosting local politicians at the family home and taking the young Thomas to the 1940 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.[6][3] Eagleton's older brother, Mark Jr., preceded him in attending Amherst College, reflecting the family's emphasis on education amid a politically charged household environment where dinner conversations often centered on law and current events.[3][7] Zitta Eagleton, whom her son later described as a "saint," provided a stable home influence until her death during Thomas's U.S. Navy service in the late 1940s.[3] The family resided in St. Louis's Webster Groves suburb, part of a middle-class Catholic milieu that instilled values of public service, though specific childhood anecdotes beyond political immersion remain sparse in primary accounts.[8][9] Eagleton's early years fostered a lifelong affinity for politics, with his father's thwarted ambitions and active Democratic involvement shaping his worldview from childhood; he later recalled catching "the bug" for public life through these familial channels.[7][10] He attended St. Louis Country Day School, a preparatory institution that prepared him for higher education, amid an upbringing marked by intellectual and civic engagement rather than notable adversity.[3][4]Academic and Military Service
Eagleton attended St. Louis Country Day School prior to enlisting in the United States Navy, where he served from 1948 to 1949.[1][3] Following his discharge, he enrolled at Amherst College, from which he graduated in 1950.[1][2] He then pursued legal studies at Harvard Law School, earning his degree in 1953.[1][11] After his Senate tenure, Eagleton joined the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis as the Thomas F. Eagleton University Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science in the Department of Arts & Sciences, serving from 1987 until his retirement in 2000.[8] In this role, he contributed to public affairs education, drawing on his extensive political experience, though specific courses or publications from this period emphasized practical governance over theoretical scholarship.[8]Early Political Career
Entry into Politics and Prosecutorial Roles
Thomas Eagleton entered elective politics in 1956 when, at the age of 27, he was elected circuit attorney for the City of St. Louis, becoming the youngest individual to hold that position.[1][11] A recent Harvard Law School graduate admitted to the Missouri bar in 1953, Eagleton had practiced privately in St. Louis before launching his campaign, drawing on family connections in local Democratic circles—his father, Mark D. Eagleton, had served as a municipal judge and influenced his son's early interest in public service.[3][10] His victory marked the start of a rapid ascent in Missouri politics, defeating incumbent H. Sam Priest in the Democratic primary and Republican opponent Edward L. Dowd in the general election.[12] As circuit attorney from 1956 to 1960, Eagleton served as the chief prosecutor for felony and misdemeanor cases in St. Louis City, overseeing a staff that handled thousands of criminal prosecutions annually amid urban challenges like rising crime rates in the post-World War II era.[3] He emphasized rigorous preliminary investigations, maintaining that the initial police-circuit attorney interaction determined case strength, which led to streamlined charging decisions and higher conviction rates through focused evidence gathering rather than volume-driven prosecutions.[12] Eagleton's tenure included handling routine violent crimes and corruption probes, though specific high-profile convictions are less documented; his office's efficiency gained him visibility among reformers, positioning him for statewide office by prioritizing prosecutorial discretion over political favoritism.[12] This role honed his reputation as a tough, no-nonsense Democrat willing to challenge entrenched interests, setting the foundation for his 1960 bid for Missouri attorney general.[13]Statewide Offices in Missouri
Thomas Eagleton served as Missouri's Attorney General from January 9, 1961, to January 11, 1965, having been elected on November 8, 1960, defeating Republican nominee Paul C. Sprinkle by a margin of 283,832 votes.[14][12] At age 31, he became the youngest person to hold the office in state history.[3] During his tenure, Eagleton enforced state "Blue Laws" prohibiting Sunday retail sales through injunctions, which prompted legislative revisions in the early 1960s.[12] He also conducted raids on substandard nursing homes, advocating for licensing reforms and expanded powers for public health inspectors to address safety deficiencies.[12] Eagleton issued a detailed report opposing the death penalty, published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on January 20–21, 1963, arguing it lacked deterrent effect and exhibited racial and socioeconomic inequities; this position drew criticism from some constituencies but aligned with his broader focus on issues like civil rights, juvenile delinquency, wiretapping, education, and school prayer.