Senator Gale McGee of Wyoming was an important figure in the groundswell of political change occurring in his time. Notably, as one of the rare Democrats in the state’s predominantly political sphere, he brought his extensive knowledge of history to bear on the policies he helped to shape.

Before becoming a senator, McGee taught American history at the University of Wyoming from 1946 until mid-1957. It was during this period that he decided to transition into politics, successfully campaigning and securing a seat in the United States Senate. His experience as a professor and his interest in history perhaps made him more idealistic than many who seek public office and he became known as an insightful and powerful orator.

After leaving UW for the Senate, he maintained contact with his university colleagues; in fact, fellow history professor T.A. “Al” Larson remained a close friend and was part of McGee’s “kitchen cabinet” throughout his political career. He ran for Senate on a platform of “new ideas” and as a senator he continued to express his willingness to embrace change and seek new solutions many times in his speeches and interviews. His extensive knowledge of history very much informed his political life and he also looked forward to the future with hope and expectation.

McGee’s perspectives are described in his own voice, in the following audio clips. The audio is sourced from digital recordings made from reel-to-reel tapes from his papers, now housed at the American Heritage Center. These materials were generously donated by his family. The full audio files are available for all to listen to in the AHC Digital Archives.

During a speech given to Marine Corps Command and Staff College (CSC) students in 1965, Senator McGee spoke about what motivated him to seek public office. He discussed the shift in perspective he experienced when he transitioned from his UW professorship to his Senate seat: “In the classroom, I had a lot more solutions to the problems of the world than I have in the Senate…The pressure of the responsibility for doing something about it causes you to take a second look at a lot of your crackpot ideas…If you really could impose that idea, would you still believe in it?” Further discussion of this as well as the freedom he felt as a freshman senator to explore new ideas is heard in this clip.

During a question and answer session after this speech, McGee expressed his belief in the dynamism of ideas. In this clip he stresses that “there’s nothing more powerful than ideas and books; they’re more powerful than bayonets,” as he explains his views on exercising wisdom and restraint in foreign policy.

There are many moments in McGee’s speeches and interviews that demonstrate his integrity, his commitment to his own convictions, and his determination to continue serving the public despite the frequent difficulties of public life. An illustration of this can be heard during his 1965 speech at the CSC. In the following audio clip, he is asked about the “vituperative quality of American political campaigns.” He replies in a humorous and also philosophical manner on how he viewed the negative and even threatening criticism directed at him in the course of his service in the Senate. McGee also expresses his concerns that vicious verbal attacks on political figures had the effect of “understandably frightening good people from even offering themselves as a candidate.”

The entire speech, including Q&A with the CSC students can be found in these clips.

A frequent theme appearing in McGee’s writings and speeches was corruption in government and he often spoke out against cronyism, misdirection, and the withholding of information from the public by elected and appointed officials.

In an interview on the radio program, C&O News Summary, broadcast on June 10, 1959, McGee gives his views on government concealment and corruption. He and host Tristram Coffin discuss the (then recent) confirmation hearings in the Senate regarding the appointment of Lewis Strauss to the post of Secretary of Commerce in President Eisenhower’s Cabinet. These senate confirmation hearings are depicted in scenes from the recent film Oppenheimer and the character of Senator McGee is prominent in them. As newly appointed head of the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee, the Wyoming senator played a central role in the proceedings and was a large part of the effort to block Strauss’ appointment.

In this clip from the interview, McGee accuses Strauss of behaving dishonestly during his Senate confirmation hearings and describes what he calls the “evasion of the point” in government generally. He believes it was exemplified in Strauss’s behavior during the hearings.

Here McGee notes difficulties the committee faced when trying to pin down Strauss’ position on the extent of the dangers of radioactive fallout from the development of atomic power.

Senator McGee goes on to further condemn Strauss’ vindictive conduct and attitude, which he felt could be a serious impediment to the “free interchange of ideas.” McGee also mentions instances of Strauss engaging in “cronyism” and explains that, at the outset of the hearings, he knew of no reason why Strauss’ appointment should not be confirmed. However, he developed doubts based on Strauss’ own behavior as the hearings progressed.

For those interested in delving deeper into this intriguing chapter of history, McGee’s research notes on the Strauss hearings are available in Boxes 986 and 999 of his papers. Boxes 1000 and 1001 hold transcripts of the hearings and McGee’s statements. These documents provide an invaluable resource for anyone seeking a comprehensive understanding of the events and the senator’s perspective.

McGee’s contributions as a senator and ambassador were notable. He was “a major player in the development of America’s post–World War II foreign policy and almost every legislative milestone in U.S. history from the 1950s to 1980,” as described by the University of Nebraska Press, publisher of an excellent biography of McGee, The Man in the Arena, by Rodger McDaniel.

In his dedication speech for the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Monument, McGee reveals some of the passion driving his own accomplishments as he points to the example of Lincoln’s extraordinary leadership. In his speech McGee expounds on one of his favorite themes: Allowing knowledge of the past to be a guide to new ideas and solutions rather than a cement that adheres us to modes of thought that no longer serve. The former professor elsewhere stated that his primary goal in the classroom was to teach students “how to think, not what to think.” Senator Gale McGee, in his life and throughout several careers, followed Lincoln’s advice, which he quotes in this audio clip, “…We must think anew and act anew.”

The full speech can be listened to here:

The Gale McGee papers, housed at the American Heritage Center, are a valuable resource for researchers interested in the dynamic period of American history in which McGee played a significant role. As a US Senator from 1959 to 1977, McGee was involved in shaping key policies and legislation during the Cold War era, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Vietnam War.

The collection, generously donated by McGee’s family, includes his research notes, speech transcripts, correspondence, photographs, and audio recordings that provide a unique perspective on these pivotal events and the political landscape of the time. For scholars and students investigating 20th century American history, particularly the 1960s and 1970s, the McGee papers offer a wealth of primary source materials to explore and analyze.

Post contributed by AHC Digitization Technician Tana Libolt.