February 23, 1931
Letter from Franklin Roosevelt to Clarence Darrow

Roosevelt’s invitation to Darrow to visit him mentions “affairs of state” that are unclear, yet the letter and Darrow’s associations may offer clues. Frank P. Walsh was a prominent labor and utilities lawyer who headed the Commission on Industrial Relations, created in the aftermath of the Los Angeles Times bombing in 1910. Darrow represented the McNamara brothers at the bombing trial. His reputation in organized labor circles was damaged by guilty pleas made in court by the brothers, as well as charges of bribery against Darrow. The subsequent Commission was tasked with investigating the causes of conflict between labor and industry. In 1929, Governor Roosevelt appointed Walsh to the New York Commission on the Revision of Public Utility Laws, and in 1931 Walsh was appointed chairman of the Power Authority in New York.

It is possible that Darrow was invited to discuss labor relations or perhaps new utility laws. But another possibility is more interesting. In a letter to Walsh a year earlier, Darrow wrote that Roosevelt would be a good candidate for President. Roosevelt announced his candidacy and first won the national election in 1932.