Some months later, on March 6, 1964, while on deployment yet again with the USS F. D. Roosevelt in the Mediterranean, I wrote, another letter to Cong. Bennett. I was about 24 years old at the time and felt comfortable enough based on our off and on correspondence going back about 10 years, to ask his advice about going into politics and the advantages of additional education.
Congressman Bennett replied on March 17, 1964 wishing me every possible success in anything that I was to undertake.
CEB on Education and Politicians: No Requirement Necessarily for Advanced Degrees, But For Character
“You can look over the list of successful politicians and see that although it is nice to have as full an education as possible in this field, as well as in any others, there is certainly no requirement for advanced degrees in advanced attainment and political fields as the qualities that make a good politician are such that the primary ones do not concern themselves with academic attainment but mostly with character.” [Italics added.]
CEB: Politicians Need Integrity and Courage
“The primary character quality in a politician should be integrity. Another quality that is essential is courage and also a sense of humor and not taking oneself to seriously.”
CEB: Politicians Use the “Whole Spectrum of Knowledge”
“The ability to speak is a great asset in public life and, of course, knowledge is an asset as is the ability to meet and mix with people. The whole spectrum of knowledge is helpful to a man in public life, so it would be difficult to pick out any one book or even indicate general courses, because different people in public life use different ways of assisting their constituents and approach it through different knowledge foundations. Some Members of Congress give great assistance to the country because of knowledge of military affairs. Others give assistance through knowledge of medical and educational and other types of knowledge factors. This is also somewhat true of officials not on the federal level.”
Bennett’s letter closed with “I will be glad to talk with you and hope that we can visit together sometime when you have the opportunity. If you would like for me to write to anyone in your behalf, I will be glad to do so but suggested before I do this you should first apply yourself in some way, because I think otherwise my intervention might not be so warmly received in your favor. With kindest regards, I am Sincerely, Charlie Bennett.”
It saddens me to think that Charlie Bennett, one of THE finest Members of Congress this country has ever produced, was such a rarity. He epitomized conscientious, principled service to our country by a leader whose personal integrity was truly irreproachable. He represented the very best our country can produce. The future of our democratic form of self-government depends on doing whatever we can to produce, elect and retain in office, leaders like Charlie Bennett. In light of current events and environments it seems to be a fading dream.
© Copyright 2015 Tracy D. Connors
Epilogue: On the morning of November 22, 1963, a dozen tug boats maneuvered the big carrier across New York Harbor to Bayonne, NJ where we would refuel, replenish, and begin to bring the boilers back on line. CAPT (later VADM) Gerald Miller and I paced around the bridge for about four hours with nothing to do. The ship was “cold iron,” no power. The tugs were in complete control. Since Navy Regulations stated that when a ship is underway, even as we were without power and with few crew aboard, the Captain and a qualified Officer of the Deck (Underway) will be on the bridge, that’s where we were until the carrier was safely tied up at the Bayonne piers. As I drove out of Bayonne, I turned on the radio to hear the profoundly astonishing news that President Kennedy had been assassinated.