Marion Zioncheck
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Marion Anthony Zioncheck (born Marjan Antoni Zajaczek; December 5, 1900 – August 7, 1936) was an American politician who served as a member of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from 1933 until his death. He represented as a Democrat. Having struggled with his
mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...
during his service in Congress, Zioncheck killed himself by autodefenestration in August 1936.


Early life

Zioncheck was born Marjan Antoni Zajaczek in Kęty,
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
(now in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
), the son of Clemens and Frances (née Wlodiga) Zajaccek (later Zioncheck). His family immigrated to the United States in 1904, and they settled in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, Washington. He attended the
University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...
where in 1927 he became president of the student government ( ASUW). He also earned a law degree from the University of Washington while earning recognition as a
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
leader in the Democratic Party and the Washington Commonwealth Federation. The Federation would support his election to Congress in
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
.


Congress

As a U.S. Representative, Zioncheck was known mostly for ardently championing
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
's
New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
policies. But his tireless work on behalf of the New Deal often was overshadowed by his many personal escapades, which included dancing in fountains and driving on the
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lawn. Beset by the press and by critics of Roosevelt's policies, Zioncheck became depressed and stated that he would not seek reelection to a third term in
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...
. In his diary entry for April 30, 1936, Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes recounted how Zioncheck had asked him to officiate at a wedding with his fiancée, Rubye Louise Nix. Ickes demurred, saying that he had no authority to do so; he was aware of Zioncheck's reputation and simply did not want to get involved. Ultimately, Zioncheck went to
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for the wedding and
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for his honeymoon. On August 1, Zioncheck's friend and ally, King County Prosecutor
Warren Magnuson Warren Grant Magnuson (April 12, 1905May 20, 1989) was an American lawyer and politician who represented the Washington (state), state of Washington in United States Congress, Congress for 44 years, first as a United States House of Representativ ...
, took him at his word regarding his retirement plans and filed to run for Zioncheck's House seat. Zioncheck's antics attracted attention. The
United Press United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...
later described him as having become a "national joke".


Stay at mental hospital

On May 30, 1936, Zioncheck's wife left him after an argument during a party at their apartment. On June 1, he became frantic and searched Washington, D.C. for her. He was arrested later that day on a lunacy warrant. He was confined in Gallinger Municipal Hospital Psychopathic Ward, during which his wife returned to him. Doctors blamed overwork and his hectic lifestyle. He was later transferred to a private facility in
Towson, Maryland Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 59,533 in the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorpo ...
, but escaped and fled to Washington, where he received congressional immunity.


Suicide

Zioncheck died after plummeting to the sidewalk from a window of his office on the fifth floor of the Arctic Building, at 3rd Avenue and Cherry Street in downtown Seattle, on August 7, 1936. He struck the pavement directly in front of a car occupied by his wife. A note was found; it read, "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." This was an instance of
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
by autodefenestration. Zioncheck was mourned at his early death; both the University of Washington and Boeing closed down for half a day in his honor. He is buried in Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park in Seattle. His widow, as Rubye Nix Wilson, would later become a well-known artist, and was exhibited at the
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
and the
Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...
.


Legacy

Zioncheck is the subject of an unpublished book-length poem by Grant Cogswell, entitled ''Ode to Congressman Marion Zioncheck''. The story of Zioncheck, and Cogswell's obsession with him, is detailed in Phil Campbell's 2005 book ''Zioncheck for President: A True Story of Idealism and Madness in American Politics'' (Nation Books; ). The option to make Campbell's book into a
feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...
was purchased in 2007 by producer/ director
Stephen Gyllenhaal Stephen Roark Gyllenhaal ( , ; born October 4, 1949) is an American film director and poet. He is the father of actors Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Early life Stephen Roark Gyllenhaal was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Virginia Lowrie (née Childs ...
. ''The Ballad of Marion Zioncheck'', released by indie musician Left at London on her 2021 album '' T.I.A.P.F.Y.H.'', recounts the story of Zioncheck's life.


See also

*
List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–1949) The following is a list of United States senators and representatives who died of natural and accidental causes, due to illnesses, and by suicide, while they were serving their terms between 1900 and 1949. For a list of members of Congress who ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zioncheck, Marion 1900 births 1936 deaths 1936 suicides Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States University of Washington alumni American politicians of Polish descent American politicians who died by suicide Suicides by jumping in the United States Suicides in Washington (state) University of Washington School of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Washington (state) 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives