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One Step from the White House: The Rise and Fall of Senator William F. Knowland
During the Cold War years of the 1950s, William F. Knowland was one of the most important figures in American politics. As the Republican leader of the U.S. Senate, the wealthy California newspaper heir was recognized and respected by millions. His influence with President Eisenhower led to Earl Warren's appointment as chief justice, and Knowland set in motion a U.S.-China policy that remains part of our international direction today. Yet he committed suicide in 1974, following a personal decline that included political humiliation, a ruined marriage, and the loss of his family fortune.
This is the first full-scale biography of Bill Knowland, written by two journalists who came to know him after he left Washington in 1958. Gayle B. Montgomery was a political editor at the Oakland Tribune , the newspaper owned by Knowland's father, the power-wielding Joseph R. Knowland. James W. Johnson was a Tribune editorial writer. Both men worked with Knowland when he returned to the newspaper after giving up his Senate seat in a failed bid to become governor of California. Knowland lost the governorship race to Edmund G. (Pat) Brown; had he won, many observers felt Knowland would have had a clear shot at the White House.
This is a book not only about Mr. Republican, but also one that illuminates the strengths and deficiencies of Republican party politics during the years when the party was at its zenith. In portraying the life of Bill Knowland, the authors cast a glaring light both on the machinations of political power and on the Republican establishment's aspirations in the Warren-Eisenhower era.
This is the first full-scale biography of Bill Knowland, written by two journalists who came to know him after he left Washington in 1958. Gayle B. Montgomery was a political editor at the Oakland Tribune , the newspaper owned by Knowland's father, the power-wielding Joseph R. Knowland. James W. Johnson was a Tribune editorial writer. Both men worked with Knowland when he returned to the newspaper after giving up his Senate seat in a failed bid to become governor of California. Knowland lost the governorship race to Edmund G. (Pat) Brown; had he won, many observers felt Knowland would have had a clear shot at the White House.
This is a book not only about Mr. Republican, but also one that illuminates the strengths and deficiencies of Republican party politics during the years when the party was at its zenith. In portraying the life of Bill Knowland, the authors cast a glaring light both on the machinations of political power and on the Republican establishment's aspirations in the Warren-Eisenhower era.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published June 2, 1998
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April 29, 2019
As a lad I remember William F. Knowland being in the news as the Republican leader in the U.S. Senate, first in the majority for two years and the minority for four. Then he was gone because of
some catastrophic blunders. Some right moves and he might have wound up president. Maybe we
got lucky in that some might think.
William F. Knowland was born in 1908 the son of Joseph R. Knowland who was a Representative in
Congress at the time. More important Joe Knowland and the Knowland family owned the Oakland
Tribune and they were big movers ad shakers in Alameda County on the other side of San Francisco
Bay. Knowland saw a rapid advance serving in both the California State Assembly and State Senate
for long stretches.
One key thing the Knowland family and the Tribune did is back a reform candidate in the 30s for
Alameda County District Attorney. Although they later vigorously disapproved of the liberal
positions Earl Warren took in subsequent jobs they always backed him and Warren returned the
favor. In 1945 while Bill Knowland was still in the army Governor Earl Warren appointed him to
the US Senate to fill the seat of the recently deceased Hiram Johnson. He won subsequent re-elections to the Senate pretty easily in 1946 and 1952.
Robert A. Taft the leader of the Senate Republicans officially or not took an interest in Knowland
and Knowland got moved up the hierarchy. Still within the state Governor Earl Warren was in
charge of California's GOP and Warren was Vice Presidential candidate in 1948 and was a favorite
son in 1952. There was a third entrant however, Representative Richard M. Nixon elected in
1946 to the House and 1950 to the Senate. It was for most of the next decade a struggle between
these three who was top dog in California. Warren and Knowland had a long standing relationship
both being from Alameda County. Nixon was from southern Orange County, neither Warren or
Knowland liked or trusted Nixon.
Came 1952 and Nixon submarined Warren's favorite son candidacy to throw his support to Dwight
Eisenhower. Nixon then became Ike's running mate and Vice President. Warren and Knowland
never forgave him. Warren became Chief Justice shortly afterward and his place was taken by
his Lieutenant Governor Goodwin J. Knight as head of the more liberal elements of California's GOP.
Knowland was on the move too. He was tapped by Robert Taft to be acting Senate Majority Leader
when Taft was diagnosed with a fast spreading cancer. This was May of 1953 and Taft dies in
July. Being that he was on the job and with the revered Taft's blessing Knowland was just accepted
with no challenge. Truth be told most of the GOP Senators on the right were not intellectual
heavyweights and maybe Knowland look good.
