146-783: Adlai Stevenson may refer to: Adlai Stevenson I (1835–1914), U.S. Vice President (1893–1897) and Congressman (1879–1881) Adlai Stevenson II (1900–1965), Governor of Illinois (1949–1953), U.S. presidential candidate (1952, 1956, 1960), U.N. Ambassador (1961–1965), grandson of Adlai Stevenson Adlai Stevenson III (1930–2021) U.S. Senator (1970–1981), candidate for Illinois governor (1982, 1986), son of Adlai Stevenson II See also [ edit ] Adlai Stevenson House (disambiguation) Adlai E. Stevenson High School (disambiguation) Stevenson College (University of California, Santa Cruz) Stevenson family [REDACTED] Topics referred to by
292-432: A U.S. Senator from Illinois (1970–1981). His mother was Helen Davis Stevenson, and he had an older sister, Elizabeth Stevenson Ives, an author who was called "Buffie". Actor McLean Stevenson was a second cousin once removed . He was the nephew by marriage of novelist Mary Borden , and she assisted in the writing of some of his political speeches. Stevenson was raised in the city of Bloomington, Illinois ; his family
438-485: A company town near the mine shafts. Employees were purportedly fired if they did not support Stevenson in an election year. The Stevensons vacationed at lake resorts in Wisconsin during summers. There, Stevenson befriended William Freeman Vilas , a growing voice among Midwest Democrats and a friend of Grover Cleveland. Stevenson was a delegate to the 1884 Democratic National Convention , and after briefly supporting
584-402: A Senate committee that traveled to several large cities and held televised hearings into organized crime. The hearings revealed connections between organized-crime syndicates and big-city Democratic political organizations, which led Truman and other Democratic leaders to oppose Kefauver's bid for the nomination: "a machine politician and proud of it, [Truman] had no use for reformers who blackened
730-486: A U.S. Senator; Borden Stevenson, and John Fell Stevenson. In 1935, Adlai and Ellen purchased a 70-acre (28 ha) tract of land along the Des Plaines River near Libertyville, Illinois , a wealthy suburb of Chicago. They built a home on the property and it served as Stevenson's official residence for the rest of his life. Although he spent relatively little time there due to his career, Stevenson did consider
876-510: A biographer to write that "Clearly, Adlai had carried the President in with him." Paul Douglas , a University of Chicago professor of economics, was elected senator on the same ticket. Principal among Stevenson's achievements as Illinois governor were reforming the state police by removing political considerations from hiring practices and instituting a merit system for employment and promotion, cracking down on illegal gambling, and improving
1022-589: A contentious meeting between the two, at which Lincoln made several witty quips disparaging Stevenson. Stevenson also made speeches against the " Know-Nothing " movement, a nativist group opposed to immigrants and Catholics. That stand helped cement his support in Illinois' large German and Irish communities. In a predominantly Republican area, the Democratic Stevenson won friends through his storytelling and his warm and engaging personality. Stevenson
1168-406: A defeat as a vice presidential candidate." Disappointed, Dunn said that he still had to file a story on the vice-presidential nomination, and then added: "I believe I'll write a piece about old Uncle Adlai." Shively responded: That's a good idea. Stevenson is just the man. There you have it. Uniting the old Cleveland element with the new Bryan Democracy. You've got enough for one story. But say, this
1314-462: A favorite as Grover Cleveland's running mate in 1892 , and he was elected vice president of the United States. During his term of office, Stevenson supported the free-silver lobby against the gold-standard men like Cleveland, but was praised for governing in a dignified, non-partisan manner. In 1900 , he ran for vice president with William Jennings Bryan . In doing so, Stevenson became
1460-676: A gallery-level niche in the Senate chamber , but in 1910 the bust collection was reorganized, and Stevenson's bust was placed in the main Senate corridor. In 1991 it was moved to the opposite end of the corridor, which required moving the bust of Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks . Stevenson's bust was moved that time to make room for the incoming bust of then-president and former vice president George H. W. Bush . Specific General Adlai Stevenson II Adlai Ewing Stevenson II ( / ˈ æ d l eɪ / ; February 5, 1900 – July 14, 1965)
1606-480: A good and loyal American out of the governor". In the 1952 campaign, Stevenson also developed a strong dislike for Richard M. Nixon , then the GOP vice-presidential candidate. "Adlai literally loathed Nixon. No other person aroused such disgust; not even Joseph McCarthy...Friends who often wished he could be more of a hater were awed at the strength of his distaste for Nixon." A biographer wrote that "for Stevenson, Nixon
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#17327720113741752-431: A local candidate, he threw his support behind Cleveland. Vilas and Stevenson personally informed Cleveland of the nomination. When Cleveland was elected that November, Vilas was named postmaster general. Although a different supporter was initially named assistant postmaster general, Stevenson received the position after the first choice fell ill. The new position put Stevenson in charge of the largest patronage system in
1898-553: A member of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society , a member of the Quadrangle Club , and received a B.A. degree in 1922 in literature and history. Under prodding from his father, he then went to Harvard Law School , but found law to be "uninteresting", and withdrew after failing several classes. He returned to Bloomington where he wrote for the family newspaper, The Daily Pantagraph , which
2044-712: A newly built residence hall "Stevenson House" in his honor. They had previously awarded him an honorary degree in 1893. Stevenson's home in Metamora, Illinois is now a museum. There is a bust of Stevenson in the United States Capitol Building as part of the United States Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection . It was sculpted in 1894 by Franklin Simmons . The bust originally sat on
2190-409: A political candidate." During the campaign, a photograph revealed a hole in the sole of Stevenson's right shoe. This became a symbol of Stevenson's frugality and earthiness. The Eisenhower campaign attempted to use the symbol of the shoe with a hole to criticize Stevenson in advertising, to which Stevenson said, “Better a hole in the shoe than a hole in the head.” Photographer William M. Gallagher of
2336-466: A presidential candidate. Historian John Frederick Martin says party leaders selected Stevenson because he was "more moderate on civil rights than Estes Kefauver , yet nonetheless acceptable to labor and urban machines—so a coalition of southern, urban, and labor leaders fell in behind his candidacy in Chicago". Stevenson's 1952 running mate was Senator John Sparkman of Alabama . Stevenson accepted
2482-829: A run in 1884, but a redistricting made his district safely Republican. In between legislative sessions, Stevenson increased his prominence in Bloomington. He rose to become grandmaster of his Masonic chapter and founded the Bloomington Daily Bulletin in 1881, a Democratic newspaper that sought to challenge the Republican Pantagraph . Stevenson directed the People's Bank and co-managed the McLean County Coal Company with his brothers. The company founded Stevensonville,
2628-490: A second vice-presidential term in 1916 is the only example since. By May 1899, the North American Trust Company had directors such as John G. Carlisle , Adlai E. Stevenson and Wager Swayne . After the 1900 election, Stevenson returned again to private practice in Illinois. He made one last attempt at office in a race for governor of Illinois in 1908 , at age 73, losing narrowly. In 1909 he
2774-505: A serious heart attack. Although he recovered and eventually decided to run for a second term, concerns about his health led two prominent Democrats, Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver and New York Governor Averell Harriman , to decide to challenge Stevenson for the Democratic nomination. After being told by his aides that he needed to enter and win several presidential primaries to defeat Kefauver and Harriman, Stevenson officially entered
2920-551: A smattering of votes, but the convention was taken by storm by a 36-year-old former representative from Nebraska, William Jennings Bryan , who delivered his fiery "Cross of Gold" speech in favor of a free silver plank in the platform. Not only did the Democrats repudiate Cleveland by embracing free silver, but they also nominated Bryan for president. Many Cleveland Democrats, including most Democratic newspapers, refused to support Bryan, but Vice President Stevenson loyally endorsed
