Richard Russell was considered one of the great Senators of all time. He also led the Southern resistance to civil rights. How should he be remembered?
Lady Bird Johnson wasn’t just Lyndon’s wife – she was a key political adviser and an astute observer. Her comments about Kefauver show that she understood his immense political gifts – and what held him back.
In the final months of his life, Kefauver endorsed a newspaper’s call for Knoxville, Tennessee to be an integrated “open city.” Did Knoxville’s example offer a model for desegregation without violence?
Today’s Democrats have a hard time speaking effectively on controversial cultural issues. They’d benefit from studying how Kefauver addressed the challenging issues of his era.
During the 1956 campaign, Kefauver faced scrutiny from Southerners on civil rights. He responded with a courageous appeal to the South’s better angels. Read on to see how he did it.
In the 1950, Democratic liberals were frustrated by conservative Congressional leaders and the ever-popular Ike. So they founded the Democratic Advisory Council to make their voices heard. Was it a success or a failure… or both?
In 1948, disaffected Southerners tried to hijack the Electoral College because they felt that their region was getting ignored by the national parties. Kefauver sympathized with their complaints… but he felt there was a better way.
We’ve all heard about the South’s third-party effort in the 1948. But did you know that they plotted to subvert the Electoral College four years earlier?
Why was Kefauver so popular with young people? Because he treated them with respect and dignity… and he encouraged them to embrace controversial ideas, even when they disagreed with their elders.
After the Great Depression and WWII, the federal government was bigger and more complex than ever. And Congress, wedded to archaic and inefficient traditions, was struggling to cope. Kefauver offered a way out of the wilderness. If only Congress had listened.
A couple of dangerous conservative bills aimed at crippling the Supreme Court appeared to be on a path to passage… until Lyndon Johnson pulled off some impressive legislative moves.
In the late 1950s, a cross-party coalition of Congressional conservatives joined forces to try and muzzle the Warren Court. What got them so angry, and why have we forgotten this chapter of American history?
During Kefauver’s final re-election campaign in 1960, he bet that voters would opt for reason and honest facts instead of race-baiting and segregation. See how he made the case in an important campaign brochure.
Kefauver was a principled politician, which cause stumbling blocks for his ambitions. In particular, his refusal to build a political organization made his campaigns harder than they had to be… and may have been hazardous to his health.
After Brown v. Board of Education, the first Southern school to integrate was in Estes Kefauver’s native Tennessee. In a difficult situation, Kefauver had the courage to stand up against segregationist violence and for rebuilding and the rule of law.
Here’s a story you won’t find in your history book: a tale of sectional rivalries, Presidential recreation, beauty queens, hungry reporters, and fish. So, so many fish.
Kefauver’s first Senate term made him nationally famous… but controversial at home. To win re-election, he’d have to face a hyper-ambitious young Congressman who just wouldn’t… stop… talking.
Estes Kefauver and Lyndon Johnson had a number of things in common: two liberal-leaning, ambitious Southern Democrats who joined the Senate in the same year. But their approach to politics – and the pursuit of power – couldn’t have been more different.
The forgotten story of how an Alabama attorney and an Oklahoma elected tried to throw the 1960 election to someone who wasn’t a candidate… and how it could happen again.
A comment on one of my posts led me to an interview with a man who volunteered for Kefauver… while still in high school! This was just one chapter of his remarkable life.
Estes Kefauver was one of the few Southern Senators who didn’t take the segregationist line on civil rights. A closer look at his record shows a man who evolved over time… but remained consistent in his belief in moderate progress and equal application of the law.
Richard Russell was considered one of the great Senators of all time. He also led the Southern resistance to civil rights. How should he be remembered?
Throughout his career, Kefauver never lost touch with the people he served. A brochure from his final campaign proves it.
Kefauver’s Senate colleagues famously disliked him. But it wasn’t really personal – their dislike came from a deeper source.