If you were casting someone to play William F. Knowland, you might look at either Jack Carson or
the skipper Alan Hale, Jr. Knowland was a hale, hearty, blustery sort and kind of ponderous. He
had the body language of a Sherman tank. He hewed to the right on most issues his favorite cause
was Nationalist China and Chiang Kai-shek. Many joked he was the 'Senator from Formosa' but
the fate of the world hinged on Chiang returning to the mainland.
He got Eisenhower's exasperation when he broke his word to Ike and voted against the censure of
the reckless Joe McCarthy. Ike preferred dealing with Minority then Majority leader Lyndon B.
Johnson and fellow Texan and Speaker, Sam Rayburn.
For reasons known only to God, Knowland decided to run for Governor of California in 1958 and
displace Goodwin Knight. Knight who was busy fighting a fast rising right wing tide then decided
to run for Knowland's vacated Senate seat. The jealousy and infighting between Knowland and
Knight and the fact that Knowland brilliantly decided to make right to work laws a campaign issue.
Organized labor went after him and other Republicans in the other states and 1958 was a Democratic landslide year.
Knowland was a man of many affairs, cheated regularly on wife Helen. At one point he was
involved with the wife of Democratic Senator Blair Moody of Michigan. That was OK because Helen
was involved with Moody. When Moody died suddenly Helen attempted suicide, a story that was
hushed up for years.
But came 1959 and Knowland who was considered a possible presidential candidate in 1958 was
suddenly not on the scene and became overnight irrelevant. The defeats of Knowland and Knight
left Vice President Richard Nixon the last one standing. Of course when he lost for president in
1960 to JFK he was no longer standing either.
At that point Knowland who had left the family newspaper the source of their power to relatives
moved in and started running that. I remember seeing him in television coverage of the 1964 GOP
convention as a Barry Goldwater delegate. Two years later a new kid on the GOP block Ronald
Reagan got elected governor and a whole new crowd took over the California GOP. The unkindest
cut of all for Knowland was Richard Nixon becoming president in 1968.
Knowland became careless in his personal life too. No longer a need for discretion he was gossiped
about regularly. He also liked to gamble and Las Vegas became a second home. He met a divorcee
named Ann Dickson whom if you were casting her in a movie someone like Veda Ann Bog might
have filled the bill. But she was no golddigger with a heart of gold just a golddigger. She liked to
gamble and party and she got old Bill's mojo going. A lot of the family money was left in Las Vegas.
So one February morning Bill Knowland shot himself to death in 1974. Long out of the limelight
and any releavancy it was a sad end. Personally I think this country dodged a bullet without him
as president. Still it's like reading a slow motion train wreck this man's life.
some catastrophic blunders. Some right moves and he might have wound up president. Maybe we
got lucky in that some might think.
William F. Knowland was born in 1908 the son of Joseph R. Knowland who was a Representative in
Congress at the time. More important Joe Knowland and the Knowland family owned the Oakland
Tribune and they were big movers ad shakers in Alameda County on the other side of San Francisco
Bay. Knowland saw a rapid advance serving in both the California State Assembly and State Senate
for long stretches.
One key thing the Knowland family and the Tribune did is back a reform candidate in the 30s for
Alameda County District Attorney. Although they later vigorously disapproved of the liberal
positions Earl Warren took in subsequent jobs they always backed him and Warren returned the
favor. In 1945 while Bill Knowland was still in the army Governor Earl Warren appointed him to
the US Senate to fill the seat of the recently deceased Hiram Johnson. He won subsequent re-elections to the Senate pretty easily in 1946 and 1952.
Robert A. Taft the leader of the Senate Republicans officially or not took an interest in Knowland
and Knowland got moved up the hierarchy. Still within the state Governor Earl Warren was in
charge of California's GOP and Warren was Vice Presidential candidate in 1948 and was a favorite
son in 1952. There was a third entrant however, Representative Richard M. Nixon elected in
1946 to the House and 1950 to the Senate. It was for most of the next decade a struggle between
these three who was top dog in California. Warren and Knowland had a long standing relationship
both being from Alameda County. Nixon was from southern Orange County, neither Warren or
Knowland liked or trusted Nixon.
Came 1952 and Nixon submarined Warren's favorite son candidacy to throw his support to Dwight
Eisenhower. Nixon then became Ike's running mate and Vice President. Warren and Knowland
never forgave him. Warren became Chief Justice shortly afterward and his place was taken by
his Lieutenant Governor Goodwin J. Knight as head of the more liberal elements of California's GOP.