3066-605: A woman whose son had experienced a similar tragedy. He wrote to her that she should tell her son that "he must now live for two", which Stevenson's friends took to be a reference to the shooting incident. Stevenson left Bloomington High School after his junior year and attended University High School in Normal, Illinois , Bloomington's "twin city", just to the north. He then went to boarding school in Connecticut at The Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall), where he played on
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#17327720113743212-493: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Adlai Stevenson I Adlai Ewing Stevenson (October 23, 1835 – June 14, 1914) was an American politician who served as the 23rd vice president of the United States from 1893 to 1897 under President Grover Cleveland . A member of the Democratic Party , Stevenson served as a U.S. Representative for Illinois in
3358-674: Is first recorded (as the Stephensons) in Roxburghshire, Scotland , in the early 18th century. The family appears to have had some wealth, as a private chapel in the Archdiocese of St Andrews bears their name. At some point, probably shortly after the Jacobite rising of 1715 , the family migrated to County Antrim, Ireland , near Belfast . At least one Stephenson was a police officer. Adlai's great-grandfather William Stephenson
3504-525: Is interred in a family plot in Evergreen Cemetery , Bloomington, Illinois . Stevenson was the founder and Patriarch of the Stevenson political family , which has been called "Illinois's longest-lasting political dynasty–the only one to span four generations". Stevenson's son, Lewis G. Stevenson , was Illinois secretary of state (1914–1917). Stevenson's grandson Adlai Ewing Stevenson II was
3650-431: Is more than a joke. Stevenson is just the man. For the rest of the day, Dunn heard other favorable remarks about Stevenson, and by that night the former vice president was the leading contender, since no one else was "very anxious to be the tail of what they considered was a forlorn hope ticket." The Populists had already nominated the ticket of Bryan and Charles A. Towne , a pro-silver Republican from Minnesota , with
3796-648: Is to give testimony in a court of law, to give it honestly and willingly, and it will be a very unhappy day for Anglo-Saxon justice when a man, even in public life, is too timid to state what he knows and what he has heard about a defendant in a criminal trial for fear that defendant might later be convicted. That would to me be the ultimate timidity." Early in 1952, while Stevenson was still governor of Illinois, President Harry S. Truman decided that he would not seek another term as president. Instead, Truman met with Stevenson in Washington and proposed that Stevenson seek
3942-623: The Chicago Daily News , but his syndicate was outbid by another party. In 1945, Stevenson took a temporary position in the State Department , as special assistant to US Secretary of State Edward Stettinius to work with Assistant Secretary of State Archibald MacLeish on a proposed world organization. Later that year, he went to London as Deputy United States Delegate to the Preparatory Commission of
4088-670: The Flint Journal won the 1953 Pulitzer prize on the strength of the image. Stevenson did not use television as effectively as his Republican opponent, war hero Dwight D. Eisenhower , and was unable to rally the New Deal voting coalition for one last hurrah. Historian Richard Aldous wrote "Occasionally persuasive, [Stevenson] was rarely compelling and, unlike Eisenhower, he lacked any kind of rapport or common touch with large crowds. He also failed to respond quickly enough to Eisenhower's pioneering use of TV. Both candidates resisted
4234-724: The 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles , Stevenson's admirers, led by Eleanor Roosevelt , Agnes Meyer , and such Hollywood celebrities as Dore Schary and Henry Fonda , vigorously promoted him for the nomination, even though he was not an announced candidate. JFK's campaign manager, his brother Robert F. Kennedy , reportedly threatened Stevenson in a meeting, telling him that unless he agreed to place his brother's name in nomination "you are through". Stevenson refused and ordered him out of his hotel room. In letters to friends, Stevenson described both John and Robert Kennedy as "cold and ruthless", referred to Robert Kennedy as
