Tag: adlai stevenson

  • Stevenson Toons In for ’56?

    Stevenson Toons In for ’56?

    Eisenhower’s 1952 relied on the sales of Madison Avenue -and Disney – to roll to victory. After resisting those techniques the first time around, the Stevenson/Kefauver campaign gave them a try in ’56. How did it turn out? Judge for yourself.

  • If You Go Chasing Rabbits: Solving a Photographic Mystery

    If You Go Chasing Rabbits: Solving a Photographic Mystery

    Follow me as I track down the story behind a magazine photograph. I try to figure out not only where Kefauver was… but when and why

  • Kefauver and LBJ: Two Paths to Power

    Kefauver and LBJ: Two Paths to Power

    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.

  • Sing Along with Keef: “Estes Is Bestes”

    Sing Along with Keef: “Estes Is Bestes”

    The song most associated with Kefauver was “The Tennessee Waltz,” for better or for worse (and definitely for worse after a long campaign). But there’s a long-forgotten campaign song that captures his folk-hero appeal.

  • Hoosier Candidate?

    Hoosier Candidate?

    A sample ballot from the 1956 Indiana primary offers a snapshot of state’s political scene… and a handful of fascinating stories.

  • Lights, Camera, Action!

    Lights, Camera, Action!

    If you think the first presidential debate on TV was between Nixon and JFK, you’re off by four years. It was Adlai Stevenson and Estes Kefauver who first took their case to the airwaves. Find out what they discussed – and how it showed the real differences between the candidates.

  • The Speech Kefauver Never Gave

    The Speech Kefauver Never Gave

    Kefauver’s advisors wrote an acceptance speech in case he won the Presidential nomination in ’52. It’s not as pretty as the one Adlai Stevenson gave… but it might have been more effective.

  • Electoral College Dropout, Part 2: How to Steal an Election

    Electoral College Dropout, Part 2: How to Steal an Election

    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.

  • How’s That Again, General?

    How’s That Again, General?

    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.

  • Let’s Go to the Hop!

    Let’s Go to the Hop!

    A quote from one of Kefauver’s books sends me on a quest for a unique photo. I wound up finding it… then I found out it was less unique than I thought.