Ernest McFarland - Rise To Prominence and Senatorship

Rise To Prominence and Senatorship

After serving as the assistant attorney general of Arizona from 1923 to 1924, county attorney of Pinal County from 1925 to 1930, and judge of the superior court of Pinal County from 1934 to 1940, McFarland entered the U.S. Senate race in 1940. The twenty-eight-year Democratic incumbent, Henry F. Ashurst, appeared to be unbeatable and did not launch an aggressive campaign to retain his seat. While Ashurst remained in Washington, D.C., McFarland canvassed the state, giving speeches on water issues and World War II in Europe. By a three-to-one margin, he defeated Ashurst in the primary and went on to win the general election.

Senator McFarland, along with Senator Carl T. Hayden, lobbied for the Central Arizona Project (CAP) aimed at providing Arizona's share of the Colorado River to the state. His efforts failed while he was a senator; however, they laid a critical foundation for the eventual passage of the CAP in the late 1960s.

Not forgetting his veteran roots, McFarland became interested in legislation to benefit veterans returning from World War II. He outlined his proposals before the American Legion in a speech in 1943 and worked to create support for his G.I. Bill with veterans' organizations and members of Congress.

By unanimous votes, the United States Senate and the House of Representatives approved the legislation in March and May, respectively and, on June 22, 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the G.I. Bill into law.

McFarland was easily reelected Senator in 1946 and served as chairman of a Commerce subcommittee where he helped plan a post-war role for the U.S. in international communications and rewrote the Communications Act of 1934. After Democratic Majority Leader Scott W. Lucas was defeated in 1950 due to his link with Truman's administration, McFarland's Democratic colleagues chose him as majority leader. He served in that position for two years. In 1952, he was defeated by Barry Goldwater in the national Republican landslide that year led by Dwight D. Eisenhower.

In that same election, the Democrats lost their majority in the United States Senate, and it was necessary for them to choose a Minority Leader. The party chose Lyndon B. Johnson, of Texas, as minority leader. Johnson became Majority Leader in 1955, Vice President of the United States in 1961, and President of the United States in 1963. Ironically, when Johnson sought a full term as President in 1964, his Republican opponent was Barry Goldwater, the person who had defeated McFarland in the 1952 election, and who had thereby given an indirect assist to Johnson's rise to prominence.