Tag: william langer
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Picking a President: Kefauver’s Push for a National Primary
After getting his Presidential hopes crushed at the 1952 convention, Kefauver tried for a Constitution amendment mandating national primaries. Was he the biggest obstacle to his amendment’s success?
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I’m 18 and I Like It: Kefauver and Youth Voting
The national voting age was lowered to 18 by the 26th Amendment in 1971. But that amendment would never have come to pass without decades of work by Kefauver – and a forgotten Senator from West By-God Virginia.
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Haste Makes Waste… and Bad Laws: Kefauver and the Jencks Act
What do you get when you have two months to pass a law driven by anti-Communist paranoia, anti-Supreme Court resentment, and with the FBI and Justice Department holding a gun to your head? Nothing good. But it’s a law that’s stood for 75 years.
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Busting Myths About the Juvenile Delinquency Hearings
I’ve been reluctant to write about these hearings, since they’re so often misunderstood and frequently caricatured. So today, I’m tackling some of the biggest myths about these hearings. Comic book fans, take note.
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Family Feud: Kefauver vs. McKellar
Estes Kefauver made a lot of enemies in the Senate. Perhaps his fiercest foe was the senior Senator from his own state.
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Kefauver and TVA, Part 2: Ike and Dixon-Yates
Estes Kefauver successfully rescued the TVA from Kenneth McKellar’s whims. But could he save it from Ike and the threat of privatization?
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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.
Estes Kefauver for President 