Bo Callaway
Howard Hollis Callaway (April 2, 1927[2] – March 15, 2014) was an American businessman and politician.[3][4] He served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for the 3rd district of Georgia.[2] He also served as the 11th United States Secretary of the Army.[1][5]
Bo Callaway | |
|---|---|
 Callaway's portrait in 2008 | |
| 11th United States Secretary of the Army | |
| In office May 15, 1973 – July 3, 1975 | |
| President | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Robert F. Froehlke |
| Succeeded by | Norman R. Augustine (acting) Martin R. Hoffmann |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 3rd district | |
| In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1967 | |
| Preceded by | Tic Forrester |
| Succeeded by | Jack Brinkley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Howard Hollis Callaway[1] April 2, 1927 LaGrange, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | March 15, 2014 (aged 86) Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (Before 1964) Republican (1964–2014) |
| Spouse |
Beth Walton
(m. 1949; died 2009) |
| Children | 5[1] |
| Relatives | Fuller Earle Callaway (grandfather) Terry Considine (son-in-law) |
| Education | Georgia Tech United States Military Academy (BS) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1949–1952 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Korean War |
Life and career
Callaway was born in LaGrange, Georgia,[2] the son of Virginia Hollis and Cason Callaway,[1] and the grandson of Fuller Earle Callaway. Callaway attended Episcopal High School, graduating in 1944.[2] Callaway then attended Georgia Tech and the United States Military Academy, where he earned a degree in military engineering in 1949.[1][2] He served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He was discharged in 1953 and returned to Georgia to help his parents develop and run Callaway Gardens.[1]
Political career in Georgia
Like many Southerners, Callaway was initially a Democrat, but switched to the Republican Party due to national Democrats' more liberal stances against segregation.[1] In 1964, he was elected as a Republican to represent Georgia's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, succeeding Tic Forrester. Callaway was the first Republican to represent Georgia in Congress since Reconstruction, riding a Republican wave in the Deep South resulting from the appeal of Barry Goldwater to conservative Southerners.[2][6]
Rather than run for re-election, Callaway ran as the Republican candidate in the 1966 Georgia gubernatorial election. The election was exceptionally close due to a split within the state Democratic Party between supporters of segregationist Lester Maddox and liberal former governor Ellis Arnall; after Maddox won the Democratic nomination, Arnall continued his campaign as a write-in candidate. Ultimately, Callaway won a plurality but not a majority of votes cast, which under Georgia law meant that the election was thrown to the Georgia General Assembly. After a series of lawsuits reaching the United States Supreme Court, the authority of the legislature was ultimately upheld, and Maddox was elected governor by the heavily Democratic legislature.[7]
Callaway was succeeded in Congress by Jack Brinkley.
Later career
Callaway resided in Colorado in the 1970s.[1] In 1973, he was appointed by Richard Nixon to serve as the 11th United States Secretary of the Army.[1] He served under Nixon and Gerald Ford and was succeeded by Norman R. Augustine in 1975.
Callaway served as Ford's campaign manager,[8] but resigned following accusations that he had used undue political influence to ensure the expansion of a ski resort;[8] he was replaced by Rogers Morton.[9]
Callaway ran for the Republican nomination in the 1980 United States Senate election in Colorado. He was supported by Senator William L. Armstrong, but ultimately lost the nomination to Mary Estill Buchanan.[2][10] After that, he served as the chairperson of the Colorado Republican Party until 1987.[2]
Callaway died in March 2014 from complications of intracerebral hemorrhage in Columbus, Georgia, at the age of 86.[1]
References
- Yardley, William (March 23, 2014). "Howard H. Callaway, Strategist Who Helped G.O.P. Rise in South, Dies at 86". The New York Times. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- "CALLAWAY, Howard Hollis (Bo)". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- "Callaway of Georgia: A GOP Governor?". The Amarillo Globe-Times. Amarillo, Texas. September 1, 1966. p. 35. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Belated Vindication for Bo Callaway". The Macon Telegraph. Macon, Georgia. June 26, 1977. p. 37. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Adams, Tony (March 15, 2014). "Carter recalls intense rivalry and eventual friendship with Callaway". Ledger-Enquirer. Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
- "SOUTH REVERSES VOTING PATTERNS; Goldwater Makes Inroads, but More Electoral Votes Go to the President". The New York Times. November 4, 1964. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- "Quickly Sworn In Behind Shut Doors". The Atlanta Constitution. January 11, 1967. p. 1. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- "Bo Callaway Relieved as Ford Manager". Lincoln Journal Star. Lincoln, Nebraska. March 13, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Naughton, James (March 31, 1976). "Callaway Quits Post". The New York Times. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- Strogoff, Jody Hope (March 21, 2014). "Bo Callaway was a winner despite having lost Senate bid". Colorado Politics. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
External links
- United States Congress. "Bo Callaway (id: C000055)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-07-02
- Appearances on C-SPAN
