Joseph Patrick Teasdale (March 29, 1936 – May 8, 2014) was an American politician. A Democrat, he served as the 48th Governor of Missouri from 1977 to 1981. Teasdale was formerly a prosecutor for Jackson County, Missouri. In 1972, he made his first bid for governor, placing third in the Democratic primary, but attaining name recognition and the nickname "Walking Joe". In 1976, after initially running for U.S. Senate, Teasdale switched races and made a second bid for the Governor's office. He won the nomination and defeated incumbent Kit Bond in an upset. In 1980, Teasdale beat back a primary challenge from State Treasurer Jim Spainhower, but was defeated by Bond in a rematch. After leaving office, Teasdale returned to practicing law until his death.
Early life and education
Teasdale was born in Kansas City, Missouri to William and Adah Downey Teasdale.[1] Teasdale's father was a prominent Kansas City attorney,[2]
Joseph Teasdale and his three sisters were raised as devout Catholics.[3] Teasdale was a multi-sport athlete while attending Rockhurst High School and would later be inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.[3] Following graduation from high school, he attended St. Benedict's College (now Benedictine College) in Atchison, Kansas where he was a member of the school's 1954 NAIA National Champion basketball team.[4] Teasdale later earned an undergraduate degree from Rockhurst University, and a Juris Doctor degree from Saint Louis University School of Law.[5]
In 1971, Teasdale signaled his intent to run for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Missouri in the 1972 election.[9][10] Part of Teasdale's candidacy was rooted in his youth, and depicting himself as a new face of the party, and echoing an appeal similar to John F. Kennedy.[11] In the summer of 1971, Teasdale announced his intent to walk across the state to garner support for the campaign.[12] He placed third in the primary, trailing nominee Edward L. Dowd and Lieutenant Governor William Morris. However, his campaign style earned him the nickname, "Walking Joe."[13] Teasdale appropriated the tactic from Florida politician "Walkin' Lawton Chiles.[14] Teasdale campaign officials estimated that he had walked over 1,000 miles in the months leading up to the primary.[5] Even though he lost the primary, Teasdale had gained name recognition and press coverage for his campaign.[15] After the campaign was over, Teasdale hinted at a future bid for office.[16]
1976 campaign
In 1974, Teasdale launched a bid for the U.S. Senate seat held by Stuart Symington.[17] During this campaign, he was critical of the policies of Henry Kissinger towards the Middle East.[18] However, while campaigning, Teasdale found a groundswell of support for a second gubernatorial bid.[19] Finding little support in his Senate bid, he would soon drop out, and switched to the Governor's race.[20] In the primary, Teasdale faced a challenge against Senate President Pro Tempore William Cason. Cason was the favorite amongst most Democratic groups.[21] In spite of this, Teasdale defeated Cason in the August 3rd primary.[22] In the November election, Teasdale faced incumbent Governor Kit Bond. Bond appeared the heavy favorite, and one poll showed Bond ahead of Teasdale 51 percent to 36 percent.[23] Running on a platform of working for common Missourians and vowing to fight big utility company rate hikes, Teasdale painted Bond as being too friendly to big business interests.[24] In the closing weeks, Teasdale ran a last minute campaign of ads, outspending Bond during the period.[25] On election night, NBC called the race for Bond minutes after polls closed.[26] in the end, Teasdale was elected governor by 13,000 votes.[5] Teasdale's win in the 1976 Missouri gubernatorial election was considered an upset.[2][27] The victory prompted CBS News anchorman Dan Rather to quip on the air "..the story in the Midwest is not Jimmy Carter, it's Walkin' Joe Teasdale!"[2]
Governor
Teasdale's upset caught many off-guard, including Teasdale himself, who had not assembled a transition team. The ensuing transition was marred by a lack of preparation from Teasdale, a lack of cooperation from Bond, and no official laws in place to aid the process.[28] During this time, Teasdale avoided interactions with the press, and focused on getting a better understanding of the job.[29]
Teasdale had been the first Missouri Governor to hail from Kansas City in over 80 years.[30] During his tenure, Teasdale fought against utility companies by appointing new members to the Missouri Public Service Commission, the state agency tasked with approving or denying rates.[2] Teasdale also established the state's first Division of Aging, boosting funding for the Department of Mental Health, and overseeing the rewriting of numerous health laws.[5] Teasdale also advocated strongly for the Nursing Home Reform Act and removal of sales tax on prescription drugs.[5] He proved willing to reach across party lines as well, supporting Republican Mel Hancock's amendment to limit state taxes.[24] Teasdale also came out strongly against the Meramec Dam project which would have greatly affected rivers in areas southwest of St. Louis.[24] He signed legislation reinstating the death penalty in Missouri in 1977, but later regretted the decision. In 1980 Teasdale made state history by becoming the first Missouri governor in 140 years to have a veto overridden by the state legislature.[5] He angered many in his own party by opposing the cost of constructing the Harry S. Truman state office building in Jefferson City.
