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The Senator and The King
Estes Kefauver and Elvis Presley were the two most famous Tennesseans of the 1950s. Read about the time Kefauver talked about Presley… and another unusual connection between them.
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Painting the Town Red?
Estes Kefauver’s opponents tried to smear him by tying him to Vito Marcantonio. Who was Marcantonio? Think of him as the AOC or Rashida Tlaib of his day.
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Kefauver’s Crowning Achievement: The Prescription Drug Hearings
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.
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The People’s Champion: Kefauver vs. Corporate Monopoly
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.
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Federation of the Free: Kefauver and Atlantic Union
Kefauver’s signature foreign policy idea was Atlantic Union… a concept that’s long since vanished into history. What was it, and why didn’t it work out?
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“The Great Land of the Free”: Kefauver and Civil Liberties
Estes Kefauver always took a strong stance on civil rights. Time and again, he stood up for suspected Communists and other unpopular groups. In the era of McCarthyism and the Red Scare, that was a lonely place to be.
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Look For the Union Label: Kefauver and Organized Labor
Estes Kefauver was one of the best friends that organized labor had in the Senate. How did a Southerner from a white-collar background become such a strong ally of unions? Because he was willing to listen.
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A Complicated but Courageous Legacy: Kefauver and Civil Rights
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.
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Campaign 1956, Part 2: “He Just Can’t Stop”
Kefauver lost the nomination, but he won a consolation prize: Stevenson’s VP nomination. Their campaign started with a ray of hope… that turned out to be the headlight of Ike’s oncoming train.
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Campaign 1956, Part 1: If At First You Don’t Succeed…
Undaunted by his loss in 1952, Kefauver tried for the Presidency a second time. This time, though, he’d have company in the primaries. Adlai Stevenson was taking it to the streets.
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Estes Kefauver for President 