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Andrew Jackson May, at right, with Dwight D. Eisenhower (center) and Chester Nimitz (left). Image from pro.corbis.comAs head of a military committee during World War II, Andrew Jackson May found himself in a position of significant influence. Unfortunately, a jury decided after the war ended that May had not responsibly used that influence.
Born in Floyd County in Kentucky in 1875, May worked as a teacher before graduating from the Southern Normal Law University and entering that field. In addition to being involved in agriculture, coal mining, and banking, he served as the county attorney for Floyd County and special judge of circuit court for Johnson and Martin counties for two years.
After losing his first attempt in 1928, May was elected to Congress as a Democrat in 1930. He was returned to office in the next seven elections. In 1938, as war loomed closer in Europe and Asia, he became chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs and held the post throughout the entire war and until he left Congress.
Following a tour of the Pacific theater in the summer of 1943, May gave a press conference in which he reassured reporters that American submarines were surviving well because the Japanese were setting their depth charges to explode at too shallow a depth. Some newspapers printed the information; Admiral Charles Lockwood later said that the Japanese took account of the deficiency and that the blunder may have cost the Navy up to ten submarines and 800 sailors. However, author Mike Otlund theorizes that the Japanese may have been experimenting with deeper charges some months prior to May's press conference.
In 1946, accusations surfaced that May had wrongfully used his influence to help build the munitions combine of brothers Murray and Henry Garsson in New York. Time reported that the brothers had ties to the mob and had previously been charged, but not convicted, of crimes ranging from bribery to evasion of corporation laws. The magazine said their company had been "paper-built" in 1942 to provide 4.2-inch shells and quickly won a contract from the government before the company even existed. By the war's end, the combine had done some $78 million in business. While the shells were initially rumored to be highly defective, investigators later found that only 63 misfirings out of every 4 million caused the deaths of 38 men and injuries to 127 others; moreover, the defect rested in the fuses, not in the shells themselves.
May himself was charged with accepting bribes from the brothers, while the Garssons were accused of conspiracy to defraud the government of May's services. Joseph F. Freeman, the Garssons' Washington agent, was also implicated in the crimes but later cleared. In the midst of this turmoil, May lost his re-election bid in 1946 to the Republican candidate, W. Howes Meade.
During an 11-week trial, May was charged with using his sway in Congress to pressure government officials to award contracts to the Garssons, unfreeze their funds, look into a cut-back contract for truck bodies manufactured by the bodies, and seeking draft furloughs or deferments for friends of the Garssons. In return for these favors, May was alleged to have received significant bribes from the brothers. Some of these were in the form of checks or the Garssons depositing money into May's account or paying off notes. By far the largest was money paid to the Cumberland Lumber Company, conveniently located in May's hometown of Prestonburg. The Garssons bought up the company and May served as their agent; prosecutors charged that the company made for a handy front for bribes, as over $50,000 paid by the Garssons went for lumber which they never received.
May said his funding of the Garssons was a way of assisting the war efforts and equated the money to campaign contributions. However, he later admitted that his personal funds had become intermixed with those of Cumberland Lumber. Henry Garsson said the combine had tried to offer May compensation for his work on their behalf, but that he had refused.
The jury returned a remarkably speedy verdict in July of 1947, finding May and the Garssons guilty of three counts of bribery conspiracy after only one hour and 50 minutes of deliberation. May was found to have taken some $53,000 in bribes, but was not required to pay any fine. All three men were sentenced to serve between eight months and two years in prison, and all unsuccessfully appealed the verdict.
May spent nine months in prison in 1950 and was able to return to law work. President Harry Truman granted him a pardon in 1952, and he died in Prestonburg in 1959.
Born in Floyd County in Kentucky in 1875, May worked as a teacher before graduating from the Southern Normal Law University and entering that field. In addition to being involved in agriculture, coal mining, and banking, he served as the county attorney for Floyd County and special judge of circuit court for Johnson and Martin counties for two years.
After losing his first attempt in 1928, May was elected to Congress as a Democrat in 1930. He was returned to office in the next seven elections. In 1938, as war loomed closer in Europe and Asia, he became chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs and held the post throughout the entire war and until he left Congress.
Following a tour of the Pacific theater in the summer of 1943, May gave a press conference in which he reassured reporters that American submarines were surviving well because the Japanese were setting their depth charges to explode at too shallow a depth. Some newspapers printed the information; Admiral Charles Lockwood later said that the Japanese took account of the deficiency and that the blunder may have cost the Navy up to ten submarines and 800 sailors. However, author Mike Otlund theorizes that the Japanese may have been experimenting with deeper charges some months prior to May's press conference.
In 1946, accusations surfaced that May had wrongfully used his influence to help build the munitions combine of brothers Murray and Henry Garsson in New York. Time reported that the brothers had ties to the mob and had previously been charged, but not convicted, of crimes ranging from bribery to evasion of corporation laws. The magazine said their company had been "paper-built" in 1942 to provide 4.2-inch shells and quickly won a contract from the government before the company even existed. By the war's end, the combine had done some $78 million in business. While the shells were initially rumored to be highly defective, investigators later found that only 63 misfirings out of every 4 million caused the deaths of 38 men and injuries to 127 others; moreover, the defect rested in the fuses, not in the shells themselves.