Lady Bird Johnson wasn’t just Lyndon’s wife – she was a key political adviser and an astute observer. Her comments about Kefauver show that she understood his immense political gifts – and what held him back.
In the final months of his life, Kefauver endorsed a newspaper’s call for Knoxville, Tennessee to be an integrated “open city.” Did Knoxville’s example offer a model for desegregation without violence?
Today’s Democrats have a hard time speaking effectively on controversial cultural issues. They’d benefit from studying how Kefauver addressed the challenging issues of his era.
During the 1956 campaign, Kefauver faced scrutiny from Southerners on civil rights. He responded with a courageous appeal to the South’s better angels. Read on to see how he did it.
In the 1950, Democratic liberals were frustrated by conservative Congressional leaders and the ever-popular Ike. So they founded the Democratic Advisory Council to make their voices heard. Was it a success or a failure… or both?
In 1948, disaffected Southerners tried to hijack the Electoral College because they felt that their region was getting ignored by the national parties. Kefauver sympathized with their complaints… but he felt there was a better way.
We’ve all heard about the South’s third-party effort in the 1948. But did you know that they plotted to subvert the Electoral College four years earlier?
Why was Kefauver so popular with young people? Because he treated them with respect and dignity… and he encouraged them to embrace controversial ideas, even when they disagreed with their elders.
After the Great Depression and WWII, the federal government was bigger and more complex than ever. And Congress, wedded to archaic and inefficient traditions, was struggling to cope. Kefauver offered a way out of the wilderness. If only Congress had listened.
Kefauver was one of the few Southern politicians of his day who didn’t support segregation. So why was he such a fan of the Confederacy?
A couple of dangerous conservative bills aimed at crippling the Supreme Court appeared to be on a path to passage… until Lyndon Johnson pulled off some impressive legislative moves.
In the late 1950s, a cross-party coalition of Congressional conservatives joined forces to try and muzzle the Warren Court. What got them so angry, and why have we forgotten this chapter of American history?
In 1956, Kefauver stood up to a pro-segregation crowd in Florida… and won them over. What can his courageous example teach us today?
During Kefauver’s final re-election campaign in 1960, he bet that voters would opt for reason and honest facts instead of race-baiting and segregation. See how he made the case in an important campaign brochure.
In the summer of 1961, rumors swirled that a Supreme Court justice was going to resign, and Kefauver would be his replacement, Why didn’t it happen?
Kefauver was a principled politician, which cause stumbling blocks for his ambitions. In particular, his refusal to build a political organization made his campaigns harder than they had to be… and may have been hazardous to his health.
Kefauver’s final Senate run was his most challenging yet, as he faced a strong opponent in a race that focused on civil rights… and angry pharmacists.
After Brown v. Board of Education, the first Southern school to integrate was in Estes Kefauver’s native Tennessee. In a difficult situation, Kefauver had the courage to stand up against segregationist violence and for rebuilding and the rule of law.
Here’s a story you won’t find in your history book: a tale of sectional rivalries, Presidential recreation, beauty queens, hungry reporters, and fish. So, so many fish.
Kefauver’s first Senate term made him nationally famous… but controversial at home. To win re-election, he’d have to face a hyper-ambitious young Congressman who just wouldn’t… stop… talking.
Estes Kefauver and Lyndon Johnson had a number of things in common: two liberal-leaning, ambitious Southern Democrats who joined the Senate in the same year. But their approach to politics – and the pursuit of power – couldn’t have been more different.
The forgotten story of how an Alabama attorney and an Oklahoma elected tried to throw the 1960 election to someone who wasn’t a candidate… and how it could happen again.
A comment on one of my posts led me to an interview with a man who volunteered for Kefauver… while still in high school! This was just one chapter of his remarkable life.
Estes Kefauver was one of the few Southern Senators who didn’t take the segregationist line on civil rights. A closer look at his record shows a man who evolved over time… but remained consistent in his belief in moderate progress and equal application of the law.
Estes Kefauver for President 