Career R. Walton Moore

1 career

1.1 virginia politics
1.2 u.s.congressman
1.3 new dealer

career

moore taught in fairfax schools while studying bar under supervision of local judge. admitted bar in 1880 , practiced in virginia , washington, d.c., father, mr. keith moore & keith , later senior partner @ moore, barbour & keith.

from 1907 until world war moore special counsel southern carriers in cases before interstate commerce commission, united states commerce court, , united states supreme court, limited private legal practice. active in virginia bar association, moore served president in 1911. assistant general counsel of united states railroad administration in 1918 , 1919.

virginia politics

voters in alexandria, fairfax , prince william counties elected moore virginia state senate, served 1 term (1887-1890) in part-time position, succeeding elisha e. meredith. active in democratic party politics, moore presidential elector grover cleveland in 1892. in 1896 moore mentioned candidate u.s. congress, did not receive party s nomination (fellow democrat john franklin rixey being elected instead). although later known maverick within state party, moore declined run u.s. senate against incumbent democratic senator thomas s. martin in 1898.

fairfax county voters elected moore state constitutional convention in 1901 , 1902, in young law partner john s. barbour represented culpeper county. chairman of committee on legislative department , member of finance , revision committees, moore promoted better highways , funding public schools. convention become known creating state corporation commission, disenfranchising african american , poor white voters (contributing growth of senator martin s political organization later became byrd organization). moore, despite personal misgivings proclamation method used put effect (rather submit voters had 1869 document supersede, proposed become effective when approved general assembly, happened. nonetheless, moore , state senator c. o conor goolrick (of fredericksburg, virginia , first elected in 1908) considered mavericks, beyond organization control.

moore served on boards of visitors of both college of william , mary , university of virginia. on december 7, 1922, appointed member of board of regents of smithsonian institution. served vice-president of virginia historical society , board member of library of virginia.

u.s.congressman

voters of virginia s 8th congressional district elected moore democrat sixty-sixth congress, in special election fill vacancy caused resignation of charles creighton carlin (who had succeeded rixey seat moore had wanted in 1896). moore re-elected 5 times, serving april 27, 1919 – march 3, 1931. ranking member of foreign affairs committee, although member of minority party. congressman moore declined seek re-election in 1930, beyond normal retirement age. nonetheless served 2 years member of state board of education after retirement. successor howard w. smith, lieutenant in byrd organization time of massive resistance.

new dealer

his close friend , political ally, secretary of state cordell hull convinced moore join brain trust of president franklin d. roosevelt, succeeding professor raymond moley. became assistant secretary of state, worked under secretary of state hull beginning september 19, 1933, , took hull s place during travels. many other virginia democrats followed lead of senator harry f. byrd , opposed new deal. moore handled patronage in state, , advised roosevelt governor james hubert price judge floyd roberts of bristol, virginia, whom byrd s ally senator carter glass found offensive.

in 1937, hull needed fill important position in department, under secretary of state. 2 principal candidates moore , sumner welles, assistant secretary of state latin american affairs (a close ally , favorite of president). hull promised moore post, never forced issue president roosevelt. eventually, welles won position, moore s appointment department counselor announced @ same time. though both moore , welles gained new titles, welles took position both wanted. moore served chairman of board of trustees of import-export banks, on central committee of american red cross, among other committees. in subsequent years (until death in 1941), moore worked on issues including legal questions, aviation, , arms control.

in late 1940, when welles made homosexual propositions 2 railroad porters, matter hushed up. moore learned of incident friend ernest norris, president of southern railway. norris gave moore affidavits men involved, , before death, moore passed them former ambassador william c. bullitt, forced welles resignation in 1943.