4380-506: The Bay of Pigs invasion . After hearing rumors that "a lot of refugees wanted to go back and overthrow Castro", Stevenson voiced his skepticism about an invasion, but "he was kept on the fringes of the operation, receiving...nine days before the invasion, only an unduly vague briefing by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. " and the CIA. Senior CIA official Tracy Barnes told Stevenson and his staff that "there
4526-458: The Florida primary , but his support for racial segregation and opposition to civil rights for blacks made him unacceptable to Northern and Western Democrats. In the end, Stevenson, despite his reluctance to run, remained the most attractive candidate heading into the 1952 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. At the convention, Stevenson, as governor of the host state, was assigned to give
Adlai Stevenson - Misplaced Pages Continue
4672-639: The Panic of 1873 . Stevenson campaigned against Republican incumbent John McNulta . He attacked McNulta's support for high tariffs and what became known as the Salary Grab Act , where congressmen increased their salaries by 50%. He spoke little of his own positions other than railroad regulation. McNulta attacked back, accusing Stevenson of membership in the Knights of the Golden Circle . Thanks to
4818-574: The Unitarian faith, and was a longtime member of Bloomington's Unitarian church. However, he also occasionally attended Presbyterian services in Libertyville, where a Unitarian church was not present, and as governor he became close friends with the Rev. Richard Graebel, the pastor of Springfield's First Presbyterian church. Graebel "acknowledged that Stevenson's Unitarian rearing had imbued him with
4964-653: The United Nations Organization, a position he held until February 1946. When the head of the delegation fell ill, Stevenson assumed his role. His work at the commission, and in particular his dealings with the representatives of the Soviet Union , resulted in appointments to the US delegations to the United Nations in 1946 and 1947. In 1948 , Stevenson was chosen by Jacob Arvey , leader of
5110-408: The "Black Prince", and expressed his belief that JFK, "though bright and able, was too young, too unseasoned, to be President; he pushed too hard, was in too much of a hurry; he lacked the wisdom of humility...[Stevenson felt] that both Kennedy and the nation would benefit from a postponement of his ambition." The night before the balloting, Stevenson began working actively for the nomination, calling
5256-457: The 1952 campaign, Senator Nixon would claim that Stevenson's "defense of Hiss" reflected such "poor judgment" on his part that "doubt was cast about Adlai's capacity to govern." In a 1952 appearance on NBC's Meet the Press , Stevenson responded to a question about his deposition for Hiss by saying, "I'm a lawyer. I think that one of the most fundamental responsibilities... particularly of lawyers,
5402-533: The 1960 presidential campaign, and for Stevenson's relationships with both John and Robert Kennedy during President Kennedy's administration. Against the advice of many of his political advisers, Stevenson insisted on calling for an international ban to aboveground nuclear weapons tests, and for an end to the military draft. Despite strong criticism from President Eisenhower and other leading Republicans, such as Vice President Nixon and former New York Governor Thomas Dewey, that his proposals were naïve and would benefit
5548-613: The 23rd vice president of the United States. He was raised in Bloomington, Illinois and was a member of the Democratic Party . He served in many positions in the federal government during the 1930s and 1940s, including the Agricultural Adjustment Administration , Federal Alcohol Administration , Department of the Navy , and the State Department . In 1945, he served on the committee that created
5694-652: The Allies from 1940 to 1941. As chairman, Stevenson worked to raise public support for military and economic aid to the United Kingdom and its allies in fighting Nazi Germany during the Second World War . Stevenson "believed Britain [was] America's first line of defense" and "argued for a repeal of the neutrality legislation" and support for President Roosevelt's Lend-Lease programme. His efforts earned strong criticism from Colonel Robert R. McCormick ,
5840-795: The American Revolution as a way of healing the divisions between the North and South after the Civil War, and succeeded the wife of Benjamin Harrison as the DAR's second president-general. In 1869, at the end of his term as state's attorney, he entered law practice with his cousin, James Stevenson Ewing , moving with his wife back to Bloomington, Illinois, and settling in a large house on Franklin Square. Stevenson & Ewing would become one of
