Mike Monroney | |
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United States Senator from Oklahoma |
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In office January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1969 |
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Preceded by | Elmer Thomas |
Succeeded by | Henry Bellmon |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 5th district |
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In office January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1951 |
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Preceded by | Gomer Griffith Smith |
Succeeded by | John Jarman |
Personal details | |
Born |
Almer Stillwell Monroney March 2, 1902 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Territory, U.S. |
Died | February 13, 1980 Rockville, Maryland, U.S. |
(aged 77)
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater | University of Oklahoma |
Religion | Episcopalian |
Almer Stillwell "Mike" Monroney (March 2, 1902 – February 13, 1980) was a Democratic Party politician from Oklahoma. He represented Oklahoma's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1939 until 1951, and represented Oklahoma in the United States Senate from 1951 until 1969.
Monroney graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1924, then served as a reporter for the Oklahoma News from 1924 to 1928. In 1938 he ran for Congress as a Democrat and was elected, then reelected in the five next elections, up to 1951.
As a Representative, he co-authored the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946. As a Senator, he sponsored the Automobile Information Disclosure Act of 1958. The law required that all new automobiles carry a sticker on a window containing important information about the vehicle. That sticker is commonly known as a "Monroney sticker". After the war there were many more Americans that wanted cars than there were cars and he saw that there was a need for consumer protection for the returning veterans.
As chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee, Monroney wrote and sponsored the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 that created the Federal Aviation Administration, to improve aviation safety and achieve better coordination of air traffic in the aftermath of several deadly air crashes. All private planes in the United States are registered at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City. Air traffic controllers are also trained there. As a result of Monroney's contributions to aviation, he was known as "Mr. Aviation" in the Senate.