Tag: john f kennedy
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Frank Church and Estes Kefauver: Lone Wolves, Honest Men
Church and Kefauver were both ambitious Senators who led high-profile investigations that caught public attention. They were both Senate outsiders with independent streaks. Were their differences a matter of personality… or the times?
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Campaign 1960: Segregation on the Ballot
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.
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EK Endorses JFK for 1960
In 1960, Estes Kefauver was not a candidate for President… but he remained beloved with the voters. See the ad he recorded asking voters to support the Kennedy/Johnson ticket
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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.
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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.
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He Wrote Bills for Kefauver As A Teen: Interview with Fred Strong
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.
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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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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.
Estes Kefauver for President 