Leslie Biffle
Leslie L. Biffle | |
|---|---|
| Secretary of the United States Senate | |
| In office 1945–1947 | |
| Preceded by | Edwin A. Halsey |
| Succeeded by | Carl A. Loeffler |
| In office 1949–1953 | |
| Preceded by | Carl A. Loeffler |
| Succeeded by | Felton McLellan Johnston |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 9, 1889 Boydsville, Clay County, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | April 6, 1966 (aged 76) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Mary Glade Strickling (m. 1921) |
| Alma mater | Business school (Little Rock, Arkansas) |
| Occupation | Political operative, legislative administrator |
Leslie L. Biffle (October 9, 1889 – April 6, 1966) was an American Democratic Party official who served as Secretary of the United States Senate from 1945 to 1947 and 1949 to 1953.[1][2]
Early life and career
Born in Boydsville, Clay County, Arkansas, Biffle grew up in Piggott, Arkansas, where his father, William B. Biffle, was a local Democratic Party official. After attending business school in Little Rock, he moved to Washington, D.C., in 1909 to work as secretary for U.S. Representative Robert B. Macon and later Senator James Paul Clarke. During World War I, he served as an auditor for the American Expeditionary Forces in France.[3]
Senate career
Democratic operative
In 1925, Biffle was appointed assistant secretary for Senate Democrats under Majority Leader Joseph T. Robinson, who advised him to "keep your eyes and ears open and your damn mouth shut".[4][5] He became majority secretary in 1933, managing "pair votes" to pass New Deal legislation and forging alliances with senators like Harry S. Truman, whom he mentored upon Truman's Senate arrival in 1935.[6]
Secretary of the Senate
Biffle was unanimously elected Secretary of the Senate in 1945, a rare bipartisan endorsement. His tenure coincided with Truman's presidency, and the two maintained a direct phone line between Biffle's office and the White House. His back office, dubbed "Biff's Diner," became a hub for senators and lobbyists seeking Truman's ear.[5]
When Republicans regained the Senate in 1947, Biffle became executive director of the Democratic Policy Committee before resuming his secretary role in 1949.[7]
1948 election and later work
Biffle bolstered Truman’s underdog 1948 campaign by posing as a chicken farmer in a straw hat and truck to poll voters in the Midwest.[8] His optimistic analysis proved accurate when Truman won re-election. Biffle retired in 1953 after Republicans regained the Senate but remained a consultant until his death in 1966.[9][10]
See also
References
- ^ "Leslie L. Biffle (1889–1966)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ LIFE. Time Inc. 1946-06-10.
- ^ "Leslie L. BIFFLE b. 9 Oct 1889 Boydsville, Clay Co, AR d. 6 Apr 1966: Doddridge County Roots". www.doddridgecountyroots.com. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: Leslie Biffle, Secretary of the Senate, 1945-1947; 1949-1953". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ a b "The Senate's Keeper of Secrets LESLIE L. BIFFLE" (PDF).
- ^ Libbey, James K. The Assistant Majority Leader and the New Deal', Alben Barkley: A Life in Politics. (Lexington, KY, 2016; online edn, Kentucky Scholarship Online, 22 Sept. 2016).
- ^ "Isabella County Daily Times-News 30 November 1948 — Digital Michigan Newspapers Collection". digmichnews.cmich.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ Hamby, Alonzo L. (1995). Man of the people: a life of Harry S. Truman. New York, NY: Oxford Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0-19-504546-8.
- ^ "Vintage Chicago Tribune: 5 things that led to 'Dewey Defeats Truman,' the newspaper's most famous headline". Chicago Tribune. 2023-11-02. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ McCullough, David G. (2002). Truman. Simon & Schuster paperbacks. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-86920-5.