1980 re-election campaign
In 1980 Teasdale faced a Democratic primary challenge from then-State Treasurer Jim Spainhower. Spainhower had been considered a potential challenger since 1977, owing to the fact he had been term limited as state treasurer.[31] In 1978, Teasdale met with Spainhower to discuss his plans in 1980, and came to the conclusion that Spainhower would challenge him.[32] Spainhower made his plans official on August 15, 1979, attacking Teasdale for his failures to lead, and for cronyism.[33] Moreover, Spainhower received support from prominent Democrats such as Senator Thomas Eagleton and St. Louis Mayor Jim Conway.[34] Teasdale was successful in defeating Spainhower, and would face Kit Bond in a rematch of the 1976 contest. Teasdale attacked Bond as having governed for the wealthy, and Bond attacked Teasdale for not reducing utility rates.[35] In the November election, Bond defeated Teasdale 53% to 47%.
Later career
After leaving the governorship in January, 1981, Teasdale returned to the Kansas City area and established a law practice. One of his most notable cases was representing victims and surviving family of the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse.[5] An avid outdoorsman all his life, he often spent time on hunting and fishing trips.[3]
Teasdale largely avoided state politics after his defeat, telling one newspaper reporter in 1993 "I wanted to become a normal person again, and I really wasn't normal before. For 20 years I was completely consumed by politics."[5] In 1981, he declined a bid for the open 5th congressional district vacated by Richard Bolling, due to wanting to devote time to his family and law practice, but also not wanting to incur more debts, still paying off his 1980 debts.[36] In 1982, he endorsed Burleigh Arnold in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate and criticized Harriet Woods for her stance on abortion.[37] Woods won the primary and Teasdale endorsed her over eventual winner John Danforth.[38] In 1983, he endorsed Charles Curry for president, as part of a campaign to help a favorite son candidate give Missouri influence in the nomination process.[39] In 1984, he endorsed state treasurer Mel Carnahan for governor.[40] That same year, he also re-registered to vote, having let his voter registration lapse after leaving office.[41] In 1992, he managed the campaign of Judith Moriarty to be Secretary of State of Missouri.[42] Moriarty won, but was later impeached and removed from office.[43] In the late 1990s, his position on capital punishment having changed, he worked to achieve clemency for David Leisure, a man convicted of murder for a 1980 car bombing in St. Louis.[24]
Personal life
In 1973, Teasdale was married to the former Theresa Ferkenhoff. The couple had three sons, Bill, John, and Kevin.[3] His middle son, John, was a multisport standout at Rockhurst High School like his father before him and later played offensive tackle at the University of Notre Dame.[44]
Teasdale died on May 8, 2014, in Kansas City, Missouri, of complications from pneumonia.[45]
^Carnahan, Jean (1998). If walls could talk: the story of Missouri's first families. Jefferson City, Mo: MMPI. p. 338. ISBN978-0-9668992-0-7. In 1966 Teasdale was elected prosecutor — the youngest in Jackson County history— with the backing of the Committee for County Progress (CCP), a new group formed to oppose the old-line politicians.
^Lindecke, Fred W. (April 4, 1971). "Governor Races Sounded". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 28. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
^A history of Missouri. 6: 1953 to 2003 / Lawrence H. Larsen. Columbia, Miss: Univ. of Miss. Pr. 2004. pp. 135–136. ISBN978-0-8262-1546-8. In the spring of 1971 he admitted that he intended to run for the Democratic nomination for governor the following year.
^Lindecke, Fred W. (August 1, 1971). "Full Field For Gubernatorial Race". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 43. Retrieved January 22, 2024. A fourth candidate is Joseph P. Teasdale, prosecuting attorney of Jackson County (Kansas City), who apparently is going to run a Kennedy-type campaign appealing to liberals and the newly enfranchised 18-year-old voter... Teasdale is trying to sell himself as a "new face" in the party, and his tactics are decidedly different from those of the other candidates in the race.
