12 Families Outspend Labor

(news clipping ca. 1956)

Political Contributions

A mere dozen families spent $212,464 more in the 1956 political campaign than did 15 millions trade unionists, according to the U.S. Senate Elections Sub-Committee. The 12, whose donations total $1, 153, 735, were the DuPoints ($248,423), Pews ($216,000), Rockefellers ($152,604), Whitneys $121,450), mellons ($100,150), Vanderbilts ($62,400), Olins ($53,550) Reynoldses ($49,509), Lehmans ($39,500), Harrimans ($38,850) Fords ($36,899) and Fields (33,500). That's an average of $96,144.42. (The DuPoints, Rockefellers, Whitneys, and Mellons averaged $167,945.40 per family.)

As a matter of fact, more than 2,600 persons made contributions of $500 or more, totaling $8 million for the Republican and $2.8 million for the Democrats. (In only seven states were more big gifts given to Democratic candidates than Republican.)

Some 400 individuals kicked in $5,000 or more. On the other hand, 18 officials of trade unions personally contributed $500 or more out of their own pockets for a total of $19,000--or about 8 percent of the gifts from just one family, the DuPonts. One DuPont, Irene DuPont of Wilmington, Delaware, tossed $26,295 into the Republican Party.

The biggest individual contributor was Lansdell Christie of New York City, who contributed $73,164 to the Democratic Party. Second highest was Mrs. Christie Payson, who gave the Republicans $65,050. Her brother, John Hay Whitney, was appointed Ambassador to great Britain by President Eisenhower. (Mrs. Clare Boothe Luce, former Ambassador to Italy, and her husband, Publisher Henry Luce of Time and Life magazines, donated $30,875 to the GOP.)

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update 25 July 2008