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Mo Udall

Mo Udall
Morris Udall.jpg
Chair of the House Interior Committee
In office
January 3, 1977 – May 4, 1991
Preceded by James A. Haley
Succeeded by George Miller
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 2nd district
In office
May 2, 1961 – May 4, 1991
Preceded by Stewart Udall
Succeeded by Ed Pastor
Personal details
Born Morris King Udall
(1922-06-15)June 15, 1922
St. Johns, Arizona, U.S.
Died December 12, 1998(1998-12-12) (aged 76)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Patricia Emery (1949–1966)
Ella Royston (1968–1988)
Norma Gilbert (1989–1998)
Children 5 (including Mark)
Military service
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch  United States Army
United States Army Air Forces
Years of service 1942–1946
Rank US-O3 insignia.svg Captain

Morris King "Mo" Udall (June 15, 1922 – December 12, 1998) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Arizona from May 2, 1961 to May 4, 1991. A former professional basketball player with the Denver Nuggets during their National Basketball League period, noted for his liberal views, Udall was a tall (6'5"), Lincolnesque figure with a self-deprecating wit and easy manner. Because of his wit, columnist James J. Kilpatrick deemed him "too funny to be president", which also ended up being the title of his autobiography in the 1980s. Udall earned a law degree from the University of Arizona in 1949. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Udall was born in St. Johns, Apache County, Arizona, a son of Louisa (née Lee) and Levi Stewart Udall, a lawyer who served as Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. He lost his right eye to a friend's pocket knife at the age of six, while the two were attempting to cut some string, and wore a glass eye for the rest of his life. He attempted to enlist in the Army during World War II, and almost succeeded, by covering his glass eye each time he was told to alternate during the eye exam. After he was medically cleared, another potential enlistee complained that he had been medically rejected for flat feet, while Udall had passed with one eye. The examiners retested Udall under closer scrutiny, and he was rejected. Later, medical standards changed and Udall served in the Army until the end of the war.


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