Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Mim Daddario - A Good Man

Washington Post
 

Emilio 'Mim' Daddario, Democratic congressman from Connecticut, dies at 91

Emilio Q. "Mim" Daddario, 91, a Connecticut Democrat who championed science research and development during his six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, died of a heart ailment July 6 at his home in Washington.




Emilio Q. "Mim" Daddario, above in 1963, served on a House
subcommittee involved with the Apollo missions to the moon

Mr. Daddario was a standout athlete in college and wartime spy before embarking on a career in law and politics. After his congressional service from 1959 to 1971, he served as the director of the old congressional Office of Technology Assessment and as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

On Capitol Hill, he chaired the House Science Committee's subcommittee on science research and development, and the subcommittee on patents and science inventions. He also served on a subcommittee that was involved with the planning and development of the Apollo missions to the moon.

Emilio Quincy Daddario was born Sept. 24, 1918, in Newton Centre, Mass. He was a 1939 graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., and played on the school's baseball and football teams. He was the captain of the football team in 1938 and was twice named the team's most valuable player.
He received a law degree from the University of Connecticut in 1942.

He served in the Army during World War II, and he was assigned to the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), a CIA precursor. 
According to the 2004 book "Mussolini: The Last 600 Days of Il Duce," by Ray Moseley, Mr. Daddario was credited with capturing Benito Mussolini's chief of staff, Rodolfo Graziani, at the Hotel Milan in April 1945. Mr. Daddario's decorations included the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal.
 
He began his political career in 1946 as the mayor of Middletown and, two years later, was appointed judge of the Middletown municipal court.

A member of the Connecticut National Guard, Mr. Daddario served in the Korean War as a member of the Far East Liaison group. He returned to Connecticut and practiced law until being elected to the House in 1958. He did not seek reelection in 1970 and lost a Connecticut gubernatorial bid that same year.
His wife of 66 years, Berenice Carbo Daddario, died in 2007.

Survivors include three sons, Anthony Daddario of Philadelphia, Stephen Daddario of Washington and Richard Daddario, a Justice Department attache based in Moscow who is slated to lead the New York Police Department's counterterrorism bureau; a sister; and seven grandchildren.
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When Mr. Daddario was running for Governor of Connecticut, I was working in Hyannis for his brother Francis E. Daddario and going to college; and knew nothing of CT politics.

Knowing what I now know - Connecticut made a mistake in 1970.
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3 comments:

  1. Let me comment to confirm your premise that Mim Daddario was a good man. He saw politics as a way to get things done as he did in Middletown and later in Congress, most especially at the sub-committee level. He got to Congress on his own grit in spite of John M. Bailey, the Democratic boss in the late 1950's. I sensed that EQD was not totally comfortable amid the power politics of the Washington scene. He said once that he felt far from the epicenter of power. He also tired of the relentless re-election campaigns, which, as a non-extrovert, he eschewed. He focused on serving his Connecticut constituents and he discovered or re-discovered his fascination with science and technology. His Washington best buddy was Robert Giamo, then Congressman from the New Haven area. Mim had the personal strengths to move on from Congress and subsequently had additional success advancing science but away from public politics. Perhaps his loss in the 1970 gubernatorial election was a Pyrrhic one. He, too, was "authentic" although definitely not a Republican.

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  2. >>He, too, was "authentic" although definitely not a Republican

    Daddario was however an OSS agent - so he certainly wouldn't feel comfortable surrounded by today's Democrats.

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  3. Civility and modesty - characteristics of EQD - are lacking in all three political parties.

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