Young Turks (U.S. politics)

Faction of the United States Republican Party

Not to be confused with the American political talk show The Young Turks.

For other uses, see Young Turks (disambiguation).

Gerald Ford

Melvin Laird

Donald Rumsfeld

Charles Goodell

The Young Turks was a splinter group of politicians in the United States within the Republican Party during the early 1960s. The group, mostly consisting of congressmen who had become disenchanted with the course of the Republican Party, worked within the system to appoint their fellow members into leadership roles, so they could take control of the party.[1] They were considered "rebels" by the traditional Republicans.[1][2] Gerald Ford, who would become president of the United States, rose to prominence as a Young Turk.

## Etymology

[edit]

There has been no special meaning given or discussed for the group's choice of the name "Young Turks" in any of the biographical collections of the members. The dictionary definition states, "an insurgent or a member of an insurgent group especially in a political party...one advocating changes within a usually established group".[3] On the other hand, the term Young Turks originally referred to a group of intellectuals during the 19th century Ottoman Empire, who were in opposition to Sultan Abdul Hamid II.

## Formation

[edit]

The group began in the early 1960s as a loose network of younger Republican congressmen.[4] According to an article that appeared in New York Magazine in 1975, Charles E. Goodell of New York and Robert P. Griffin of Michigan got together in January 1963 and came up with a plan to supplant one of the elder statesmen, Charles Hoeven, who was Chairman of the House Republican Conference. They solicited Gerald Ford of Michigan as the challenger. Ford agreed and won the ballot, becoming the new Chairman.[2]

It was Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide defeat of Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election, coupled with heavy losses in the House, that mobilized all the key players to further action. The Young Turks questioned the Republican Party's viability[4] and wanted to change the direction of the party.[5][6] Donald Rumsfeld, another member of the group, later wrote about how dire it was, "Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives were reduced to a low of 140 of the 435 Members of Congress. There were so many Democrats that some had to sit in the Republican side of the [a]isle."[7]

The Young Turks decided it was time to take control and replace the top Republican leadership in Congress. They picked Gerald Ford over their other option, Melvin Laird (Wisconsin), to oust the presiding House Minority Leader, Charles Halleck.[5] Their choice of Ford, and his subsequent win, set the stage for Ford to later be tapped as vice-president, and then president by succession.[citation needed]

## Members

[edit]

According to New York, members included:[2]

Overview of members  Photo  | Member  | Born  | Died  | District  | In office  | Offices held

|
|
|
|
|
|

| Gerald Ford | July 14, 1913
Omaha, Nebraska | December 26, 2006(2006-12-26) (aged 93)
Rancho Mirage, California | Michigan 5 | 1949–1973  | Chair of House Republican Conference (1963–1965)
Minority Leader (1965–1973)
40th Vice President (1973–1974)
39th President (1974–1977)
| Thomas B. Curtis | May 14, 1911
St. Louis, Missouri | January 10, 1993(1993-01-10) (aged 81)
Allegan, Michigan | Missouri 12 (1951–53)
Missouri 2 (1953–69)  | 1951–1969  | None
| Melvin Laird | September 1, 1922
Omaha, Nebraska | November 16, 2016(2016-11-16) (aged 94)
Fort Myers, Florida | Wisconsin 7 | 1953–1969  | Chair of House Republican Conference (1965–1969)
Secretary of Defense (1969–1973)
Domestic Affairs Advisor (1973–1974)
| Robert P. Griffin | November 6, 1923
Detroit, Michigan | April 16, 2015(2015-04-16) (aged 91)
Traverse City, Michigan | Michigan 9 | 1957–1966  | U.S. Senator (1966–1979)
Senate Minority Whip (1969–1977)
Justice of Michigan Supreme Court (1987–1995)
| Al Quie | September 18, 1923
Wheeling Township, Minnesota | August 18, 2023(2023-08-18) (aged 99)
Wayzata, Minnesota | Minnesota 1 | 1958–1979  | Governor of Minnesota (1979–1983)
| Charles Goodell | March 16, 1926
Jamestown, New York | January 21, 1987(1987-01-21) (aged 60)
Washington, D.C. | New York 43 (1959–63)
New York 38 (1963–68)  | 1959–1968  | U.S. Senator (1968–1971)
| Robert Ellsworth | June 11, 1926
Lawrence, Kansas | May 9, 2011(2011-05-09) (aged 84)
Encinitas, California | Kansas 2 (1961–63)
Kansas 3 (1963–67)  | 1961–1967  | Permanent Representative to NATO (1969–1971)
Deputy Secretary of Defense (1975–1977)
| Donald Rumsfeld | July 9, 1932
Chicago, Illinois | June 29, 2021(2021-06-29) (aged 88)
Taos, New Mexico | Illinois 13 | 1963–1969  | OEO Director (1969–1970)
Counselor to the President (1970–1971)
Director of Cost of Living Council (1971–1973)
Ambassador to NATO (1973–1974)
White House Chief of Staff (1974–1975)
Secretary of Defense (1975–1977; 2001–2006)

