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39-491: Absaroka may refer to: Places [ edit ] Absaroka (proposed state) , parts of the states of Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming, that contemplated secession and statehood in 1939 Absaroka Range , a sub-range of the Rocky Mountains stretching across Montana and Wyoming in the northwestern United States Other uses [ edit ] Absaroke or Absaroka,

78-532: A 1941 publication by the Federal Writers' Project , the story of Absaroka was published as an example of Western eccentricity. The formation of Absaroka has been assessed to have been only "half serious" and some historians have argued that the attempt to secede was a tall tale . Another historian has stated that the movement fell "into oblivion after having provided a modicum of excitement and entertainment for its participants." Contemporary coverage of

117-852: A Native American people also known as the Crow Absaroka County, the fictional location of the Walt Longmire Mysteries series of novels by Craig Johnson (author) and its TV adaptation, Longmire Absaroka sequence , a cratonic sequence that extended from the end of the Mississippian through the Permian periods USS Absaroka (ID-2518) , a steamer in the United States Navy See also [ edit ] Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness North Absaroka Wilderness Topics referred to by

156-471: A delegate to the 1932 Democratic National Convention in Chicago , Illinois , where he was a member of the subcommittee which prepared the party's platform. After the convention, he became vice-chairman of the campaign committee. Following the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt , DNC chairman James Farley was selected as U.S. Postmaster General . As a reward for his work at the 1932 convention, O'Mahoney

195-460: A local street commissioner, served as a leader of the movement and later declared himself governor . Swickard hosted a series of public hearings regarding grievances levied against the Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming state governments, receiving substantial media coverage and prompting the respective governments to act. This led to broader distribution of federal aid to rural regions, resulting in

234-992: A margin of 51%-48%. Upon his return to the Senate, O'Mahoney became a strong opponent of the Dixon-Yates contract , which provided for a private company to build a plant to provide power to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to replace the power that the TVA sold to the Atomic Energy Commission . He sponsored legislation to require "concentrated industries" to give public notification and justification of price increases, to prohibit automobile manufacturers from operating finance firms, to grant Alaska and Hawaii statehood, and to require nominees for federal judgeships take an oath prior to confirmation that they would not render decisions contrary to

273-602: A new state. The Absaroka movement also began directly following another secession movement that sought to have a portion of the Black Hills secede from South Dakota and join Wyoming. Indeed, historian Watson Parker has linked the Absaroka movement, in terms of economic and geographic identity, back to an 1870s attempt to form a Black Hills-based territory out of three adjacent existing territories. The name "Absaroka"

312-512: A second term over Milward L. Simpson in 1940, and defeated Harry B. Henderson for a third term in 1946. During his early tenure in the Senate, O'Mahoney supported most of the New Deal programs, with the notable exception of President Franklin D. Roosevelt 's " court-packing plan ". He earned a reputation as a strong opponent of big business and monopolies, and was heavily involved with anti-trust legislation. One of his first actions as

351-723: A senator was to introduce legislation requiring federal licensing for corporations engaged in interstate commerce. He was a leading supporter of the creation of the Temporary National Economic Committee , which he chaired from 1938 to 1941. He also supported wool, cattle, oil, and conservation legislation, and sponsored the Casper-Alcova reclamation project. He served as chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs (1943–1947), Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs (1949–1953), and co-chairman of

390-470: A square deal by the state legislature which is dominated by eastern South Dakotans. The last straw came when an ore tax was recently proposed which is aimed at Homestake Mining Company, the largest industry in western South Dakota. Residents of Wyoming were particularly upset by the Democratic control of the state legislature, believing that their needs were being ignored, and the state was too focused on

429-685: Is derived from the Hidatsa name for the Crow people , meaning "children of the large-beaked bird" and shares a similar name to the nearby Absaroka Range . In 1939, supporters for the movement crowned Dorothy Fellows as Miss Absaroka, emulating the Miss America beauty pageant, wherein a winner is declared from each state as part of a larger national competition. Images of Miss Absaroka, alongside state automobile license plates and state coins for Absaroka, were issued soon after. A prominent supporter of

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468-699: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Absaroka (proposed state) Absaroka was a proposed state in the United States that would have comprised parts of the states of Montana , South Dakota , and Wyoming , which contemplated secession in 1939. The movement began in 1935, during the Great Depression , as a form of protest against their respective state governments, who were criticized for failing to provide New Deal federal aid to rural ranchers and farmers . A. R. Swickard,

507-789: The State Leader , whose owner was Governor John B. Kendrick . Although he supported Theodore Roosevelt in the 1912 presidential election , O'Mahoney switched to the Democratic Party the same year he joined the State Leader . Governor Kendrick became a U.S. senator in March 1917, and O'Mahoney accompanied him to Washington, D.C. as his executive secretary, a position he held for three years. While working in Washington, he studied at Georgetown University Law School and received his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1920. O'Mahoney

