Landon, Alfred Mossman

(1887-1987)

   Alfred, better-known as “Alf,” Landon was born in Pennsylvania, grew up in Ohio, and moved to Independence, Kansas. He obtained his law degree from the University of Kansas in 1908 and then worked in banking and the oil industry, a career he resumed after serving briefly in the army in 1918. Involved in politics as a progressive, Landon later returned to the Republican Party and was secretary to Governor Henry Allen in 1922 and organizer of the gubernatorial campaigns of William Allen White and Clyde M. Reed in 1924 and 1928. He was chosen as chair of the Kansas Republican Party that year but was pushed out by conservatives in 1930. Nonetheless, in 1932 he was elected governor in his own right defeating Democratic incumbent Harry Woodring. Landon implemented measures to counter the Great Depression, including a moratorium on farm mortgage foreclosures, restriction on bank withdrawals, regulation of utilities, and conservation of natural resources, while maintaining a balanced budget. He was the only Republican governor to be reelected in 1934.

   In 1936, Landon was chosen as the Republican presidential candidate. While he was critical of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s deficit spending and advocated government efficiency and a balanced budget, his platform was a moderate reform one. He lost overwhelmingly and did not run for public office again. He served as vice chairman of the U.S. delegation to the Inter-American Conference in Lima, Peru, in 1938 and continued to speak on political matters right through the 1960s.