T Coleman Andrews, Democrat you may not know

Robert · Nov 1, 2016

T Coleman was picked by Eisenhower to head the IRS.

For an IRS Chief, he did not like the income tax. And he favored the Public.

Yes this runs counter to Democrats internal ideology. The ideology loves the IRS and the public can be darned.

So what made him different?

US News and World Report had a great interview with him that was published May 25, 1956 when that magazine cost but 20 cents per issue.

http://www.taxhistory.org/thp/readings.nsf/ArtWeb/1A40BDA52660223E8525803700431AFC?OpenDocument

On February 4, 1953, T. Coleman Andrews put the nation on notice: As the newly installed commissioner of internal revenue, he was determined to "restore the Revenue Service to the great reputation it used to have." And he brought to the job his own reputation. Coleman, reported The Washington Post, was "an executive who doesn't mind stepping on political toes."1

Indeed, Coleman was a man of strong convictions. He believed in the need for bureaucratic reform, especially regarding the Bureau of Internal Revenue, which was still struggling to recover from the corruption scandals of the early 1950s. He believed in the virtues of retrenchment, convinced that bigger budgets were not the key to better government.

Perhaps most important, however, Andrews believed in the rule of law. While careful to emphasize the importance of taxpayer assistance, he was passionate about enforcement. Every American, he believed, must be required to pay his fair share of the tax burden.

Among those convictions was one more -- a surprising one, especially for the nation's top tax collector. Andrews, it turned out, believed the income tax to be an abomination.

An Eisenhower Democrat

Born in 1899 -- the "son of a day laborer in a Virginia tobacco factory," according to a lovestruck Time magazine -- Andrews began his career as a grocery store stock boy, earning 25 cents a day. By age 21 he had found more lucrative employment, becoming the nation's youngest CPA and, soon after, head of his own accounting firm in Richmond.2

During the 1930s Andrews served in several state and local government posts, including a stint as Virginia's auditor of public accounts. He joined the Marine Corps during World War II, reaching the rank of major and making the acquaintance of General Dwight Eisenhower. Andrews later worked for the State Department's North African Economic Board and the General Accounting Office, burnishing his public sector resume and opening the door to even higher office.

Andrews was widely considered an "Eisenhower Democrat," but he was more accurately described as a Byrd Democrat, after the Virginia political machine headed by Sen. Harry F. Byrd. As a columnist for the Los Angeles Times later remarked, Andrews "comes close to worshipping Sen. Byrd as a political leader."3

At the IRS

Andrews supported Eisenhower in the 1952 election, joining many other Virginia Democrats in bolting from the party. He was rewarded with a plum spot in the new administration, getting the nod to become the nation's 31st commissioner of internal revenue. He was the first CPA to get the job.

In his 2013 book, Rich People's Movements, sociologist Isaac Martin profiled Andrews, describing his tenure at the IRS as "pro-taxpayer and pro-business." To illustrate his point, he offered a telling quotation spoken by Andrews shortly after his appointment: "There is no excuse whatsoever for any person in the Bureau of Internal Revenue to take any attitude toward the taxpayer other than one that emanates from the sincere desire to be helpful."4

Indeed, Andrews seemed sincere in his commitment to taxpayer service. He sympathized with the plight of average taxpayers, especially given the complexity of the tax laws. He was particularly unhappy with the landmark tax law passed in 1954, which had some virtues but even more shortcomings. In particular, Andrews complained publicly that the law was "virtually impossible to administer."5
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T Coleman Andrews, Democrat you may not know

Robert Well-Known Member Past Donor

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T Coleman Andrews, Democrat you may not know

Robert Well-Known Member Past Donor

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