^"Former Missouri governor 'Walking Joe' Teasdale dies in KC". Kansas City Star. May 9, 2014. pp. A017. Retrieved January 22, 2024. Teasdale earned the nickname "Walking Joe" for his treks covering 1,000 miles across the state over two years during his nearly victorious primary election campaign in 1972.
^Kelley, Rick (January 13, 1972). "'Walking Joe' on last leg of walk across state". The Wentzville Union. p. 1. Retrieved January 22, 2024. "I am In a similar situation as was Lawton Stiles (sic), who ran for Senator in Florida, he said. He started a walking campaign and won, so I thought I could do the same. Teasdale considers this form of campaigning the best vehicle in the country.
^Spitzer, Dana L. (August 1, 1976). "Media The Message For Teasdale, Litton". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 99. Retrieved January 22, 2024. Teasdale became widely known in 1972 when he walked across the state in an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic nomination for Governor. As the result of this gimmick, he received intensive exposure on television and radio news programs, and gained the nickname, "Walkin' Joe."
^Fitzpatrick, James C. (December 2, 1972). "Walkin' Joe Teasdale to Sit It Out-At Least Until '76". The Kansas City Times. p. 28. Retrieved January 22, 2024. In a letter to those who supported him in his unsuccessful bid this year for the Democratic nomination for governor, Teasdale said recently he hoped to make another hid for high office in the future. "Walkin' Joe lives and is ready to go in '76" wrote Teasdale, who walked across Missouri to promote his candidacy for governor.
^Lhotka, William C. (November 7, 1974). "Teasdale Will Seek Symington's Seat". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 10. Retrieved January 22, 2024. Joseph P. Teasdale, a walking campaigner who finished a strong third in the Democratic primary for Governor in 1972, has re-entered politics. Teasdale, a Kansas City lawyer and former Jackson County prosecuting attorney, filed yesterday for the 1976 Democratic primary, seeking the United States senate seat held by Stuart Symington. Teasdale is the first candidate to challenge Symington, who has said he will seek re-election.
^"Teasdale blasts Kissinger". The Southeast Missourian. Associated Press. September 17, 1975. p. 3. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
^Carnahan, Jean (1998). If walls could talk: the story of Missouri's first families. Jefferson City, Mo: MMPI. p. 339. ISBN978-0-9668992-0-7. When forced to pick a standard-bearer, most Democratic clubs endorsed Teasdale's primary opponent William Cason. "I can't think of a regular Democratic organization that supported me," Teasdale said with some pride at having won without them.
^A history of Missouri. 6: 1953 to 2003 / Lawrence H. Larsen. Columbia, Miss: Univ. of Miss. Pr. 2004. p. 136. ISBN978-0-8262-1546-8. On his second try Teasdale easily won the Democratic nomination, which at the time appeared an empty honor. In September a poll of registered voters had Bond holding a 51 to 36 percent lead, with only 13 percent undecided.
^Carnahan, Jean (1998). If walls could talk: the story of Missouri's first families. Jefferson City, Mo: MMPI. p. 338. ISBN978-0-9668992-0-7. Even though Teasdale captured an early lead on election night, NBC television declared Bond the winner at 7:02 p.m., two minutes after the polls closed in Missouri.
^Beyle, Thad L., ed. (1989). Gubernatorial transitions: the 1983 and 1984 elections. Duke Press policy studies. Durham, N.C. u.a: Duke University Press. p. 77. ISBN978-0-8223-0858-4. As indicated above, Teasdale upset Bond, overtaking him in the final days of the election with a last-minute media blitz. The ensuing transition, characterized as it was by a lack of preparedness on the part of the governor-elect and a deficiency of cooperation by the outgoing administration, was almost the complete opposite of what a transition should be. Compounding the succession problem was the fact that Missouri had no statute mandating funds for office space and support facilities for the incoming transition team.
^Carnahan, Jean (1998). If walls could talk: the story of Missouri's first families. Jefferson City, Mo: MMPI. p. 338. ISBN978-0-9668992-0-7. During the two months before the inauguration, Teasdale "secluded himself like a Trappist monk." Avoiding reporters, acquaintances, and favor-seekers, he turned full attention to preparing for his new job...Teasdale, admitting he was a novice to state government, said he needed the time to do a line-by-line study of the budget and to prepare his address to the General Assembly.
^Lindecke, Fred W. (February 16, 1978). "Teasdale, Spainhower Discussed 1980 Rivalry". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 74. Retrieved January 23, 2024. Gov. Joseph P. Teasdale has said that he and State Treasurer James I. Spainhower have discussed the likelihood that they will oppose each other for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 1980... Teasdale said Spainhower "Was very much relieved" to have the issue brought into the open and said Spainhower responded, "Well, if you're vulnerable, I'm going to have to come after you." Teasdale said, "That's the same thing as saying he's running. But I don't mind. I'm used to having opposition."
