Voting Station

Marion Zioncheck

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U.S. Congressman

The Resume

    (December 5, 1901-August 7, 1936)
    Born in Kęty, Poland (then Austro-Hungarian Empire)
    Birth name was Marion Anthony Zioncheck
    Immigrated with his parents to the United States at the age of three
    Attended University of Washington School of Law
    Elected President of the Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW)
    Represented Washington's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives (1933-36)
    Democrat
    Known for his erratic, sometimes bizarre, behavior during his years in Congress
    (Allegedly) committed suicide by jumping from the window of his campaign office on the fifth floor of the Arctic Building
    Body reportedly struck the pavement directly in front of a car occupied by his wife, Rubye (Aug. 7, 1936)
    Left a note reading, 'My only hope in life was to improve the condition of an unfair economic system that held no promise to those that all the wealth of even a decent chance to survive let alone live.'
    Subject of an unpublished book-length Grant Cogswell poem, 'Ode to Congressman Marion Zioncheck,' inspiring a 2005 biography entitled 'Zioncheck for President'

Why he might be annoying:

    He was repeatedly institutionalized (escaping each time).
    He once had a truckload of manure dumped on J. Edgar Hoover's front lawn.
    His ardent campaigning for FDR's New Deal programs was overshadowed by his bizarre, often unhinged, behavior.
    Examples included entertaining reporters by serving them stew and cocktails, wearing an Indian headdress, and dancing in hotel fountains.
    He was once tossed out of a formal dinner party for lapping his soup like a dog.
    He was accused of derailing his car into a ditch, on the same night, after biting the driver in the neck several times.
    He led the police on a 70 mph wild goose chase in his roadster after skipping a court hearing. After a violent struggle in which he (unsuccessfully) invoked Congressional Immunity, he was apprehended and jailed.
    He eloped with a 21-year-old WPA stenographer, whom he had known for little more than a week.
    The two were caught dropping coconuts on people from their Puerto Rican hotel balcony on their honeymoon.
    Soon after, he provoked a riot by smashing up two cars and getting challenged to a duel. He called on the Marines to restore order; in response, they relocated him to the Virgin Islands.
    He received an eviction notice from his DC apartment after his return, but refused to leave and forcibly removed his landlady from the premises after a heated argument.
    The last straw for constituents might have been when he steered his roadster onto the White House lawn in the wee hours of the morning to attempt to present President Roosevelt with a gift of empty beer bottles, a mothball container, and ping-pong balls (18 filed to run against him).
    His wife apparently tired of his antics as well, because she walked out on him after a wild party. This prompted a distraught Zioncheck to have a mental breakdown, throwing glasses and a typewriter out of his window before being subdued (half naked) by the police.
    He provided fellow Seattleite, Frances Farmer, with her first brush of infamy when her controversial essay 'God Dies' gained national attention and it was revealed that her father had done legal work for Zioncheck, leading the FBI to investigate whether or not she was a tool in a Communist plot to promote atheism (she apparently dated his bodyguard).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was raised in poverty in Chicago, before moving to Seattle.
    He was the target of hazing from University athletes and frat-boys after he successfully challenged UW's priorities on spending in 1928.
    His activism, while unappreciated at the time, led to the financing and construction of the University's Husky Union Building and Student Center.
    He led a successful recall campaign against Seattle's Mayor Frank Edwards on charges of corruption and crony capitalist dealings, in 1931.
    He was elected in the same progressive sweep that brought President Roosevelt into office, running on an openly radical, some would say Socialist, platform.
    He was reportedly a workhorse in his first term (before his descent into alcoholism).
    His outspoken nature, specifically regarding special interest groups, made him an enemy of senior members of Congress, who formed a coalition aimed at silencing him after his reelection.
    It didn't help his situation that he was the first to openly denounce J. Edgar Hoover, from the House floor, as 'the great dictator' and implying he was closeted homosexual (that got him institutionalized and treated with insulin).
    He owned a pet turtle (which he taught to dance to the tune of 'I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby'...)
    There is an enduring belief among Seattleites that he didn't so much 'jump' to his death as he was 'pushed,' and that his suicide note was a forgery.
    His funeral attracted close to three thousand mourners.
    There were early plans by the 'Frances' screenwriters to split the film down the middle to be about both her and Zioncheck, and the parallels in their lives (the plans were scrapped, probably due to time constraints).
    There have been contemporary attempts to lump him in with the Weiners and Wus of contemporary politics, but he wasn't a degenerate pervert; just misunderstood, mildly eccentric, and unlucky as hell.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 63 Votes: 60.32% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 40 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 8 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 77.78% Annoying