Page:Famous Living Americans, with Portraits.djvu/490

 OSCAR W. UNDERWOOD 467 In Marchy 1915, he will take his seat in the Senate, a well- merited distinction, but one which deprives the Democratic Party of its great leader in the House. And this recalls the fact that many Democratic delegates in the Baltimore conven- tion declared that they were constrained not to vote for Mr. Underwood for the presidential nomination because the party could not afford to lose his services in the House. This was not altogether illogical, particularly as the party had so much excellent material for the presidency, but it was somewhat in- considerate of a faithful servant. In addition to having as loyal a following as had any candidate in that convention, Mr. Underwood was, unquestionably, the alternative choice of at least four-fifths of the delegates, and had the two leading can- didates failed to secure the necessary two-thirds majority, as at one time seemed inevitable, Mr. Underwood would, in all probability, have been the nominee, and the occupant of the White House to-day. But, barring conjunctions, he was the most universally popular of those whose names were men- tioned in the convention ; which speaks well for the past and augurs well for the future. He could have had the nomina- tion for the vice-presidency by acclamation, and might now be the presiding officer of the Senate, but he preferred to remain in the House and complete his duties, the performance of which made Democratic success possible. He is ideally fitted by experience and endowment for the presidency of the nation. Mr. Underwood is a young man, two and fifty on the sixth day of May, 1914. One would suppose that the Congressional Directory, in which appear all the biographies of the members of Congress, would be the best book to consult for a biography of a congressman, and this would seem especially true when it is borne in mind that the congressmen themselves write their life stories. If, however, one should look there for Mr. Under- wood 's biography, he would find recorded these bald words: in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, May 6, 1862 ; was educated at Bugby School, Louisville, Ky., and the University of Virginia; was elected to the Fifty-fourth, Fifty-fifth, Fifty- sixth. Fifty-seventh, Fifty-eighth, Fif ty-ninth. Sixtieth, Sixty-
 * * Oscar W. Underwood, Democrat, of Birmingham, was bom