^Lindecke, Fred W. (August 15, 1979). "Spainhower In Governor's Race, Calls Teasdale Shallow Populist". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 1. Retrieved January 23, 2024. Spainhower today officially declared his intention to oppose Gov. Joseph P. Teasdale next year for the Democratic nomination for governor. Spainhower charged that Teasdale had made the governor's office "a target of statewide ridicule" through "absenteeism from duty, frequent insistence on appointing political cronies instead of qualified people ... inability to lead (and) failure to work hard."
^Spitzer, Dana L.; Freivogel, William (August 15, 1979). "Prominent Democrats Backing Spainhower". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 1. Retrieved January 23, 2024. Spainhower, who announced today that he will challenge Gov. Joseph P. Teasdale in the Democratic primary next year, can count on help from some of the most prominent names in the Democratic primary, including several key supporters of Mayor Jim Conway and U.S. Sen. Thomas F. Eagleton.
^"Nation: Trying to Unhouse Democrats". Time. October 27, 1980. ISSN0040-781X. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024. Bond pounds hard at Teasdale as the "Great Promiser" for not keeping his 1976 campaign pledge to reduce Missouri's electric utility rates. Says Bond: "Voters found out that they can't believe him." Says Teasdale: "He governed like a millionaire. He was not seen in Missouri except in the country clubs. There's nothing wrong with that—I used to caddy."
^Schlinkman, Mark (August 21, 1981). "Big names aren't applying for job". The Kansas City Times. p. 15. Retrieved January 22, 2024. Teasdale still smarting from his loss of the governorship to Republican Kit Bond in November says he's devoted now full-time to his re-established law practice and to maintaining a more normal family life. Friends note that the former governor isn't a wealthy man and can't afford to derail his legal career so soon after the 1980 campaign.
^Horst, Craig (June 12, 1982). "Teasdale, Spainhower Back Arnold in Bid for Senate". Daily American Republic. p. 14. Retrieved August 16, 2024. Teasdale said Arnold, a Jefferson City banker, was the only Democrat capable of defeating incumbent Republican Sen. John Danforth, who is expected to pour $1 million into his re-election campaign. Democratic State Sen. Harriett Woods, who all three agreed was Arnold's top challenger, could never win a statewide election because of her "pro-abortion" stance, said Teasdale, who added he was breaking more than a year of political silence out of "concern for our party.
^"Teasdale gives support to Woods". St. Joseph News-Press. Associated Press. October 29, 1982. p. 16. Retrieved April 11, 2024. Former Missouri Gov. Joseph Teasdale on Thursday endorsed state Sen. Harriett Woods in her bid to unseat U.S. Sen. John Danforth. Teasdale, a Democrat who served as governor from 1976 to 1980, said he was : supporting Mrs. Woods because she had similar views as his on the need for utility reform.
^White, Keith; Edwards, Robert (April 9, 1983). "Teasdale endorses 'favorite-son' effort". Springfield Leader and Press. p. 9. Retrieved April 11, 2024. Former Gov. Joseph P. Teasdale on Friday endorsed Charles Curry as a "favorite son" candidate for president. Teasdale, a longtime friend and ally of Curry in Jackson County Democratic politics, made his statement of support at a news conference in Springfield during the Greene County Jackson Day celebration. Curry, 64, a former Kansas City businessman, has been exploring the possibility of running for president as a favorite-son candidate for the past two months. He said the idea behind the move is to unite Missouri Democrats behind one leader at the national convention to increase the state delegation's influence in selecting a presidential nominee.
^Hood, Rich (April 6, 1986). "Teasdale enjoying a life without politics". The Kansas City Star. p. 24. Retrieved August 16, 2024. Kansas City Election Board records show Mr. Teasdale did register on Oct 5 1984 just five days before the cutoff to vote in the 1984 November election. He did vote in that election— the first time he had cast a ballot in Jackson County since Nov 2 1976 when he surprised Kit Bond and many Teasdale supporters by unseating Mr. Bond by 13000 votes. Mr. Teasdale canceled his registration in Kansas City in 1978 after registering and voting from the governor's mansion in an April election in Jefferson City... Mr. Teasdale was purged from the registration rolls in February 1981 because he could not be reached at his registered address at the governor's mansion.