546-558: The U.S. Constitution . His advocacy of jury trials in civil rights cases helped obtain enough votes to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1957 , and he opposed the confirmation of Lewis Strauss as U.S. Secretary of Commerce . One of the last bills he introduced was to abolish the insurance rate-making body of the District of Columbia , which he believed was guaranteeing high rates to insurance companies rather than looking out for

585-593: The Wyoming Democratic Party from 1922 to 1930. He was also a delegate to the Democratic state conventions from 1924 through 1932. Representing Wyoming, he was a member of the Conference on Uniform State Laws from 1925 to 1926. He later served as city attorney of Cheyenne from 1929 to 1931. In 1929, O'Mahoney was elected a Democratic national committeeman , serving until 1934. He was

624-425: The 1930s, she claimed that the movement was not widely known, nor perceived to be serious. Regarding the Absaroka movement, U.S. Senator Alan Simpson stated in a 2008 interview that he had an uncle who participated in the movement. Senator Simpson went on to recount, "They're weren't fooling around; a lot of people thought it was silliness, but to them, it wasn't." It has been proposed by Kirk Johnson, an expert on

663-686: The American West, that the effort to secede was largely brought about by cultural and geographical differences. The region Absaroka would have occupied was settled later than most regions of the United States. Due to the American Indian Wars , the region was not safely settled till the late 1800s to early 1900s, resulting in "frontier spirit of experimentation still (being) fresh" during the 1930s. The series Walt Longmire Mysteries , written by Craig Johnson , takes place in

702-516: The Hawaii territory , stated during a session of Congress , "Hawaii is entitled by prior claim to be the 49th state. Let Absaroka be the 50th but Hawaii has claim to the 49th!" Following the Miss Absaroka pageant, A. R. Swickard appointed himself "governor" and held a series of grievance hearings covering the perceived wrongs committed by the state of Wyoming. A. R. Swickard also criticized

741-576: The Joint Committee on the Economic Report (1949–1953). O'Mahoney was among twelve nominated at the 1944 Democratic National Convention to serve as Roosevelt's running mate in the presidential election that year . In 1952, as Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower won the presidential election in a landslide, O'Mahoney was narrowly defeated for re-election by Governor Frank A. Barrett by a margin of 52%-48%. He subsequently returned to

780-739: The United States in 1861, worked as a furrier . He received his early education at the Cambridge Latin School . He attended Columbia University in New York City from 1905 until 1907, when he began a career in journalism. He was a reporter on the Cambridge Democrat before moving west to Boulder , Colorado , where he worked for the Herald (1908–1916). He married Agnes Veronica O'Leary in 1913. In 1916, he moved to Cheyenne , Wyoming , to become city editor of

819-631: The citizens of southern Wyoming, resulting in Joseph C. O'Mahoney and other Democrats winning elections in the State and Federal elections, ultimately resulting in Wyoming's legislature being controlled by the Democratic Party. Residents of rural Northern Wyoming, as well as Southern Montana and Western South Dakota, felt discontent with the lack of federal aid they were receiving, believing that

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858-481: The construction of the Union Pacific Railroad . This discontent led to rural farmers, primarily Republican -leaning regions, calling for secession from Wyoming. The initial movement began as a petition for Sheridan County, Wyoming to secede and join Montana, and was filed by A. R. Swickard, the street commissioner of Sheridan, Wyoming . The movement quickly changed to petition the formation of

897-491: The event is likewise uncertain if the secession movement was meant to be serious or started as a joke, and the press compared it to the similar Texlahoma secession movement. It has also been proposed that the movement was a "fun way for cowboys to distract themselves during tough economic times". In an interview with Helen Graham, a librarian at the Sheridan Public Library and a resident of Sheridan during

936-525: The fictional Absaroka county of Wyoming. This county was created as a reference to the Absaroka secession movement, with Johnson claiming the name choice was to "make this place emblematic of the rural West and maybe of rural areas all over the world." This same county was later featured in the A&;E and Netflix television adaptation Longmire. Joseph C. O%27Mahoney Joseph Christopher O'Mahoney (November 5, 1884 – December 1, 1962)

975-465: The meeting: It was just a friendly chat. I told the Governor of our sister state to the south of Buffalo that we had no warlike designs, and that rumors we might try to secede by force were erroneous. We Absarokans are a peace-loving lot and while we think that we really need the state of Absaroka we are not inclined to revolution. Around this time, Samuel W. King , a congressional representative for

