Claude Pepper of Florida: Early Champion of a National Health Care System

Michael Streich

April 9, 2012

The Republican Party called it “socialized medicine” and vehemently opposed any compulsory national health insurance program. The year, however, was 1950 and the issue became part of a contentious primary battle in Florida between the incumbent Senator Claude Pepper and his one-time protégé Representative George A. Smathers. Pepper was a New Dealer and a 14-year veteran of Congress. Smathers, only 36, was a Marine Corps veteran into his second House term. The Florida Democratic primary election focused on the extent of FDR’s New Deal, race relations, and Communism.

 

Fears of Communism in 1950

 

In his autobiography, Pepper stated that McCarthyism was being used to discredit Americans even before the term became associated with the actions of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Smathers portrayed Claude Pepper as soft on Communism, reminding voters that the senator had met Joseph Stalin and been associated with organizations that in 1950 were deemed un-American. Descriptions like “Red Pepper” kept the issue alive at a time Communism was viewed as a global threat as well as to the democratic ideals of the United States.

 

The Florida primary was one of several elections that, according to the New York Times, had “national repercussions.” (May 3, 1950) Pepper, despite emphasizing his long record of “bringing home the bacon” and increasing Florida prosperity, was pictured too far to the left. A photograph of Pepper standing with Henry A. Wallace and Paul Robeson was released by the Smathers campaign to reinforce the notion that Pepper was too friendly with persons deemed un-American.

 

Smathers, though a Southern Democrat with Northern connections, was more conservative, not only in his stance on Communism, but in his support of Southern segregationist views. W. H. Lawrence, writing in the New York Times on April 7, 1950, noted that Smathers’ campaign focused on Pepper as being, “pro-Negro, pro Communist, and pro-labor.”

 

The Depths of Campaign Dirty Tricks

 

Historian Lewis Gould, in his book on the modern Senate, referred to the campaign in terms of “American folklore,” noting in particular a speech attributed to the Smathers campaign:

 

Are you aware that Claude Pepper is known all over Washington as a shameless extrovert?

Not only that, but this man is reliably reported to practice nepotism with his sister-in-law, and he has a sister who was once a thespian in Wicked New York.

Worst of all, it is an established fact that Mr. Pepper, before his marriage, habitually practiced celibacy.

 

Pepper, in his autobiography, stated that the speech was, “aimed at audiences of ‘rednecks’ in northern Florida…” Smathers denied any complicity in the matter, but it was yet another example of a primary that was, according to the New York Times, “no holds barred” with “more appeal to emotions than to reason.”

 

Testing Political Loyalties

 

Pepper’s evaluation of Smathers’ “stunning and decisive victory” (NY Times) focused on his own lack of preparation for the contest. Ironically, Smathers political fortunes began in 1938 when Senator Pepper appointed him to oversee his Senate campaign on the campus of the University of Florida where Smathers was a student. Smathers. However, was highly ambitious and quite willing to sacrifice Pepper in 1950 on the altar of Democratic Party politics.

 

President Harry Truman remained neutral in the Florida primary; in 1950, the president could not afford to alienate Pepper or Smathers. Both men received congratulatory telegrams from the Democratic national chairman – Pepper for his handling of the campaign. The mood of the nation was changing as fears of Communism grew. In Florida, many of the votes cast for Smathers were either from cross-over Republicans voting in the Democratic primary or transplants from the North.

 

Claude Pepper returned to private life but was eventually drawn back to Washington as a member of the House where he fought tirelessly for seniors, preserving and building upon New Deal legislation. His dream of compulsory national health care, however, remained a goal for future political leaders.

 

References:

 

Lewis L. Gould, The Most Exclusive Club: A History of the Modern United States Senate (Basic Books, 2005)

W.H. Lawrence, “Pepper-vs.-Smathers Race Close,” New York Times, April 7, 1950

“North, South Links in Life of Smathers; Victor Over Pepper Nephew of a Senator,” New York Times, May 3, 1950

Claude Denson Pepper and Hays Gorey, Pepper: Eyewitness To A Century (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1987)

“Pepper is Defeated in Florida Voting,” New York Times, May 3, 1950

“The Florida Primary,” New York Times, May 4, 1950

[First published in Suite101. Copyright owned by Michael Streich; republishing any or all of this article requires written permission from Michael Streich]