[12] In 1964, Eagleton successfully campaigned for Lieutenant Governor, taking office on January 11, 1965, and serving until December 28, 1968, when he resigned following his U.S. Senate election victory.[1][12] As Lieutenant Governor, he presided over the Missouri State Senate and acted as governor in the chief executive's absence, though the role was often ceremonial with limited independent authority.[15] Eagleton contributed to prison system reforms by supporting the appointment of Director Fred T. Wilkinson in March 1965 and promoting improvements in facilities and operations.[12] He advocated for the creation of the Administrative Hearing Commission (AHC) through legislation enacted with Governor Warren Hearnes' backing, partly in response to cases like that of Dr. Harold Lischner involving professional licensing disputes.[12] Additional priorities included education funding, gun control measures, revenue sharing, juvenile delinquency prevention, opposition to capital punishment, and support for population control policies.[4] Eagleton later described the position's duties as modest, once quipping that his main activity was racing the governor up the State Capitol steps each morning.[12]U.S. Senate Election and Service
1968 Election and Initial Term
In the 1968 Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat from Missouri, Lieutenant Governor Thomas Eagleton challenged incumbent Senator Edward V. Long, who faced allegations of corruption and ties to organized crime figures. Eagleton secured the nomination with 224,017 votes, or 36.65% of the total, narrowly edging out Long's 198,901 votes (32.54%).[16] In the general election on November 5, 1968, Eagleton defeated Republican nominee Thomas B. Curtis, a four-term congressman, in a close contest reflective of Missouri's competitive political landscape and national divisions over the Vietnam War. Eagleton campaigned on reducing U.S. military involvement in Vietnam, positioning himself as a reform-minded Democrat critical of escalation.[3] Eagleton was sworn into the Senate on December 28, 1968, filling the vacancy left by Long's resignation and beginning his term ahead of the standard January start.[1] As a freshman senator during the 91st Congress (1969–1971), he focused on foreign policy, emerging as an early and vocal opponent of the Vietnam War. Eagleton advocated for de-escalation and criticized President Lyndon B. Johnson's policies, aligning with congressional doves seeking to curb executive war-making authority amid growing public disillusionment with the conflict's costs—over 58,000 U.S. deaths by war's end and escalating domestic protests.[17] His stance contributed to his rapid rise as a national Democratic figure, though specific legislative initiatives in these years were limited by his junior status.[3] Through 1972, Eagleton's Senate activities emphasized oversight of military engagements, including scrutiny of President Richard Nixon's strategies in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. He co-sponsored early versions of legislation to restrict presidential war powers, foreshadowing his later role in the 1973 War Powers Resolution debates, and opposed funding extensions that prolonged bombing campaigns.[17] These positions reflected a commitment to congressional prerogatives over unilateral executive action, grounded in constitutional separation of powers rather than partisan alignment, as evidenced by his independent critiques of both Johnson and Nixon administrations. Eagleton's early record established him as a principled anti-war advocate in Missouri, a state with significant military bases and veteran populations, without compromising his support for national defense priorities unrelated to Vietnam.[3]Legislative Achievements and Policy Positions
Eagleton served on the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, where he advocated for policies benefiting Missouri's agricultural sector, including support for commodity programs, price stabilization, and rural electrification initiatives critical to the state's farm economy.[18] His work emphasized federal assistance to counter market volatility, as seen in his backing of farm bill provisions that extended crop insurance and disaster relief for producers facing droughts and floods in the 1970s.[19] In environmental policy, Eagleton contributed significantly to the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970 by supporting stringent emission standards and enforcement mechanisms during Senate debates, helping secure bipartisan passage amid concerns over air pollution from industrial sources.[20] He also played an active role in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, known as the Clean Water Act, pushing for expanded federal grants to states for wastewater treatment and tougher controls on industrial discharges to protect rivers and lakes.[20] On foreign policy and war powers, Eagleton sponsored an amendment to the 1973 defense appropriations bill that prohibited funding for further U.S. bombing in Cambodia, effectively contributing to the cessation of aerial operations and the broader withdrawal of American forces from Southeast Asia by 1973.