BOB BOSCH (LEFT), a former Maryville R-II High and now assistant to Senator Thomas Eagleton, recently presented two American flags that have flown over the nation’s Capitol to Raymon Schuster (second from left), Washington Middle School principal; Mrs. Sharon Slagel, Washington-Eugene Field PTA president; and Dana Sharp, Eugene Field principal.  Each flag came with a letter certifying it had flown over the Capitol on a certain date. The flags will be flown in front of the two schools.  They are much larger than the flags normally flown there. (Heywood’s).

Above reference The Maryville Daily Forum, April 8, 1974, Page 1. via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-maryville-daily-forum-bpb-bosch-pres/197287582/ 

Bosch,  a Maryville 1965 grad, thrust Maryville into the political limelight in the 1970s.  He was the director of the Eagleton Kansas City office from 1971 to 1975.  

He probably played a major role in Eagleton’s visit to Maryville on September 16, 1972, in his first major public appearance after he had withdrawn on July 31, 1972, from George McGovern’s vice-presidential choice.

He was a friend of Jim Spainhower, Maryville Class of 1946, and Missouri Treasurer, and may have played a role in Spainhower’s challenging former Missouri Governor Warren Hearnes in 1976 in a runoff for Senate Candidate after Jerry Litton died in a plane crash on the night of his winning the Democratic primary.  Hearnes was second in the primary with 26% of the vote.  Litton supporters had favored Spainhower as the candidate choice they wanted rather than former Goveernor Hearnes because they viewed the election as outsider replacing the establishment.   The Missouri Democatic Party voted to place Hearnes on the Novemeber ballot.  Republican John Danforth won the Senate Seat in the November election.

Bosch was campaign manager for Spainhower in 1980 when he primaried incumbent Governor Joseph Teasdale after Spainhower’s term had been term-limited.  Teasdale won the primary but lost to Kit Bond in the general election.

Following this: he held various appointed political positions, including Kansas City Administrator, before he moved to Texas to teach school.

Obituary

Robert (Bob) Bosch, 75, born January 20, 1947, in Maryville, Missouri, died September 28, 2022 in Austin, Texas, following a short illness.

Bob was a 1965 graduate of Maryville High School and a 1970 graduate of the University of Missouri. He had been active in politics for a number of years after graduation and later taught Special Education students at T. N. Porter School, Austin.

Preceding him in death were his parents, Bill and Ruby Bosch. Bob is survived by two sisters, Barbara Bosch Alexander, Lake Saint Louis, Missouri, and Beverly Bosch Stewart, Kansas City; two nieces, Jane Alexander, Lake Saint Louis, and Anne (Tom) Alexander Gross, Sunrise Beach, Missouri; two grandnieces; a great grandniece, and two great grandnephews.

According to his wishes, Bob has been cremated and his ashes scattered in Austin, where he lived most of his adult life.

Hi-Lights 1963 Article on First Meeting With Eagleton During Sophomore Pilgrimage to the State Capitol

REMINISCING ABOUT THEIR TRIP are Mary Ann Willhoyte, ’63; Jim Nelson, ’64; and Bob Bosch, ’65, who have been delegates on the sophomore Pilgrimage to the State Capitol. -Photo by Janet Sawyers

Bosch, Sophomore Delegate, Impressed with Pilgrimage
The Maryville Daily Forum, April 13, 1963, Page 3. via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-maryville-daily-forum-bob-bosch-soph/197250707/

“It’s hard to believe that in a few short years you and I will be called upon to make the decisions in the government of the great United States,” stated Bob Bosch. This responsibility became a reality to Bob this week on the Sophomore Pilgrimage. He described the trip as educational and interesting. Bob traveled to Jefferson City on a chartered school bus from the Northwest Missouri area.

On arrival, the delegation was officially greeted. At the Capitol, Bob viewed the House chamber and saw the Senate in session. On the detailed tour he also saw the offices of the state officials, the Governor’s office, and the museum. The group had lunch at the Governor Hotel. Attorney General Eagleton, Secretary of State Hearnes, State Auditor Holleman, and Treasurer Carpenter addressed the sophomores.

A film on the executive mansion was viewed. In the afternoon the delegation toured the Supreme Court building. Bob was impressed by the Capitol library. Bob will give a talk about his trip to his classmates and another to the 20th Century Club in the near future

Political Notes

Eagleton 1972 Vice President on the McGovern Ticket

Reasons Eagleton Was Selected

Senator Thomas Eagleton was selected as George McGovern’s 1972 vice-presidential running mate to provide political balance, serving as a mainstream, Catholic, “insider” figure to contrast with McGovern’s liberal image. As a respected Missouri senator and skilled campaigner, he was viewed as an appealing, articulate addition to the ticket, chosen quickly when other, more prominent Democrats declined the offer. 

