Let’s Go to the Hop!

There are several things about Estes Kefauver that make him an interesting research subject. One of them is that the man was willing to appear in all manner of wacky photographs. Kefauver was a serious-minded politician, dedicated to the pursuit of all sorts of high-minded ideals… but if a photographer wanted to snap a picture of him riding a child’s toy or wearing a funny hat, he was game for it.

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that the man who adopted the coonskin cap as his political symbol was willing to pose for photos that might strike other politicians of his era (*cough*Adlai Stevenson*cough*) as a tad undignified. Perhaps Kefauver felt that the loss of dignity was a worthwhile trade for the attention he received. Or perhaps he felt that appearing in goofy photos made him seem more approachable to the average voter. Or maybe he secretly had a puckish sense of humor (albeit one that rarely appeared when he spoke).

At any rate, while reading the introduction to Crime in America (Kefauver’s book on the organized crime hearings), this passage (written by journalist Sidney Shalett) caught my eye:

Almost any Sunday, if they can catch him in town, [Kefauver’s] kids have no trouble inveigling him into their more active games. It is an awesome sight of a Sunday morning in the Kefauver neighborhood to see the 6-foot 3-inch senator being pulled on roller skates by Linda, Diane, and David… One Sunday during the peak of excitement over Costello and O’Dwyer, Linda even got him on a pogo stick.

As soon as I read this, I knew I had to find pictures of these marvelous events.

Sadly, I have yet to come across a picture of Kefauver on roller skates. However, I was able to find one of him on a pogo stick! Behold the magnificence below:

That’s Linda on the left there, and the Senator – wearing a three-piece suit with a flower in his lapel – bouncing away on the pogo stick on the walkway of the Kefauvers’ home in Spring Valley. Success! This clearly must be the scene that Shalett was referencing.

But wait! Further research turned up the following:

Here we have another pogo stick photo! This time, Kefauver’s with all four of his children, about to go for a hop, this time in the driveway.

These two photos are pretty clearly not from the same session. For one thing, both Kefauver and Linda are wearing different clothes in this picture. (Here, Kefauver is wearing a casual jacket, like the kind a father might wear to play with his kids on the weekend, as well as a different tie.) Also, the first picture was pretty clearly taken at night (check the sky in and the shadows behind Kefauver and his daughter, which clearly indicate the use of a flash), while the second photo was taken during the day.

Thus, we have photographic evidence that on at least two occasions, Kefauver allowed himself to be photographed on a pogo stick.

Consider this: Can you picture one of today’s politicians – any of them – being willing to hop on board a pogo stick in the presence of a camera? Anyone? I’ll wait.

Thus, conclusive proof: Estes Kefauver rules.