[8] He co-sponsored the War Powers Resolution of 1973 (Public Law 93-148), which mandated presidential notification to Congress within 48 hours of deploying U.S. troops into hostilities and limited such engagements to 60 days absent congressional authorization, aiming to reassert legislative checks on executive military actions following Vietnam War escalations.[2] Eagleton held socially conservative positions, notably sponsoring a successful amendment to the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act of 1970 (Title X) that barred the use of federal funds for abortions, reflecting his opposition to taxpayer financing of the procedure.[21] He later supported efforts to pass a constitutional Human Life Amendment to restrict abortion rights, though these did not succeed. Throughout his tenure, Eagleton emphasized bipartisan compromise on appropriations and budget matters, serving on the Appropriations Committee to secure funding for defense, education, and infrastructure while critiquing executive impoundment of congressionally approved funds.[18]Criticisms and Controversial Votes
Eagleton's opposition to the Vietnam War, while earning praise from anti-war advocates, led to criticisms from hawks and military supporters for votes that sustained funding levels deemed insufficiently restrictive. In 1971, during Senate debates on military appropriations, he supported motions to table amendments that would have imposed deeper cuts to Pentagon spending, contributing to defeats for dovish proposals and prompting frustration among peace activists who viewed him as pragmatically compromising on principle.[22] A particularly divisive vote came on November 27, 1973, when Eagleton joined Senators George McGovern and James Abourezk as one of only three "no" votes against confirming Gerald Ford as Vice President under the 25th Amendment, following Spiro Agnew's resignation amid scandal. Eagleton cited Ford's endorsement of presidential impoundment—withholding congressionally appropriated funds—as evidence of disregard for legislative authority and constitutional balance, arguing it prioritized executive overreach. The 92–3 confirmation reflected broad bipartisan consensus for stability amid Watergate turmoil, and Eagleton's position drew rebukes for perceived partisanship that hindered national healing, even as he later defended Ford publicly against impeachment calls.[23][24] Conservative critics in Missouri, where Eagleton represented a politically mixed state, assailed his broader legislative pattern—including staunch backing of civil rights bills, Great Society expansions, and consumer protections—as excessively liberal and disconnected from local fiscal conservatism and traditional values. National groups, such as those aligned with the New Right, targeted him in the 1980s for high ratings from liberal scorecards, portraying his record as enabling federal overreach; for instance, during his 1982 re-election, opponents highlighted votes favoring gun control measures and environmental regulations over Second Amendment priorities and business interests.[25] These attacks, often amplified by state Republicans, underscored tensions between his urban St. Louis base and rural constituencies, though empirical voting data showed him securing consistent majorities in general elections.[12]1972 Vice-Presidential Candidacy
Nomination Process and Initial Selection
The 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida, concluded its presidential nomination in the early morning hours of July 13, when Senator George McGovern secured the Democratic presidential nomination after a contentious primary season.[26] With ballot access deadlines looming in several states, McGovern's campaign staff, led by manager Gary Hart and aide Frank Mankiewicz, initiated a rushed vice-presidential selection process amid exhaustion from the convention's chaos.[27] Initial approaches to prominent Democrats, including Senators Edmund Muskie, Hubert Humphrey, and Edward Kennedy, met with rejections due to prior commitments or reluctance to join the ticket.[28] Senator Thomas Eagleton of Missouri, a first-term legislator known for his moderate positions on issues like abortion and the Vietnam War, was contacted around midday on July 13 as a compromise choice to balance McGovern's liberal image with appeal to Catholic and Midwestern voters.[27] Eagleton, aged 42, had disclosed his past hospitalizations for depression to campaign intermediaries but provided minimal documentation, which the fatigued staff accepted without independent verification.[28] After a brief meeting with McGovern at a Miami hotel, Eagleton agreed to join the ticket, citing shared anti-war views and party unity.[29] Eagleton was nominated by acclamation later that day, July 13, 1972, allowing the convention to formally endorse the McGovern-Eagleton slate before adjourning.[30] The selection aimed to broaden the ticket's appeal, with Eagleton's prosecutorial background and statewide electoral success in Missouri viewed as assets for credibility and geographic balance.[26] However, the hasty process, completed in hours rather than days, reflected the campaign's organizational strains and foreshadowed subsequent revelations.[27]