James Farley - Early Career

Early Career

Farley was born in Stony Point, New York, one of five sons whose grandparents were Irish Catholic immigrants. His father was involved in the brick-making industry, first as a laborer and later as a part owner of three small schooners engaged in the brick-carrying trade.

Farley always had his heart set on a political career. In 1911, he officially began his service as a politician when he was elected town clerk of Grassy Point. Farley was elected Chairman of the Rockland County Democratic Party in 1918, and used this position to curry favor with Tammany Hall Boss Charles F. Murphy by convincing him that Al Smith would be the best choice for Governor. Farley backed this up when he secured the upstate vote for Alderman Alfred E. Smith, north of the Bronx line when he ran for Governor the same year. The Democrats could not win north of the Bronx line before Farley organized the Upstate New York Democratic organization. By cultivating the neglected Upstate Democrats, Farley became a force in New York State politics. After helping Alfred E. Smith become Governor of New York State, Farley was awarded the post of Port Warden of New York City and would be the last Democrat to hold this post which was taken over by the Port Authority of New York. Farley ran and won the New York State Assembly seat in Stony Point NY (96th District, a seat he held for one term 1923–1924) in a solid Republican stronghold, a seat he would lose for voting "wet." Farley was appointed to the New York State Athletic Commission at the suggestion of James J. Walker in 1923 and Farley served as a delegate at the 1924 Democratic National Convention, where he befriended a young Franklin D. Roosevelt who would give his famous "Happy Warrior" speech regarding the then-Governor Al Smith.

Farley would get his first taste of national and global attention for his role in fighting for equal rights for African-Americans as Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission. In 1926, Farley threatened to resign his post as Athletic Commissioner if the boxing champion Jack Dempsey did not fight the mandatory challenger, African-American fighter Harry Wills who went by the name "the Black Panther". Farley banned Dempsey from fighting Gene Tunney and publicly threatened to revoke Tex Rickard's Madison Square Garden license if he ignored the ruling of the commission. This public stand for Negro rights would prove to be a valuable asset to the Democratic Party for generations, and would sow the seeds of the Negro block of the New Deal. Wills was perhaps the most well known victim of the "color line" drawn by white heavyweight champions after the title reign of Jack Johnson. Wills fought for over twenty years (1911–1932), was ranked as the number one challenger for the throne, but was never given the opportunity to fight for the title. In 2003, he was named to the Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.

During this period of time Farley was also busy merging five small building supply companies to form General Builders Corporation, which would become the city's largest building supply company. Farley's firm was awarded Federal contracts under the Republican Hoover Administration to supply building materials to construct buildings now considered landmarks, such as the Annex of the James A. Farley Post Office Building in New York City. General Builders supplied materials for the construction of the Empire State Building as well. Farley was an appointed official and resigned his post from General Builders when he joined FDR's cabinet.

After some convincing from Farley and long time FDR confidant Louis Howe, Roosevelt asked Farley to run his 1928 campaign for the New York governorship. Farley orchestrated FDR's narrow victory in the 1928 gubernatorial election, Farley was named secretary of the New York State Democratic Committee and orchestrated FDR's reelection in 1930. Farley was named Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, a post he would hold until his resignation in 1944. Farley helped bring to Roosevelt's camp the powerful newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst and helped Roosevelt win the 1932 Presidential nomination and election. This was due to the Farley's ability to gather the Catholics, Unions, and big city machines (while maintaining the Solid South) into the New Deal Coalition. Farley would repeat this process with dramatic fashion in 1936 when he correctly predicted the states Roosevelt would carry, and the only two states he would lose, so goes the adage "As Maine goes, so goes Vermont". This prediction secured Farley's reputation in American history as a political prophet.