Minor Fictional Characters in Joe Steele

This article lists the various minor fictional characters who appear in the novel version Joe Steele. These characters play at best a peripheral role in the novel. Most were simply mentioned or had a very brief, unimportant speaking role that impacted the plot minimally, if at all, and never appeared again. Some were not even given a name. There are no minor fictional characters appearing in the short story.

Albany Fire Department Clerk
New York Times reporter Mike Sullivan bribed a clerk with the Albany Fire Department for afterhours access to the Department's file on the fire that killed Governor Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. The clerk repeated multiple times that allowing Sullivan access could very well cost the clerk his job. When Sullivan noticed that there was no arson report in the file, the clerk confirmed that a report existed, and pointed Sullivan towards investigator Jeremiah V. Kincaid.

Eddie
Eddie was a Chicago police officer assigned to provide security for the Democratic National Convention at Chicago Stadium in July, 1932. He demanded to see Charlie Sullivan's press-pass, even though he and Sullivan had had coffee and donuts together a few times when Sullivan wrote for a Chicago paper.

Emma
Emma was (allegedly) a Negro maid in the household of the family of Carter Glass. In 1933, after Senator Glass announced his opposition to President Joe Steele's plan to nationalize the country's banks, Bureau of Investigation chief J. Edgar Hoover found "evidence" that in his youth, Glass had fathered a child with Emma. When Steele confronted Glass with this evidence, Carter changed his position and supported the nationalization scheme.

Grover
Grover was a journalist who attended Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt's last press conference in July, 1932. When Roosevelt said he wasn't worried about the number of votes the Democratic National Convention would go through before it finally decided on a candidate, Grover pointed out that Roosevelt's rival, Congressman Joe Steele, would have something to say on the matter. Roosevelt, with an edge in his voice, said that just because Steele said something didn't make it so.

Hank
Hank was a reporter at the New York Post. After Mike Sullivan found out that his story on the fire that killed Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt would not be published, he asked Hank for a "cure" for humanity. Hank quoted from Parker's poem "Resumé": "Guns aren’t lawful/Nooses give/Gas smells awful/You might as well live."

Jules
Jules (actually Gyula) was a Hungarian restaurateur who ran the Gulash House in New York City.

Ken
Ken was a reporter with the New York Post. Over lunch with colleague Mike Sullivan, Ken downplayed President Joe Steele's handling of the Supreme Court Four and his decision to suspend habeas corpus, arguing that Steele was playing rough, but was not going to go full on into dictatorship. Sullivan was not convinced.

Jeremiah V. Kincaid
Lt. Jeremiah V. Kincaid was the arson investigator with the Albany Fire Department. He was responsible for investigating the fire that killed Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor in July, 1932. However, when New York Post reporter Mike Sullivan was able to sneak an unofficial look at the AFD's file, Kincaid's report wasn't there. Sullivan tried to speak to Kincaid, but Kincaid's secretary directed Sullivan to the AFD's public information officer, Kermit Witherspoon.

Levine
Levine was one of two attorneys from the ACLU who represented the Supreme Court Four at their military tribunal in September, 1934. Unlike his colleague, who dress sharply, Levine wore a particularly loud checkered suit. He also did most of the talking on behalf of his clients. He first objected to James McReyonlds' confession on the grounds it was coerced. When the head of the tribunal, Captain Raymond A. Spruance determined to his own satisfaction that McReynolds had not been coerced, he accepted McReynolds' plea. This pattern was repeated with the remaining judges. George Sutherland added that they weren't the only ones, and named Louisiana Senator Huey Long and radio personality and Steele critic, Father Coughlin. When Levine attempted to stop him, Sutherland waved him away, saying that it didn't matter anymore.

After the Four were found guilty and sentenced to death, Levine and the ACLUt appealed to the remaining Supreme Court and to President Joe Steele, and published letters in the newspapers. Ultimately, Steele denied their appeal, and the Four were executed at sunrise some weeks after their conviction.

Lawrence Livermore
Captain Lawrence Livermore was a young officer in the US Army. In 1941, he was assigned the task of arresting General Douglas MacArthur on the latter's return from the Philippines. He had a platoon of soldiers armed with rifles accompany him to the closed off train platform that MacArthur's train came to. Livermore formally asked MacArthur to identify himself. When MacArthur refused and cussed him out, Captain Livermore remained calm and had his soldiers point their rifles at MacArthur. At first it looked like MacArthur would force them to shoot him but then backed down and was taken away to the military tribunal.

Cousin Lou
Cousin Lou was a mourner at the funeral for Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in July, 1932. He was a horsey-faced middle-aged man. When he learned that reporter Mike Sullivan, who was covering the funeral, had witnessed the fire that had killed Franklin and Eleanor, he shared his belief that Franklin's rival, Joe Steele, had murdered the Roosevelts. Sullivan reminded Cousin Lou that he was making a serious accusation with little evidence. After Cousin Lou wandered away, another mourner approached Sullivan and asked that he not write about Cousin Lou and what he'd said, as he was taking the matter very hard. Sullivan agreed.

Louie Pappas
Louie Pappas was a photographer with the AP. He was a stocky, bald man, who chewed on cigars without ever lighting them. In February, 1934, he went with Charlie Sullivan to the Supreme Court after Sullivan received an anonymous tip to be there. They were able to cover J. Edgar Hoover's public arrest of the four associate justices who came to be called the Supreme Court Four.

Pappas also helped Sullivan cover the military tribunal proceedings against the Supreme Court Four. He was astonished when the Four actually confessed.

Roy (Bartender)
Roy was a bartender in a Washington bar frequented by Vice President John Nance Garner in 1934. Garner allowed Roy to refer to him as "Cactus Jack".

Roy (Reporter)
Roy was a journalist who attended Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt's last press conference in July, 1932. He asked Roosevelt how many ballots he thought there would be before the Democratic National Convention finally decided on a presidential nominee. Roosevelt said he wasn't worried about it.

Kermit Witherspoon
Kermit Witherspoon was the public information officer with the Albany Fire Department. When Mike Sullivan investigated the fire that killed Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, he found that the arson report was not part of the final file. Sullivan initially approached arson investigator Jeremiah V. Kincaid, but was directed by Kincaid's secretary to Witherspoon. However, when Sullivan spoke to Witherspoon, Witherspoon proved uncooperative.