# Who are the most influential US political figures from west of the Mississippi? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568 "2015-12-15T22:21:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/1 "2015-12-15T22:21:29Z")
Discussions about an East Coast bias on some political podcasts I follow made me wonder: Who are the most influential political figures in US history from the West? For purposes of the question: [ul] [li]“The West” is west of the Mississippi River[/li][li]“From” means primarily raised there, if not born there. Born in the west but raised in the east doesn’t qualify.[/li][li]“Influence” and “political figure” are up to you to define[/li][/ul] Thoughts? The first three that sprung to my mind were Barack Obama, Richard Nixon, and Barry Goldwater, but there must be more. (Looks like 8 presidents total qualify.) ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/2 "2015-12-15T22:28:04Z")
Ronald Reagan Diane Feinstein William Mullholland (without him, Los Angeles couldn’t have become the metropolis it is) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/3 "2015-12-15T22:31:06Z")
Earl Warren was born, raised, and had a full political career in California, before becoming one of the most influential Chief Justices of the United States ever. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/4 "2015-12-15T22:35:43Z")
Bill Clinton? ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/5 "2015-12-15T22:41:56Z")
Harry Truman had a bit of influence on history. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/6 "2015-12-15T23:17:33Z")
Let’s not forget Lyndon Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/7 "2015-12-16T00:11:32Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Ronald Reagan I’d actually disqualify him because he grew up in Illinois and didn’t head to California until young adulthood. But clearly his political career was spent in the west. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/8 "2015-12-16T00:32:31Z")
Looking at it by state: CA: Influential Politicians: Nixon and Reagan. Yeah, Reagan was a adult transplant, but he is pretty solidly Californian with Hollywood & Governor. Their national impact can’t be questioned. Others: Michael Boskin (econ). Similar to Reagan - he came to Cal as an undergrad, and got his PhD there as well. Then he went to Stanford and Hoover where he was part of the econ team advising Reaganomics among other things. Again - very influential. AZ: Goldwater certainly AR: Bill Clinton, no question LA: Huey Long WY: Dick Cheney? OK: Carl Albert (Speaker of the House who helped drive LBJ’s policies) TX: LBJ That leaves Nebraska, Kansas, the Dakotas, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho and a few others I am forgetting off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/9 "2015-12-16T01:29:52Z")
I meant to write a longer post earlier. So, Truman was born in southwest Missouri and spent his adult life in the Kansas City area, returning there after his presidential term. As President, he wrapped up WWII, ushering in the age of atomic terror in doing so. His State Department then initiated the Marshall Plan. He went on to be a key early supporter of the founding of Israel, and he set the precedent that the US would sacrifice its young men to stop the spread of Communism in Asia. He also took an early step toward the Civil Rights era by ordering the desegregation of the US military. I don’t know if he was ultimately more or less influential than some of the other nominees. It’s hard to beat Johnson’s mix of domestic progress and foreign policy calamity. But, for good or ill, Truman had a shit ton of impact on the second half of the 20th century. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/10 "2015-12-16T02:47:51Z")
> [@Interrobang](#): > > I’d actually disqualify him because he grew up in Illinois and didn’t head to California until young adulthood. But clearly his political career was spent in the west. I’d say where the political career was spent is more important than the relatively trivial place of birth. Based on that, I’d accept Reagan but reject Obama, who some included above. Some of the other states, Washington: Henry “Scoop” Jackson Warren Magnuson Tom Foley Dixie Lee Ray ? Oregon: Mark Hatfield Tom McCall Bob Packwood (well, until the scandal) Idaho: Cecil Andrus Frank Church Utah: Orrin Hatch Frank Moss ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/11 "2015-12-16T02:58:39Z")
Kansas has Dwight D. Eisenhower, possibly one of the most underrated Presidents of the 20th century. If you disagree, think what your life would be like if you just erased all the interstate highways in the country. He made those happen among many other things. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/12 "2015-12-16T04:15:47Z")
Minnesota: Hubert H Humphrey ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/13 "2015-12-16T07:30:55Z")
More from California: Nancy Pelosi, Gavin Newsom (for his role in pushing the country toward the legalization of same-sex marriage) and Pierre Salinger. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/14 "2015-12-16T09:03:15Z")
Harry Reid from Nevada Many California governors incl. Jerry Brown, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Earl Warren Gary Hart, Senator from Colorado ---
**Author:** ![mistymage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mistymage/32/459_2.png) [@mistymage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistymage)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/15 "2015-12-16T13:29:02Z")
Terry Branstad ® (IA)… longest serving governor in US history. We keep voting him into office for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/16 "2015-12-16T14:53:56Z")
I would say anyone who’s made it to president qualifies as influential. IA: Herbert Hoover MO: Harry Truman KS: Dwight Eisenhower TX: Lyndon Johnson CA: Richard Nixon AR: Bill Clinton HI/KS: Barack Obama I’m torn on Reagan; he was born and raised in the east, but he was California through and through. ---
**Author:** ![moldmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@moldmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moldmonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/17 "2015-12-16T15:04:24Z")
Some presidential candidates: South Dakota has McGovern. Nebraska has William Jennings Bryan. Kansas also has Bob Dole. (Arlen Specter has the same hometown as Dole (Russel, KS) but made his name in Pennsylvania.) ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee7513/32.png) [@Mona\_Lott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lott)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/18 "2015-12-16T15:16:25Z")
Mike Mansfield (Montana senator) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/19 "2015-12-16T15:19:34Z")
I think in the final analysis of politicians from Texas, Sam Rayburn(D- TX) may outrank LBJ in terms of influence, having been Speaker of the House for 17 years - off and on from 1940 through 1961, during FDR, Truman and Ike’s presidencies. He’s probably a contender for most influential overall as well, I’d think. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568/20 "2015-12-16T15:26:45Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Minnesota: Hubert H Humphrey Also Walter Mondale [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-most-influential-us-political-figures-from-west-of-the-mississippi/740568.md?page=2)