John E. Regan
John E. Regan | |
|---|---|
 Regan in 1931 | |
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 8th district | |
| In office January 5, 1931 – January 1, 1933 Serving with Math Sanger | |
| Preceded by | C. H. G. Hazel |
| Succeeded by | Lester Ulrich |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 18, 1883 Mendota, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | August 3, 1946 (aged 62) Mankato, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary Martin (m. 1908–1930)Winifred Maley (m. 1933) |
| Children | 6 |
John E. Regan Sr. (October 18, 1883 – August 3, 1946) was a United States politician from the state of Minnesota. He was the last leading figure of the Democratic Party of Minnesota from 1930 to 1944.
Regan was born in Mendota, Minnesota on October 18, 1883. He attended the St. Paul College of Law, and became an attorney. Regan moved to Balaton in 1908 and then to Mankato in 1910.
Regan entered politics by being elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, for District 8 in 1930, serving from 1931 to 1933.
Regan ran for Governor of Minnesota against incumbent Floyd B. Olson twice. First in 1932, and again in 1934. Despite much of his party being favorable to the Farmer-Labor Party, Regan was much more of an economic conservative, and found himself at odds with the Farmer-Laborites and the progressives in his own party. Regan was the 'angry man' of the campaign, regularly attacking his opponents on the ballot and his enemies within his party. Regan was bitterly against Fusion.[1]
Amid calls for him to drop out in 1932, Regan focused his campaign in defending his legitimacy as a serious candidate. He attacked Democrats who supported Olson, and referred specifically to the very pro-Olson Democrats of St. Paul as 'Soup Irish'.[a] Regan also berated Democratic politicians Edward Murphy and Tom E. Davis for a speech on the radio denouncing him as a serious candidate and endorsing Olson. Regan argued that if he truly was not a serious candidate, then the Olson campaign would not spend so much time and money trying to convince the public he wasn't.[2]
In 1940, Regan ran for senate against incumbent Republican Henrik Shipstead and Farmer-Laborite Elmer Benson. Regan placed third.[3]
Regan died on August 3, 1946, in Mankato, Minnesota.
Electoral History
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John E. Regan | 50,105 | 50.95% | |
| Democratic | Arthur Alexander Van Dyke | 30,133 | 30.64% | |
| Democratic | James Hegland | 18,094 | 18.40% | |
| Total votes | 98,332 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmer–Labor | Floyd B. Olson (incumbent) | 522,438 | 50.57% | −8.76% | |
| Republican | Earle Brown | 334,081 | 32.34% | −3.97% | |
| Democratic | John E. Regan | 169,859 | 16.44% | +12.79% | |
| Communist | William Schneiderman | 4,807 | 0.47% | −0.24% | |
| Industrial | John P. Johnson | 1,824 | 0.18% | n/a | |
| Majority | 188,357 | 18.23% | |||
| Turnout | 1,033,009 | ||||
| Farmer–Labor hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John E. Regan | 91,076 | 34.62% | |
| Democratic | Fred Schilplin | 68,649 | 26.10% | |
| Democratic | Albert Pfaender | 39,386 | 14.97% | |
| Democratic | Oliver Skellet | 24,923 | 9.47% | |
| Democratic | Silas M. Bryan | 16,539 | 6.29% | |
| Democratic | Joseph J. Moriarty | 9,239 | 3.51% | |
| Democratic | James Hegland | 7,733 | 2.94% | |
| Democratic | Matthew F. Eusterman | 5,504 | 2.09% | |
| Total votes | 263,049 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmer–Labor | Floyd B. Olson (incumbent) | 468,812 | 44.61% | −5.96% | |
| Republican | Martin A. Nelson | 396,359 | 37.72% | +5.38% | |
| Democratic | John E. Regan | 176,928 | 16.84% | +0.39% | |
| Independent | Arthur C. Townley | 4,454 | 0.42% | n/a | |
| Communist | Samuel K. Davis | 4,334 | 0.41% | −0.05% | |
| Majority | 72,453 | 6.89% | |||
| Turnout | 1,050,887 | ||||
| Farmer–Labor hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John E. Regan | 50,328 | 52.31% | |
| Democratic | Joseph Wolf | 20,759 | 21.58% | |
| Democratic | Louis Erickson | 13,966 | 14.52% | |
| Democratic | John E. O'Rourke | 11,154 | 11.59% | |
| Total votes | 96,207 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Henrik Shipstead (Incumbent) | 641,049 | 53.01% | |
| Farmer–Labor | Elmer A. Benson | 310,875 | 25.71% | |
| Democratic | John E. Regan | 248,658 | 20.56% | |
| Trotskyist Anti-War | Grace Holmes Carlson | 8,761 | 0.72% | |
| Independent | Carl Winter | 256 | 0.02 | |
| Total votes | 1,209,343 | 100.00% | ||
| Majority | 330,174 | 27.30% | ||
| Republican gain from Farmer–Labor | ||||
References
- ↑ "Regan, Sr., John E." Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
- ↑ "REGAN ATTACKS DEMOCRATS BACKING GOVERNOR OLSON INSTEAD OF HIMSELF". November 3, 1932.
- ↑ "John E. Regan Candidate". Minnesota Historic Election Archive.
- ↑ "Governor, 1932 Election". Minnesota Historical Election Archive.
- ↑ "Governor, 1934 Election". Minnesota Historical Election Archive.
- ↑ "Primary Election Results" (PDF). Minnesota Legislature.
- ↑ "General Election Returns for Minnesota - Tuesday, November Fifth, 1940" (PDF). Minnesota Legislature.
Notes
- ↑ It is not clear what the phrase 'Soup Irish' means. It is possible it refers to Irish-Americans who do not work in industry, in contrast to Regan, who had experience working in industrial labor. This would be in reference to criticisms of Regan's labor policies.