Knowland was on the move too. He was tapped by Robert Taft to be acting Senate Majority Leader
when Taft was diagnosed with a fast spreading cancer. This was May of 1953 and Taft dies in
July. Being that he was on the job and with the revered Taft's blessing Knowland was just accepted
with no challenge. Truth be told most of the GOP Senators on the right were not intellectual
heavyweights and maybe Knowland look good.
If you were casting someone to play William F. Knowland, you might look at either Jack Carson or
the skipper Alan Hale, Jr. Knowland was a hale, hearty, blustery sort and kind of ponderous. He
had the body language of a Sherman tank. He hewed to the right on most issues his favorite cause
was Nationalist China and Chiang Kai-shek. Many joked he was the 'Senator from Formosa' but
the fate of the world hinged on Chiang returning to the mainland.
He got Eisenhower's exasperation when he broke his word to Ike and voted against the censure of
the reckless Joe McCarthy. Ike preferred dealing with Minority then Majority leader Lyndon B.
Johnson and fellow Texan and Speaker, Sam Rayburn.
For reasons known only to God, Knowland decided to run for Governor of California in 1958 and
displace Goodwin Knight. Knight who was busy fighting a fast rising right wing tide then decided
to run for Knowland's vacated Senate seat. The jealousy and infighting between Knowland and
Knight and the fact that Knowland brilliantly decided to make right to work laws a campaign issue.
Organized labor went after him and other Republicans in the other states and 1958 was a Democratic landslide year.
Knowland was a man of many affairs, cheated regularly on wife Helen. At one point he was
involved with the wife of Democratic Senator Blair Moody of Michigan. That was OK because Helen
was involved with Moody. When Moody died suddenly Helen attempted suicide, a story that was
hushed up for years.
But came 1959 and Knowland who was considered a possible presidential candidate in 1958 was
suddenly not on the scene and became overnight irrelevant. The defeats of Knowland and Knight
left Vice President Richard Nixon the last one standing. Of course when he lost for president in
1960 to JFK he was no longer standing either.
At that point Knowland who had left the family newspaper the source of their power to relatives
moved in and started running that. I remember seeing him in television coverage of the 1964 GOP
convention as a Barry Goldwater delegate. Two years later a new kid on the GOP block Ronald
Reagan got elected governor and a whole new crowd took over the California GOP. The unkindest
cut of all for Knowland was Richard Nixon becoming president in 1968.
Knowland became careless in his personal life too. No longer a need for discretion he was gossiped
about regularly. He also liked to gamble and Las Vegas became a second home. He met a divorcee
named Ann Dickson whom if you were casting her in a movie someone like Veda Ann Bog might
have filled the bill. But she was no golddigger with a heart of gold just a golddigger. She liked to
gamble and party and she got old Bill's mojo going. A lot of the family money was left in Las Vegas.
So one February morning Bill Knowland shot himself to death in 1974. Long out of the limelight
and any releavancy it was a sad end. Personally I think this country dodged a bullet without him
as president. Still it's like reading a slow motion train wreck this man's life.
April 2, 2021
"in his case, there seems to ve no final answer to 'How stupid can you get?" " Eisenhower. "He was the most honest man I have ever met." Pat Brown. This is an excellent biography of a figure who has unfortunately been relegated to footnote status in the history books. William Fife Knowland (Of the Tacoma, Washington, Fife's and the Oakland, California, Knowland's ), was , for a time, one of the most powerful men in the United States and even the world. Born into the wealthy and influential Knowland family, which essentially controlled Oakland California, Knowland was brought up to be a staunch conservative Republican and a champion of conservative values. Knowland attended his first Republican when he was 16, and probably had political ambitions in childhood. He was not predictably right-wing on some issues. When he was in the California state legislature in the thirties, he fought hard to pass an anti-lynching bill, and had a pretty good record on Civil rights while he was in the U.S Senate. He enlisted inthe US Army shortly after Pearl Harbor and attained the rank of major , serving-quite ably- in an Army historical unit.