May himself was charged with accepting bribes from the brothers, while the Garssons were accused of conspiracy to defraud the government of May's services. Joseph F. Freeman, the Garssons' Washington agent, was also implicated in the crimes but later cleared. In the midst of this turmoil, May lost his re-election bid in 1946 to the Republican candidate, W. Howes Meade.
During an 11-week trial, May was charged with using his sway in Congress to pressure government officials to award contracts to the Garssons, unfreeze their funds, look into a cut-back contract for truck bodies manufactured by the bodies, and seeking draft furloughs or deferments for friends of the Garssons. In return for these favors, May was alleged to have received significant bribes from the brothers. Some of these were in the form of checks or the Garssons depositing money into May's account or paying off notes. By far the largest was money paid to the Cumberland Lumber Company, conveniently located in May's hometown of Prestonburg. The Garssons bought up the company and May served as their agent; prosecutors charged that the company made for a handy front for bribes, as over $50,000 paid by the Garssons went for lumber which they never received.
May said his funding of the Garssons was a way of assisting the war efforts and equated the money to campaign contributions. However, he later admitted that his personal funds had become intermixed with those of Cumberland Lumber. Henry Garsson said the combine had tried to offer May compensation for his work on their behalf, but that he had refused.
The jury returned a remarkably speedy verdict in July of 1947, finding May and the Garssons guilty of three counts of bribery conspiracy after only one hour and 50 minutes of deliberation. May was found to have taken some $53,000 in bribes, but was not required to pay any fine. All three men were sentenced to serve between eight months and two years in prison, and all unsuccessfully appealed the verdict.
May spent nine months in prison in 1950 and was able to return to law work. President Harry Truman granted him a pardon in 1952, and he died in Prestonburg in 1959.
Sources: The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, The Political Graveyard, "Murray Garsson's Suckers" in Time on Aug. 12 1946, "Garsson Sequel" in Time on Sept. 16 1946, "Judge Denies May, Garsson Plea, Frees One" in the Deseret News on May 14 1947, "Garsson Testifies 'Compensation' Offered Andrew J. May Was Refused" in the Deseret News on June 3 1947, "Handy Andy" in Time on June 9 1947, "May, Garssons Guilty in Bribe Conspiracy Case" in the St. Petersburg Times on July 4 1947, "Garssons and May Ordered to Prison" in the New York Times on Dec. 2 1949, The Pacific Campaign: World War II, the U.S.-Japanese Naval War, 1941-1945 by Dan Van der Vat, Find 'em, Chase 'em, Sink 'em: The Mysterious Loss of the WWII Submarine 'USS Gudgeon' by Mike Ostlund
8 comments:
I would have shot him for that shit in WW II....what a fucking scumbag typical piece of Washington shit.
He's not alone look at the scumbag Democrat running for office now, she emulates Congresman May, times infinity.
He's not alone look at the scumbag Democrat running for office now, she emulates Congresman May, times infinity.
reminds me of liar in chief trump.When this sad saga is over many will wake up as from a long sleep and say how did this happen.For reference look up musolini who peppered the poor with
tax burden while lining the pockets of his cronnies.Funding things never to be built was a way
to line his pockets.
May loved the military as long as he didn't have to serve.and his disregard for their safety speakes volumes.Hence May meet your brothers in harm MUSOLINI AND DONALD TRUMP.
flack gonna look like a retard in a few years. bet you 50 chainlink tokens ($10000)
Flack you are deluded you moron...
You favor idiots like Alex Ocassionally Conscious, Maxipad Waters, Cory "Spartacus" Booker, Nancy PeeLosy and Chuck the Cuck Schemer?
President Donald J Trump may have his faults.... but he has more love for this country and its citizens than the entire Dumbocratic Party going back to the scumbag Andre Jackson May who traitorously sold out the US Navy and submariners because he had a big fat mouth like all the modern day Dumbocrats listed above.
Pull your head out of your rectum and breath some fresh air stupid!
My great grandfather Andrew Jackson May was a flawed man. But every letter I've seen, and there were many, by generals, admirals, vice presidents, and presidents spoke of him and to him with the greatest of esteem. He was one of the loudest voices in Washington who saw the true threat of Hitler and the Nazis, and one of the principle architects of the first peacetime draft which constructed US readiness to meet aggression after Pearl Harbor. Without which the US would have been behind 2 years away from being battle ready. The trial never proved that he took a dime that he was not owed, and the Garson's were largely tried for being Jewish and making money off the war, which at the time rubbed some the wrong way. Any time you want to actually learn something about the man, we donated the bulk of his congressional collection to the University of Kentucky some years ago. Or you can keep being a keyboard cowboy talking shit about a man who was the Chairman of the House Military Affairs Committee during WW2, and was probably the third most powerful man in Washington during the 40s. So maybe just say "thank you," and STFU.
He’s probably weeping and gnashing his teeth in Sheol right now.
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