James Farley , July 1937 Opens Post Office

I was searching old newspapers for some family history and guess what I found! Back in 1937 my Grandfather who was town police chief ( we have a long history of police and military members) met Mr. Farely. Only wish I could have been there to get some sheets signed. Never know what one comes across in their own family history. Here is the article taken from The "Ti Sentinel" back then.

There were nearly as many Republicans as Democrats at the old post office to greet Postmaster General Farley. Through a strange coincidence, this writer was delegated to drive the cabinet member from a local barber shop to the Elks Restaurant ,Police Officer Tom McVeigh, knowing our rather rabid Republican background, looked popeyed when this strange combination appeared on the horizon.
Orchids to Master of Ceremonies Dick Hayes. He had to "fil" for nearly thirty minutes on the radio because of the delayed arrival of the official party, and he did a grand job of it.
Too bad the amplifying system installed for the occasion failed to function, and hundreds were unable to hear any of the speakers.
Secretary of the Chamber George H. Spring managed to shoot in a few good words for our winter sports via the ether waves.
Mr. Farley's uncanny faculty for remembering names and faces was made evident when he recognized several persons in the crowd and called them by their first names.
The huge throng was well handled by local police officer Tom McVeigh; Dolly Dolbeck, Chet Thomas and Bill Rowen. There was no disorder at any time, although the school kids were a bit noisy.
The weather man, who dripped tears all morning, relented shortly before one o'clock, and the program was unmarred by rain.
Mr. Farley, when using the trowel on the corner stone, finally gave up, and handed the tool to George W. Hollman, Construction Superintendent, and jovially remarked. "I guess you can do a better job."
The splendid T H. S. band made its usual swell appearance, and Company F gave a neat military aspect to the picture.
The autograph-seekers (and Ticonderoga evidently has its quota) all but swarmed over Mr. Farley after the ceremony, and we thought at the time—that in some ways it's nice to be a nonentity.
We don't know whether it's true or not, but there was a rumor a-round that the warden, of a well known prison, here for the dedication, had his topcoat "lifted." |
In case you don't know the identity of that lone woman on the platform, she was Mrs. Joseph O'Donnell of Elizabethtown.
And the elderly thin man in the front row was former Lieutenant Governor Thomas Conway of Plattsburg.
.
It was probably the excitement that caused that 'little girl to faint dead away directly in front of the speakers' stand. She regained consciousness
a few minutes later, none the worse for wear.
Just to make to make certain that everything was in safe, apple pie order, a secret service man inspected the speakers' stand the day before the dedication, sent here from Washington for the chore.
That plane which kept roaring overhead during the ceremony was the N .Y. Daily News ship, carrying the paper's political writer, Robert J.Conway. The pilot made a futile attempt? To land on several meadows, but high transmission lines or fences served as barriers. The plane final1y came to earth at the Burlington airport, where Conway awaited the official party's arrival that evening, There were several postal inspectors and secret service men sprinkled throughout the crowd just in case!
And for some reason or other—3 copies of every newspaper carrying an account of the occasion had to be sent to Washington to be filed.
Visiting—newsmen, who usually accompany such dignitaries, were conspicuous by their absence. When questioned about the N.Y.C. Democratic Primary the preceding day. Mr. Farley's only comment was that he was "not at all surprised at the results."
En- route to Burlington, the party stopped at the Vergennes post office, where they were delayed more than an hour while Mr. Farley again was besieged by autograph hounds.
The report that he was to dedicate a new post office in the Vermont metropolis the same day was erroneous. Burlington's old building is doing nicely, and the (purpose of Mr. Farley visit there was to attend a banquet that evening.


Forgot to add the delay they talk about says only that they came from the Elks Resturant which if you knew was not known for meals but one of the finest bars up North.

Have you ever looked at the period photos of Farley when Postmaster? A bunch of them are on the Library of Congress Web Site. In fact, there are photos of period stamp production, too (i.e. printers with rotary press, making rolls of coil stamps, etc.). An interesting link if you're interested in such things:

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/hec.24731/