Thomas E. Stephens (politician)
| Thomas Stephens | |
|---|---|
| White House Appointments Secretary | |
|
In office November 6, 1957 – January 20, 1961 |
|
| President | Dwight Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Bernard Shanley |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth O'Donnell |
|
In office January 20, 1953 – February 19, 1955 |
|
| President | Dwight Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Matt Connelly |
| Succeeded by | Bernard Shanley |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 18, 1903 Dún Laoghaire, Ireland |
| Died | May 15, 1988 (aged 84) Clearwater, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education |
St. Lawrence University (BA) Brooklyn Law School (LLB) |
Thomas Edwin Stephens (October 18, 1903 – May 15, 1988) served in the Eisenhower White House and worked on various Republican political campaigns.
Stephens was born in County Dublin, Ireland, and came with his family to the United States at the age of 13. He graduated from St. Lawrence University in 1932 and earned a law degree at Brooklyn Law School.
He began his political career in New York City. In 1934 he became an Assistant Corporation Counsel, representing the city's interests at the state legislature in Albany. In 1936 he entered private practice with the firm of Lord, Day and Lord. In 1938 he became administrative assistant to Newbold Morris, President of the City Council.
In World War II he served in Europe as a major in the Army Air Corps.
Following the war he became active in national Republican politics. In 1944 he worked as an assistant to Herbert Brownell, manager of Governor Dewey's campaign for the presidency. In 1945 and 1946 he served as director of the Republican National Committee's campaign division. He also served as administrative assistant to Senator John Foster Dulles in 1949. In 1950, he became the secretary to the New York Republican State Committee, serving until 1952.
He worked on Dewey's successful campaign for the Republican nomination in 1948 and his failed bid for the presidency that year. He 1952 he helped to organize the effort to draft General Eisenhower to run for office, then worked on Eisenhower's successful primary campaigns and was an aide to the General during the election campaign.
He left the New York law firm of Pheiffer, Stephens, and Weaver to join the White House staff as Appointments Secretary in January 1953. He had been recommended for the position by Sherman Adams. Despite his administrative title, he acted as a political adviser as well, was highly valued by the President and more influential than many realized.
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