## References

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1. ^ a b Rumsfeld, Donald (2012). Known and Unknown: A Memoir. Sentinel Trade. p. 91\. ISBN 978-1595230843.
2. ^ a b c Reeves, Richard (October 13, 1975). "Why American Politicians Are So Bad: The Case History of Gerald Ford". New York Magazine: 35.
3. ^ Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
4. ^ a b Siracusa Ph.D., Joseph M. (2012). Encyclopedia of the Kennedys: The People and Events That Shaped America. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1598845389.
5. ^ a b Friedersdorf, Max (30 January 2009). "Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project, interview by Richard Norton Smith". Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. Retrieved 3 September 2021. "Smith: What was the beef against Halleck? Friedersdorf: It's a combination of the age thing and minority status, and Halleck had a drinking problem. That was pretty well known. And then you had a group of Young Turks like Gerald R. Ford and Melvin Laird and Donald Rumsfeld and Bob Griffin, and they were up and coming. It was a generational difference and it was after the '64 election which was such a debacle. We lost a lot of seats in the Goldwater election. The house members felt it was time for Charlie to go."
6. ^ Peabody, Robert L. "Professor of Political Science". ROBERT L. PEABODY RESEARCH INTERVIEW NOTES, 1964-67. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
7. ^ Rumsfeld, Donald. "The Ford-Halleck Race 1964-1965" (PDF). Rumsfeld Personal Library. Retrieved March 23, 2013.

* v
* t
* e

Gerald Ford

* 38th President of the United States (1974–1977)
* 40th Vice President of the United States (1973–1974)
* U.S. Representative for MI–5 (1949–1973)

Presidency
(timeline)|

* Inauguration
* Timeline
* Foreign policy
* Federal-Aid Highway Amendments of 1974
* Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
* Safe Drinking Water Act
* Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976
* Equal Credit Opportunity Act
* Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
* Home Mortgage Disclosure Act
* Education for All Handicapped Children Act
* Vladivostok Summit Meeting on Arms Control
* Helsinki Accords
* National Security Study Memorandum 200
* Nixon pardon
* Whip inflation now
* Cannabis policy
* Wilson desk
* Assassination attempts
* Sacramento
* San Francisco
* State of the Union Addresses
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* Judicial appointments
* Supreme Court candidates
* controversies
* Betty Ford's August 1975 60 Minutes interview
* Executive Orders
* Presidential Proclamations

Life|

* Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens
* President Gerald R. Ford Jr. Boyhood Home
* Gerald R. Ford Jr. House
* Warren Commission
* Confirmation as Vice President
* AEI World Forum
* Death and state funeral
* Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
* Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library

Elections|

* United States House of Representatives elections
* 1948
* 1950
* 1952
* 1954
* 1956
* 1958
* 1960
* 1962
* 1964
* 1966
* 1968
* 1970
* 1972
* 1976 presidential election
* Carter transition
* Republican Party presidential primaries
* 1976
* 1980
* 1976 Republican National Convention
* 1976
* 1980

Cultural
depictions|

* The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
* Superman vs. Muhammad Ali (1978)
* Dynasty (1981)
* The Betty Ford Story (1987)
* Assassins (1990)
* "Two Bad Neighbors" (1996)
* Saturday Night Live parodies
* The X-Presidents (1997)
* Presidential Reunion (2010)
* The Political Machine (2004)
* The Butler (2013)
* The First Lady (2022)

Legacy|

* Gerald R. Ford International Airport
* Gerald R. Ford Award
* Ford School of Public Policy
* Ford House Office Building
* USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)
* Gerald R. Ford Freeway
* U.S. Postage stamps
* Statue

Family|

* Charles Henry King (grandfather)
* Leslie Lynch King Sr. (father)
* Dorothy Gardner Ford (mother)
* Gerald Rudolff Ford (stepfather)
* Thomas Gardner Ford (half-brother)
* Betty Ford (wife)
* Michael Gerald Ford (son)
* John Gardner Ford (son)
* Steven Meigs Ford (son)
* Susan Ford Bales (daughter)
* Liberty (family dog)

* ← Richard Nixon
* Jimmy Carter →

* ← Spiro Agnew
* Nelson Rockefeller →

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Donald Rumsfeld

13th and 21st US Secretary of Defense (1975-1977, 2001–2006) •

6th White House Chief of Staff (1974-1975) • 9th US Ambassador to NATO (1973-1974) • Counselor to the President (190-1971) •

U.S. Representative from Illinois's 13th district (1963-1969)

Political career|

* Young Turks
* Rumsfeld Commission
* "There are unknown unknowns"
* Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
* Litigation
* Rumsfeld v. Padilla
* Rasul v. Rumsfeld
* Hamdan v. Rumsfeld

Electoral history|

| U.S. Representative|

* 1962
* 1964
* 1966
* 1968

|

Writings|

* Known and Unknown: A Memoir
* Rumsfeld's Rules
* When the Center Held: Gerald Ford and the Rescue of the American Presidency

Legacy|

* The Unknown Known (documentary)
* Vice (2018 film)
* Agathidium rumsfeldi

Related|

* Rumsfeld Doctrine
* Halloween Massacre
* Enhanced interrogation

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