Category: Politics

John McCain

In this time when everyone is talking about how John McCain is 72 years old, we would do well to remember that he is still a decade younger than Roscoe Bartlett. And as far as we know, Roscoe has never had cancer, much less four times, the way John McCain has. (That's why his jaw looks the way it does.) And we're pretty sure Roscoe can still remember how many houses he has. Look, nobody thinks John McCain should retire because he's too old, do they? Well, OK, maybe half of America and most of the free world, but that is no reflection on whether Roscoe is too old to stay in Congress for another two years, when he turns 84!

Of course, we do have to admit that Cindy McCain looks a lot younger than Ellen Bartlett.

Interracial Marriage

To say that when Roscoe Bartlett was born, interracial marriage was rare, understates the situation. Marriage between people of different races was actually illegal in most states. Until 1948, 30 states still had laws on the books banning interracial marriage, including states we now think of as bastions of liberalism, like California and Maryland. In fact, it wasn't until 1967 that the Supreme Court finally declared such laws unconstitutional. According to the 1970 census, only 0.7% of all marriages were bi-racial, but that number has changed dramatically over the years. In 2000, the census recorded 2,669,558 interracial marriages in the United States. Barack Obama's parents were way ahead of their time.

Goodloe Byron

Goodloe Byron was Roscoe Bartlett's predecessor's predecessor as U.S. Representative from Maryland's 6th Congressional District. Born three years after Roscoe, Byron was first elected to Congress 38 years ago when he was 41 years old. He died while in office at the age of 49. He was succeeded by his wife, Beverly. He is buried at the Antietam National Cemetery in Sharpsburg.

Roy Cohn

Chances are you are too young to remember Roy Cohn. Born less than a year after Roscoe Bartlett, he made a big name for himself early in life. Those who do remember him, recall a brash young lawyer who, at just 24 years of age, was the one most responsible for convicting Ethel and Julius Rosenberg of nuclear espionage in 1951. His performance in that trial brought him to the attention of Sen. Joseph McCarthy who hired him as his chief counsel/attack dog. The ensuing congressional hearings were the subject of the film Good Night, and Good Luck and archival footage of Cohn himself appeared in that film.

Cohn went on to represent such "luminaries" as Mafia dons John Gotti and Carmen Galante, Donald Trump and the New York Yankees. He also served as an adviser to Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

When the McCarthy hearings were raging, rumors floated around Washington that Roy Cohn was a homosexual, and it was true that he had an extensive collection of stuffed animals. Cohn died of AIDS 22 years ago.

Beverly Byron

Beverly Byron, Roscoe Bartlett's predecessor as U.S. Representative from Maryland's 6th Congressional District, is still younger than Roscoe Bartlett. Born six years after Roscoe, Byron began serving in Congress 14 years before Bartlett. She was sworn into office on January 3, 1979 at the age of 46. She lost a hotly contested primary battle in 1992, sufficiently splitting the party to allow Roscoe to win the General election 16 years ago.