| Show UTAH PRESS ASSOCIATION road should be impressed by Tom Kearns was quite under standable That the attraction should be somewhat mutual was highly unlikely Thomas Kearns waslegend -a self-educated farm boy from Nebraska who never went to high school multi-millionaire mining tycoon at 35 owner publisher newspaper of UtahUnited largest States Senator at 39 flamboyant colorful controversial powerful John Fitzpatrick slight bespectacled thoroughly impressed if not totally in awe was often part of the sideline crowd when Senator Kearns swept through the Salt Lake City rail road station with his entourage and mounds of baggage enroute to Washington New York Chicago or San Francisco in pursuit of his myriad interests Everybody knew Tom Kearns Almost nobody except Mulhern -and Tom Kearns -knew much about John Fitzpatrick Mulhern did for he was Johnboss And Kearns did too because Tom knew something about just about every body in the state of Utah What he knew of Fitzpatrickintegrity and quiet efficiency he liked and admired Thus while in search ofsecretary in 1913 he inquired of John Fitzpatrick and found him transferred to Grand Rapids Michigan He sent himnote inquiring of his availability In that marvelous precise prose of the early century Fitzpatrick pennedquick response May 26 1913 Dear Senator Thank you for your kind favor of May twenty-third which came in hand today 498 Digital image 2005 Marriott Library University of Utah Al rights reserved |
