Kefauver’s subcommittee on antitrust and monopoly found anti-competitive behavior in a variety of industries, including cars, steel, and… bread baking?
When Kefauver died in 1963, former staffer and FTC Chairman Paul Rand Dixon spoke on the floor of the Senate about his old boss… and sketched a memorable portrait of a great man.
In 1960, Hubert Humphrey held a hearing of Kefauver’s Department of Consumers proposal. He used the hearing to…. complain about cramped airline seats and and the lack of radar of planes.
In 1960, Kefauver introduced a bill to create a federal Department of Consumers. The bill never passed, but the idea of protecting consumers – and giving them a voice – would outlive his proposal.
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.
During his 1960 campaign, Kefauver issued a pamphlet reminding voters of some of his smaller accomplishments. Why? They may not have made headlines, but they improved the lives of his constituuents
The Sackler family’s reckless marketing of OxyContin hooked a generation of Americans on opioids. Decades earlier, Kefauver and his subcommittee on monopolies exposed the Sacklers’ tendency for stretching the truth… and their secretive business dealings.
Remember when you broke a bone as a kid, and you got your friends to sign your cast? Kefauver proved that it’s never too late to take advantage of that opportunity.
In 1962, Kefauver attended the World’s Fair in Seattle. While he was there, he got to represent his state, visit his daughter, travel to space, and greet a milestone visitor. Not bad for one day.
I decipher an anti-Eisenhower poster from 1956, showing how many issues that seem vitally important in their day will ultimately be forgotten by history.
Everett Dirksen and Estes Kefauver were fierce opponents when it came to regulating big business and monopolies… but when they fought, they often did it with a smile.
Like baseball’s Continental League, an upstart football league looks to Kefauver’s Antitrust and Monopoly Subcommittee for help when the older league tries to freeze them out. But this time, Kefauver stays out of it.
Adlai Stevenson knew he had a secret weapon in the 1956 Presidential campaign: his running mate. In his ads, Stevenson prominently featured Kefauver’s name – and even the man himself, talking about Ike’s broken promises.
A lot of Senators can claim to be responsible for important laws. But how many of them can claim to be responsible for the creation of four pro baseball teams? Estes Kefauver can. Find out how he, along with a New York lawyer and a longtime exec, forced MLB to expand against its will.
From the very beginning of his political career, Estes Kefauver was a strong supporter of public power and the Tennessee Valley Authority. He wasn’t afraid to stand up to anyone who threatened it… even a powerful Senator from his own state.
Estes Kefauver recognized that the Big Three was failing to respond to consumer demand for compact, efficient cars. He also recognized that if Detroit wouldn’t meet that demand, then Europe and Japan would.
Kerauver’s observations about the auto industry were prescient in many ways, and Detroit should have listened to him. In Part 1 of this series, we look at Kefauver’s remarks on the over-the-top excesses of 1950s auto styling.
A random picture from the campaign trail inspired a trip down a rabbit hole. What was the “Live Better Electrically” camoaign, and what did it have to do with a future President?
Estes Kefauver’s decades-long fight against corporate power culminated in a bill to mandate prescription drug safety and efficacy. It was his signature legislative accomplishment – but in his mind, it was a half-measure at best.
Perhaps no political was dearer to Estes Kefauver’s heart than antitrust and opposing corporate monopolies. To Kefauver, political power was tied to economic power… and the people couldn’t be truly free if big business had too much sway.
Elizabeth Warren and her followers share the same approach to antitrust that Kefauver did in his day. So why don’t they mention him more?
Kefauver’s subcommittee on antitrust and monopoly found anti-competitive behavior in a variety of industries, including cars, steel, and… bread baking?
When Kefauver died in 1963, former staffer and FTC Chairman Paul Rand Dixon spoke on the floor of the Senate about his old boss… and sketched a memorable portrait of a great man.
In 1960, Hubert Humphrey held a hearing of Kefauver’s Department of Consumers proposal. He used the hearing to…. complain about cramped airline seats and and the lack of radar of planes.
In 1960, Kefauver introduced a bill to create a federal Department of Consumers. The bill never passed, but the idea of protecting consumers – and giving them a voice – would outlive his proposal.
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.
During his 1960 campaign, Kefauver issued a pamphlet reminding voters of some of his smaller accomplishments. Why? They may not have made headlines, but they improved the lives of his constituuents
The Sackler family’s reckless marketing of OxyContin hooked a generation of Americans on opioids. Decades earlier, Kefauver and his subcommittee on monopolies exposed the Sacklers’ tendency for stretching the truth… and their secretive business dealings.
Remember when you broke a bone as a kid, and you got your friends to sign your cast? Kefauver proved that it’s never too late to take advantage of that opportunity.
In 1962, Kefauver attended the World’s Fair in Seattle. While he was there, he got to represent his state, visit his daughter, travel to space, and greet a milestone visitor. Not bad for one day.
I decipher an anti-Eisenhower poster from 1956, showing how many issues that seem vitally important in their day will ultimately be forgotten by history.
Everett Dirksen and Estes Kefauver were fierce opponents when it came to regulating big business and monopolies… but when they fought, they often did it with a smile.
Like baseball’s Continental League, an upstart football league looks to Kefauver’s Antitrust and Monopoly Subcommittee for help when the older league tries to freeze them out. But this time, Kefauver stays out of it.
Adlai Stevenson knew he had a secret weapon in the 1956 Presidential campaign: his running mate. In his ads, Stevenson prominently featured Kefauver’s name – and even the man himself, talking about Ike’s broken promises.
A lot of Senators can claim to be responsible for important laws. But how many of them can claim to be responsible for the creation of four pro baseball teams? Estes Kefauver can. Find out how he, along with a New York lawyer and a longtime exec, forced MLB to expand against its will.
Estes Kefauver successfully rescued the TVA from Kenneth McKellar’s whims. But could he save it from Ike and the threat of privatization?
From the very beginning of his political career, Estes Kefauver was a strong supporter of public power and the Tennessee Valley Authority. He wasn’t afraid to stand up to anyone who threatened it… even a powerful Senator from his own state.
Estes Kefauver recognized that the Big Three was failing to respond to consumer demand for compact, efficient cars. He also recognized that if Detroit wouldn’t meet that demand, then Europe and Japan would.
Kerauver’s observations about the auto industry were prescient in many ways, and Detroit should have listened to him. In Part 1 of this series, we look at Kefauver’s remarks on the over-the-top excesses of 1950s auto styling.
A random picture from the campaign trail inspired a trip down a rabbit hole. What was the “Live Better Electrically” camoaign, and what did it have to do with a future President?
Like shopping at stores like Walmart and Target? In a way, you have Estes Kefauver to thank for it.
Estes Kefauver’s decades-long fight against corporate power culminated in a bill to mandate prescription drug safety and efficacy. It was his signature legislative accomplishment – but in his mind, it was a half-measure at best.
Perhaps no political was dearer to Estes Kefauver’s heart than antitrust and opposing corporate monopolies. To Kefauver, political power was tied to economic power… and the people couldn’t be truly free if big business had too much sway.
Estes Kefauver for President 