The Honorable Mr. Rogers
Could Throw the Bull

By Joseph H. Carter

In 1927, a cowpuncher went to Congress.       Will Rogers, the Cherokee Kid, born on the frontier of Indian Territory, a rope-twirling, joke-spinning cowboy philosopher who became known as America’s poet lariat, was named to the United States Congress.       Well, sort of.       He was named Congressman-at-Large for the United States by the prestigious National Press Club.       It happened at a public reception at The Auditorium in Washington, D.C., August 27, 1927.       Comprised of political writers from the leading newspapers in the nation, the National Press Club was a formidable group in those days.       Although members of the National Press Club enjoyed a good laugh as much as anyone, and maybe even moreso, their appointment of Will Rogers as Congressman-at-Large represented their respect and admiration for the man who was known as America’s conscience, and the only man to address both the Democratic and Republican national conventions.       In his address, Louis Ludlow, president of the National Press Club, said: “There are no finer people in the world than Mr. and Mrs. Will Rogers, especially Mrs. Rogers.”       Ludlow said that the club originally discussed supporting Will Rogers for vice-president on the Calvin Coolidge ticket in 1928.       “Our idea was that Will would represent noise and the president would stand for silence. The president could throw the lariat and Will could throw the bull, and it would make a well-balanced ticket. Just when we had that all arranged, the president ‘chose’ to renege, and Will’s vice-presidential prospects went blooey. We knew that we could not hook up Will with any other presidential candidate, because that would make a ticket that would be overloaded with noise,” Ludlow said.       “Finally, an idea came to us like an inspiration and we grabbed it. It occurred to us that a good many states of the Union have congressmen-at-large, but there is no congressman-at-large for the entire nation. Exercising our clearly defined constitutional prerogative under Article X, we have decided to appoint Mr. Rogers Congressman-at-Large for the United States of America, his duties being to roam over the country, pry into the state of the Union, check up on prohibition enforcement and report at regular intervals to the National Press Club.       “We are happy to state to Mr. Rogers tonight that this new office, upon which he is about to enter, is not without its material rewards and that it automatically carries with it a suspended salary of one dollar per annum.       “In the name of the National Press Club, I now confer upon Mr. Rogers his commission as Congressman-at-Large from the United States, which reads as follows:       “Know all ye men by these presents:       “Whereas, Mr. Rogers has served with distinction as unofficial ambassador, without portfolio, and       “Whereas, his service as Mayor of Beverly [Hills], California, has added another scintillating page to American history, and       “Whereas, Mr. Rogers, being at present without official connection, is in the status, as he has carefully explained, of ‘a good man looking for something better,’ now, therefore       “Be it resolved, that the National Press Club, recognizing superlative statesmanship when it sees it and believing that the country’s greatest need is not a good ‘five-cent cigar’ but a Congressman, Will Rogers, hereby appoints the said Honorable Will Rogers Congressman-at-Large for the United States of America, effective immediately, his tenure to continue during good behavior.”       The next day, in Will Rogers’ syndicated newspaper column, he wrote: “My first official duty as Congressman-at-Large, which was bestowed on me last night, is to change the library of the overhauled White House into a fishing pool. That’s economy for the taxpayers.”       He signed that column of August 28, 1927:          “Yours,          “Congressman-at-Large          “Hon. Rogers.”          His newspaper columns carried that signature for weeks after that.          He had been appointed America’s Congressman-at-Large.          But he already was America’s conscience.          And Oklahoma’s favorite son.