Mayor Baals Mentioned in Today's Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal's Elizabeth Williamson wrote a story on unusual political names for a front page article in the today's edition.  She reported on candidates such as Alabama's Young Boozer and Virginia congressional candidate Krystal Ball.

Ms. Williamson also mentioned historical political figures with what she characterized as unusual names including Fort Wayne's longest serving mayor:

President Barack Obama is perhaps the best-known politician to successfully capitalize on his status as a new guy "with a funny-sounding name," as he still says on the stump. Political history is studded with arguably odder monikers. The current Congress boasts Rep. John Spratt (D., S.C.), who is known as Jack. Rep. Jerry Lewis (R., Calif.) trains his staff to respond politely to the half-dozen people who burst into his office each day looking for the other, funnier one.

[ ... ] The late mayor of Fort Wayne, Ind., Harry Baals, has a street named for him.

As the reporter noted, the odd name an infant is given without its consent might turn out to be an assent. She wrote of this year, "In a cacophonous campaign with fresh faces a dime a dozen, who can blame a newcomer for turning a lifelong albatross into a campaign asset?"

Photo credit: Fort Wayne Observed