1014-505: The more urban parts of their respective states were being prioritized by the New Deal. While the exact date of origin for the Absaroka movement is not known, individuals formally began organizing behind it in 1935. This began following a series of chamber of commerce hearings in which, primarily, ranchers and independent farmers in rural parts of northern Wyoming, southern Montana, and western South Dakota levied their complainants with

1053-591: The movement was C. M. Rowe, a professor at the South Dakota School of Mines . That same year, the King of Norway toured southeast Montana and Wyoming, and supporters of the secessionist movement claimed this event as official recognition of the new state. Swickard also met with the Governor of Wyoming , Nels H. Smith , on May 12, 1939, to discuss the formation of a new state. Swickard said after leaving

1092-539: The now Republican-led Wyoming state government, which took office following the 1938 Wyoming state elections , for not providing his movement with what the Associated Press called political patronage jobs . These hearings led to increased media attention on the secessionist movement and its criticisms of the state government, prompting Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana to spread state revenues more broadly to rural communities. This effort, ultimately, rendered

1131-585: The private practice of law in Wyoming. Following the suicide of Senator Lester C. Hunt in June 1954, O'Mahoney was elected the following November both to serve out Hunt's term and to a full term. He defeated Congressman William H. Harrison , the great-great-grandson of William Henry Harrison (9th President of the United States) and grandson of Benjamin Harrison (23rd President of the United States), by

1170-449: The proposed state changed a number of times, and at one point contained 10 Wyoming counties, 4 Montana counties, and 12 South Dakota counties. This proposed state is estimated to have included approximately half of Wyoming's territory. The state's territory would have featured a coal -rich landscape with a large number of pre-established mines, including The Black Thunder , Coal Creek , and Cordero Rojo mines. Increasing tourism to

1209-445: The public welfare. After suffering a stroke in June 1959, O'Mahoney decided not to seek re-election in 1960. He made his last speech on the Senate floor on August 29, 1960; he was brought to the floor in a wheelchair by Senator Wayne Morse , who predicted O'Mahoney would be remembered as the "most effective and able" senator to try to protect free enterprise. He resumed his law practice in Washington and Cheyenne. O'Mahoney died at

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1248-652: The region was another motivation for the proposed state because Mount Rushmore (constructed 1927–1941) would be within Absaroka according to some plans. Additionally, that region would have contained the Black Hills , Devils Tower , the Bighorn Mountains , the Teton Mountains , and Yellowstone National Park . This resulted in residents of the proposed state calling Absaroka the "Nation's Playground". The secessionist movement never achieved widespread popularity, nor pursued legal means of secession. In

1287-412: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Absaroka . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Absaroka&oldid=924549690 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

1326-529: The secessionist movement dying out by the start of World War II . It has been debated whether the movement was a serious attempt to form a new state. In 1933, the New Deal was signed into law during the Franklin D. Roosevelt presidency . This legislation was designed to alleviate the economic downturn resultant from the Great Depression. This legislation was generally considered favorable amongst

1365-561: The secessionist movement largely defunct by the end of 1939. The secessionists' activities ceased entirely following the onset of World War II and were largely considered forgotten by the time of the Eisenhower presidency . Swickard, alongside his supporters, drew the initial borders for the state in the basement of the Sheridan Rotary Club, which became the de facto headquarters for the movement. The boundaries of

1404-526: The state and organized a secessionist movement. In these meetings, complainants from Wyoming would claim "All of the state money and attention goes to the southern part of the state", and they felt "short-changed" by their respective state governments. This sentiment was reflected further in local papers, including Queen City Mail in South Dakota, which stated in an editorial: The difficulties of western South Dakota are well known. We are never given

1443-682: Was admitted to the bar in 1920, and subsequently returned to Cheyenne to set up his law practice. He was particularly active in legal matters stemming from the Mineral Leasing Act and, through his work, learned of impending leases on the Teapot Naval Oil Reserve ; he encouraged Senator Kendrick to seek an investigation into these leases, which subsequently unearthed the Teapot Dome scandal . O'Mahoney became active in Democratic politics, serving as vice-chairman of

1482-459: Was an American journalist, lawyer, and politician. A Democrat , he served four complete terms as a U.S. senator from Wyoming on two occasions, first from 1934 to 1953 and then again from 1954 to 1961. One of eleven children, Joseph O'Mahoney was born in Chelsea , Massachusetts , to Dennis and Elizabeth (née Sheehan) O'Mahoney. His parents were both Irish immigrants; his father, who came to

1521-504: Was appointed by Farley to be the First Assistant Postmaster General, serving from March to December 1933. On December 18, 1933, O'Mahoney was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Governor Leslie A. Miller to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator Kendrick. He was elected to a full six-year term in 1934, defeating Republican congressman Vincent Carter by a margin of 57%-43%. He was re-elected to

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