Knowland was appointed to the Senate in 1945,by Governor Earl Warren, to fill the seat the seat of the legendary Hiram Johnson. After crushing Will Rogers, Jr., in the election of 1946, he rapidly became of the most powerful figures in the senate, who was respected for his integrity but often mocked for a strong streak of ponderous pomposity. When the brilliant GOP leader Robert Taft died of cancer in 1953, he succeeded him as Majority Leader. Here, Knowland's real strengths-and real flaws- became evident. A hard working and straight forward Senator, who had an able and loyal staff, he was also frequently outwitted by his Democrat counterpart, Lyndon Johnson. He also had several vices. He was sometimes a drunk, and -often- a womanizer who cheated on his wife. While he worked hard to pass the 19557 Civil Rights bill, and wept when the Democrats gutted it, he was most noted as 'the senator from Formosa, a vociferous supporter of Chiang Kai Shek and a a bitter for of Red China. He also wa an ally of Joe McCarthy.
In 1957, Knowland made a momentous decision. He would leave the senate and try to unseat California's moderate Republican Governor, Godwin Knight. His reason were unclear. In part, it was save his failing marriage. However, there was a bigger reason. Knowland had hated Richard Nixon for years.(The feeling was mutual.), and thoght that he became governor, he could block Nixon at the 1960 GOP convention. In addition, he thought he had a solid gold issue. He wanted California to pass a right -to -work law.
The quarrel between Governor Knight and Senator Knowland split the California GOP. Then, Richard Nixon had a brainstorm. Knowland and Knight would switch places. Knight would run fir Knowland's senate seat, and Knowland would run for governor. While the story of the 1958 election Election in California deserves a whole book, we need only say that the 'big switch" had catastrophic consequences. In 11952, Knowland had been re-elected to the Senate by 800,000 votes. He lost the governor's race to Pat Brown by one million votes. Knight lost his bid for the senate by 600,000 votes. Every single GOP office holder in California also lost.
After the debacle, Knowland moved back to Oakland and took over the family newspaper, The Oakland Tribune. While he was still a respected civic leader in Oakland , his vices were getting worse. He left his wife and married a La Vegas show girl. His drinking grew heavier and he started gambling-and losing. On January 14, 1974, he finally faced up to the millions he owed the Las Vegas mob and came to a decision. H drive, very fast to the family compound in Guernville on the banks of Russian river. There, he took his old Army 45 caliber off the wal, wlakedot ion the pier, and killed himself.
Knowland was appointed to the Senate in 1945,by Governor Earl Warren, to fill the seat the seat of the legendary Hiram Johnson. After crushing Will Rogers, Jr., in the election of 1946, he rapidly became of the most powerful figures in the senate, who was respected for his integrity but often mocked for a strong streak of ponderous pomposity. When the brilliant GOP leader Robert Taft died of cancer in 1953, he succeeded him as Majority Leader. Here, Knowland's real strengths-and real flaws- became evident. A hard working and straight forward Senator, who had an able and loyal staff, he was also frequently outwitted by his Democrat counterpart, Lyndon Johnson. He also had several vices. He was sometimes a drunk, and -often- a womanizer who cheated on his wife. While he worked hard to pass the 19557 Civil Rights bill, and wept when the Democrats gutted it, he was most noted as 'the senator from Formosa, a vociferous supporter of Chiang Kai Shek and a a bitter for of Red China. He also wa an ally of Joe McCarthy.
In 1957, Knowland made a momentous decision. He would leave the senate and try to unseat California's moderate Republican Governor, Godwin Knight. His reason were unclear. In part, it was save his failing marriage. However, there was a bigger reason. Knowland had hated Richard Nixon for years.(The feeling was mutual.), and thoght that he became governor, he could block Nixon at the 1960 GOP convention. In addition, he thought he had a solid gold issue. He wanted California to pass a right -to -work law.
The quarrel between Governor Knight and Senator Knowland split the California GOP. Then, Richard Nixon had a brainstorm. Knowland and Knight would switch places. Knight would run fir Knowland's senate seat, and Knowland would run for governor. While the story of the 1958 election Election in California deserves a whole book, we need only say that the 'big switch" had catastrophic consequences. In 11952, Knowland had been re-elected to the Senate by 800,000 votes. He lost the governor's race to Pat Brown by one million votes. Knight lost his bid for the senate by 600,000 votes. Every single GOP office holder in California also lost.
After the debacle, Knowland moved back to Oakland and took over the family newspaper, The Oakland Tribune. While he was still a respected civic leader in Oakland , his vices were getting worse. He left his wife and married a La Vegas show girl. His drinking grew heavier and he started gambling-and losing. On January 14, 1974, he finally faced up to the millions he owed the Las Vegas mob and came to a decision. H drive, very fast to the family compound in Guernville on the banks of Russian river. There, he took his old Army 45 caliber off the wal, wlakedot ion the pier, and killed himself.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews