Charles got, and saw fit to save, a number of job offers in the 1920s before, I think, it became clear that he had found his place and calling when he became a commissioner of interstate commerce.
This example is the most surprising to me:
People who got to know Charles or know his reputation came to seek to hire him. In his archives are a series of letters and telegrams with offers of employment. The one above is the most striking to me because it’s for an unexpected job; it’s not a law job, a job related to reforming municipal government or a job related to railroad finance. Instead, it appears to be a job helping run a medical school. If I am interpreting the telegram correctly, he was being asked to be president of the University of Oregon Medical School.
Other offers included an impassioned push by William Donovan, who had been an assistant attorney general in Washington for antitrust and had resigned to set up a private law practice in New York City in 1929. Donovan worked then, intently, to convince Charles to join his law practice. He advanced Charles $50,000 against what would be their partnership earnings. Donovan almost convinced Charles, but ultimately, the draw of Federal work kept him in Washington.
Another offer Charles got was a year’s work in China as part of a consulting team. It was all about modernizing state finance for the government of China. That was in a January 1929 telegram, which read, “Could you name a salary which together with your personal traveling and living expenses one year inclusive time of travel would make China position attractive to you.”
This is one of a series of posts that explore the life of Charles D. Mahaffie, Sr. through family memories and items from a family archive. Charles was the author’s grandfather. He left a remarkable collection of papers, photos, and mementos which offer a lens through which to explore his life and legacies. For the full collection, click here.
