Blair Moody

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Arthur Edson Blair Moody (February 13, 1902July 20, 1954), known as Blair Moody, was a Democratic U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan.

Moody was born in New Haven, Connecticut and attended the public schools in Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in economics in 1922. He was an instructor in history at the Moses Brown Preparatory School in Providence 1922-1923.

Moody moved to Detroit, Michigan and was a reporter covering Washington, D.C., for the Detroit News 1923-1951 which was owned by his uncle, William Scripps. He was a correspondent for Barron’s Financial Weekly 1934-1948 and also wrote extensively for the North American Newspaper Alliance and the Bell Syndicate. Moody was a combat war correspondent in 1944, covering World War II in Italy, Africa, the British Isles, the Middle East, and Iran. He moderated a radio and television program Meet Your Congress 1946-1952. He was a foreign correspondent 1947-1948.

Moody was appointed on April 22, 1951, as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Arthur H. Vandenberg and served from April 23, 1951, to November 4, 1952. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to fill the vacancy and also for election to the full term, being defeated by Republican Charles E. Potter. He resumed his newspaper and radio career. He died in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while campaigning for the Democratic nomination for United States Senator, of a heart attack following complications of viral pneumonia. Blair Moody is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit.

[edit] Personal life

Blair Moody married his first wife Mary Ann in 1930 and they had a son, Blair Jr. They were divorced in 1940 and Blair SR married his second wife, Ruth. From 1946 until 1954, Blair Moody had an affair with Helen Knowland, the wife of his friend Senator William Knowland.[citation needed] William Knowland later began an affair with Ruth Moody which lasted until her death in 1961.[citation needed] Blair and Ruth Moody had two sons, Christopher and Robin.


[edit] Bibliography

  • Dictionary of American Biography
  • Moody, Blair. Boom or Bust. New York: Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1941.

This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Preceded by
Arthur H. Vandenberg
U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Michigan
19511952
Succeeded by
Charles E. Potter