Agnew Was A Democrat

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31754, 10 August 1968, Page 13

Agnew Was A Democrat

(NZ. Preu Assn.—Copyright)

ANNAPOLIS (Maryland), Aug. 9.

The Governor of Maryland, Mr Spiro T. Agnew, son of a Greek immigrant who changed his name from Anagnostopoulos,

capped a meteoric political career yesterday when he was named by Richard Nixon as his choice for VicePresidential running mate in November, according to the Associated Press.

A Democrat - turnedRepublican, Mr Agnew is 49, one of the youngest governors the State has ever had and the first of Greek descent.

Born the son of a Greek restaurateur in Baltimore, Mr Agnew reached adolescence during the depression years and helped his family supplement their modest income with odd jobs after school. He saw his father’s restaurant business fail and the elder Agnew forced to eke a living by hawking vegetables.

Graduating from a Baltimore public high school in 1937, he entered Johns Hop-

kins University as a chemistry major, but three years later transferred to the University of Baltimore night law school.

He later met a secretary named Elinore Isobel (Judy) Judefind, whom he married after he graduated from officers’ candidate school at Fort Knox in 1942.

Two years later he fought in France and Germany, including the Battle of the Bulge and won four battle stars, the bronze star and the combat infantry badge.

When he returned home in 1946 he switched from Democrat to Republican. Discharged from service in 1946,

Mr Agnew returned to law school and earned his degree a year later. His first move into politics came as president of a suburban improvement association. In 1957, he was appointed minority member of the country’s board of zoning appeals and later became its chairman.

He was ousted In 1961, however by the Democratic-con-trolled county council, a move that prompted him to run for —and win—county executive the next year. It was his stand in favour of open housing that helped him to victory over George Mahoney for the State’s governorship in 1966. Mr Mahoney concentrated on capturing white blacklash votes with his slogan “Your Home is Your Castle, Protect it.” Civil disturbances during the last two years have altered Mr Agnew’s stance on civil rights, although the Governor insists it is not he who has changed. “I’m standing still, it’s just the others are moving more to the Left,” he said recently.

After Baltimore had been rocked by riots after the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King, Mr Agnew told local Negro leaders they did not speak out against what he termed “Negro racists”

because they were afraid. A week before Mr Agnew had angrily refused to meet leaders of 250 students from predominantly Negro Bowie State College who were holding a sit-in, and instead ordered all of them arrested. A week ago, at his last news conference before he left for Miami, the Governor said flatly that police officers should not hesitate to shoot looters during riots when they failed to heed commands to halt.

A long-time backer of Governor Nelson Rockefeller

for the Republican Presidential nomination, Mr Agnew became disenchanted with the New York Governor’s on-again, off-again antics. Although Mr Agnew insisted until his public announcement for Mr Nixon on Monday that he still had not made up his mind, it was known privately that Mr Nixon had suggested to him that he deliver the nominating speech when the former Vice-President dined with Mr Agnew and State party leaders during Mr Nixon’s visit to Maryland three weeks ago.