U.S. and Irish Politics in the 1920s

Many Irish Americans had a soft spot for the struggle between labor and management.  They took the lead in organizing unions.  After the Second World War, the Irish Americans were beginning to benefit from programs like the G.I. Bill of Rights.  They valued education and obtained college degrees and the trappings of the good life.

In 1928, Alfred E. Smith (an Irish American) gained the Democratic nomination for president of the United States.  He would run against Herbert Hoover, the "Great Engineer" of prosperity.  Smith would lose and some pointed out it was not only because of the fear of "Popery" but the fact that Smith was a part of the Tammany machine, he was anti-Prohibition and his accent, manners and even his style turned off voters.

It would take 32 years, but in 1960 John F. Kennedy, son of Irish American parents, would win the Presidential election. Some would say that his upbringing was totally uncharacteristic of the Irish.  He was the polar opposite of Al Smith.  Critics who study the political landscape of this time say that the success of the Irish in the political arena was due to their ability to "vanish" and not be too overly Irish.  It would seem that this formula to fit in and not stand out would help them progress.