Blair Moody

Arthur Edson Blair Moody
United States Senator from Michigan
In office April 23, 1951 – November 4, 1952
Appointed by	G. Mennen Williams
Preceded by	Arthur H. Vandenberg
Succeeded by	Charles E. Potter
Personal details
Born	(1902-02-13)February 13, 1902 New Haven, Connecticut
Died	July 20, 1954(1954-07-20) (aged 52) Ann Arbor, Michigan
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Mary Ann Moody Ruth Moody
Children	Blair Moody, Jr. Christopher Moody Robin Moody
Alma mater	Brown University

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

Early life

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. Moody attended the University of Michigan; he received his A.B. degree in 1949, and his LL.B. degree in 1952. He was an instructor in history at the Moses Brown School, a preparatory school in Providence 1922-1923.

Moody was an excellent athlete lettering at Brown in football, baseball and track. He was also the heavyweight boxing champion at Brown at one time. He was offered a contract by the professional baseball team the Cardinals to pitch. He declined.

Moody moved to Detroit, Michigan and worked from 1923 to 1951 as a reporter covering Washington, D.C., for the Detroit News, a newspaper owned by his uncle, William Scripps. He was a correspondent for Barron's Financial Weekly from 1934 to 1948 and also wrote extensively for the North American Newspaper Alliance and the Bell Syndicate. Moody was a combat war correspondent in 1944, covering the war in Italy, Africa, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, and Iran. He moderated a radio and television program Meet Your Congress from 1946 to 1952. He was a foreign correspondent during 1947-1948.^[1]

Government service

Following the death of U.S. Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg, Moody was appointed on April 22, 1951, as a Democrat to the United States Senate. He served from April 23, 1951, to November 4, 1952. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1952, losing to Republican Charles E. Potter in the Eisenhower landslide Presidential victory.

Later years

He resumed his newspaper and television career as the host and moderator of the "Meet Your Congress" television show.

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 was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.^[2]

Family

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 in 1941 until his dealt in 1954. From 1946 until 1954, Blair Moody had an affair with Helen Knowland, the wife of his friend Senator William Knowland. William Knowland later began an affair with Ruth Moody which lasted until her death in 1961.^[3][4]

Blair Moody, Jr., was a Wayne County Circuit Court Judge, and a Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.

Blair and Ruth Moody had two sons, Christopher and Robin. Christopher S. Moody was founder and President of Moody & Associates, Inc., a nation wide insurance firm. Robert O. Moody (Robin) Moody is the founder and President of Daedalus Books, the world leading provider of "remainer" books by retail, wholesale and internet sales.^{[citation needed]}

An elementary school in Taylor, Michigan, was named for Senator Blair Moody. The school was subsequently renamed years later.

References

Bibliography

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

• Blair Moody at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

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