Key reasons for Eagleton’s selection included:

• Political Balancing Act: McGovern, a liberal anti-war senator, needed to appeal to working-class, labor, and Catholic voters who were alienated by his campaign. Eagleton, a devout Catholic from Missouri, fit this demographic perfectly.
• Insider Status: Unlike the “outsider” McGovern, Eagleton was considered an effective “insider” in the Senate, known for his ability to pass legislation and his work on environmental issues.
• Shortlist Decline: After several prominent Democrats rejected the vice-presidential slot, Eagleton was proposed by Senator Gaylord Nelson as an appealing alternative.
• Lack of Vetting: The selection process was done in haste over a 24-hour period with minimal background checking, which was typical of the era, according to NPR’s Ken Rudin. 

Eagleton served as a “strong anti-war” voice, similar to McGovern. He was ultimately forced to withdraw 18 days later after revealing past hospitalizations and electro-shock therapy for depression, as detailed on SHSMO Historic Missourians.

Eagleton Withdrawal After Being Selected

1976 Spainhower Run Against Warren Hearnes After Jerry Litton Died In Plane Crash (Spainhower Was Pick of Litton Supporters)

Spainhower, with support from Litton supporters, ran to take Litton’s place in the November race against John Danforth. However, on August 21, 1976, the Missouri State Democratic Committee meeting in Jefferson City voted 38-22 to put Hearnes on the ballot.

Hearnes Wins Nomination for US Senate
Columbia Daily Tribune, August 22, 1976, Page 1. via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/columbia-daily-tribune-hearnes-beats-spa/197312377/

Two Litton campaign workers spoke to the committee before the voting began. Norman O. Sanders, a Kansas City attorney and chairperson of Missourians for Litton, which formally endorsed Spainhower, said the more than 400,000 persons who voted for Litton in the primary “have a right to have someone like Jerry, with the qualities and attributes he possessed.’

A poll of 700 Litton supporters “indicates the closest one to him would be James Spainhower.”

When the Sanders’ name came up for approval on the agenda as a speaker, Hearnes supporters insisted another Litton campaign worker, Bill Sponsor ‹ of Houston, be allowed to speak, too. Sponsor read a letter from Jerry Litton’s father, Charles Litton, thanking Hearnes for his kindness and sympathy after the deaths of Litton, his wife, and two children in the fiery crash on takeoff from an airfield at Chillicothe.

About 400 spectators in the public galleries, apparently evenly divided between Hearnes and Spainhower, cheered as first one candidate, then the other, was nominated.

Hearnes’ nominating speech was made by y Charles P. “Cab” Atkins, the only Boone Countian on the state committee. Atkins spoke briefly, although he had 10 minutes, calling Hearnes “the friend that I have known for a long time. And I wish him every success in the world.” 

Spainhower was nominated by James Spain of Bloomfield, who emphasized the treasurer’s “ability to win.”

1980 Spainhower Governor Primary Against Joseph Teasdale

Reasons for Challenge

Jim Spainhower challenged incumbent Democratic Governor Joseph Teasdale in the 1980 Missouri Democratic primary largely because he was term-limited as State Treasurer and sought higher office, while capitalizing on perceived weaknesses in Teasdale’s leadership.

Key reasons for the 1980 challenge included:

• Term Limits: As Missouri State Treasurer, Spainhower could not run for reelection to that office in 1980, making a run for governor his next logical political move, a prospect considered since 1977.
• Criticism of Leadership: Spainhower attacked Teasdale for a “failure to lead” and for cronyism, or favoring friends, during his administration.
• Weakened Incumbent: Teasdale had alienated members of his own party, particularly by opposing the funding of the Harry S. Truman state office building, which created an opening for a primary challenger.
• Political Support: Spainhower was backed by prominent Democrats, including U.S. Senator Thomas Eagleton and St. Louis Mayor Jim Conway. 

Although Spainhower lost the 1980 primary to Teasdale, the campaign was seen as a factor in weakening Teasdale, who subsequently lost the general election to Republican Kit Bond.

Teasdale Objections to Harry Truman Office Building in Jefferson City

Missouri Governor Joseph P. Teasdale opposed the construction of the Harry S. Truman State Office Building in Jefferson City, considering it an unnecessary project with too many “frills”. 

Teasdale, known as “Walkin’ Joe” and a proponent of a more frugal approach to state government, vetoed the legislation authorizing the project in 1979.

Key details regarding his opposition: