National Affairs: The Buffalo Brawl

For five of the most furious, fantastic days and nights in New York's political history, Democratic leaders in Buffalo fought, shoved, shouted and wept—and came perilously close to kicking away their campaign before it even got started. With Governor Averell Harriman an uncontested shoo-in for renomination, the brawl came on the nomination of a candidate for the U.S. Senate. The ultimate nominee: New York County's five-term District Attorney Frank Hogan, 56. The real winner in the party fracas: New York County's Tammany Hall Boss Carmine De Sapio, after a polished display of professional...