5986-712: The American people." "Adlai Stevenson ended the 1952 campaign with an adoring group of Stevensonites. Articulate and loyal...they would soon create the Stevenson legend and make the Man from Libertyville a counterhero to President Eisenhower, whom they would portray as inept and banal." Following his defeat, Stevenson in 1953 made a well-publicized world tour through Asia, the Middle East and Europe, writing about his travels for Look magazine. His political stature as head of
Adlai Stevenson - Misplaced Pages Continue
6132-520: The Bureau of Wildlife and Fisheries while hesitating to aid the gallant men and women who are resisting the real thing in the front lines of Europe and Asia...they are finally the men who seemingly believe that we can confound the Kremlin by frightening ourselves to death." In return, Senator McCarthy stated in a speech that "he would like to get on the Stevenson campaign trail with a club and thereby make
6278-462: The Convention." In May 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy , who was actively campaigning for the Democratic nomination, visited Stevenson at his Libertyville home. Kennedy asked Stevenson for a public endorsement of his candidacy; in exchange Kennedy promised, if elected, to appoint Stevenson as his Secretary of State . Stevenson turned down the offer, which strained relations between the two men. At
6424-587: The Democratic Convention was something that Kennedy "couldn't forgive", with JFK telling a Stevenson supporter after the election, "I'm not going to give him anything." The prestigious post of Secretary of State went instead to the (then) little-known Dean Rusk . However, "although Jack and Bobby would have been just as happy to freeze Stevenson out of the administration, they felt compelled to offer him something" due to his continued support from progressive Democrats. President Kennedy offered Stevenson
6570-567: The Democratic Party gave him access to many foreign leaders and dignitaries. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1953. In the 1954 off-year elections, Stevenson took a leading role in campaigning for Democratic congressional and gubernatorial candidates around the nation. When the Democrats won control of both houses of Congress and picked up nine gubernatorial seats it "put Democrats around
6716-568: The Democratic Party under Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, but noted "our Republican friends have said it was all a miserable failure. For almost a week pompous phrases marched over this landscape in search of an idea, and the only idea that they found was that the two great decades of progress...were the misbegotten spawn of bungling, of corruption, of socialism, of mismanagement, of waste and worse...after listening to this everlasting procession of epithets about our [party's] misdeeds I
6862-495: The Democratic nomination for president; Truman promised him his support if he did so. Stevenson at first hesitated, arguing that he was committed to running for a second gubernatorial term in Illinois. However, a number of his friends and associates (such as George Wildman Ball ) quietly began organizing a "draft Stevenson" movement for president; they persisted in their activity even when Stevenson (both publicly and privately) told them to stop. When Stevenson continued to state that he
7008-429: The Democratic nomination with an acceptance speech that, according to contemporaries, "electrified the delegates:" When the tumult and the shouting die, when the bands are gone and the lights are dimmed, there is the stark reality of responsibility in an hour of history haunted with those gaunt, grim specters of strife, dissension, and materialism at home, and ruthless, inscrutable, and hostile power abroad. The ordeal of
7154-454: The Democratic nominee for president of the United States in 1952 and 1956 and governor of Illinois (1949–1953). Great-grandson Adlai Ewing Stevenson III was a U.S. senator from Illinois from 1970 to 1981 and an unsuccessful candidate for governor of Illinois in 1982 and 1986. Adlai III, like his great-grandfather, was also a contender for the 1976 Democratic vice presidential nomination. In 1962, Stevenson's alma mater, Centre College, named
7300-521: The Illinois state constitution and introduced several crime bills in the state legislature. In the 1952 and 1956 presidential elections, he was chosen as the Democratic nominee for president, but was defeated in a landslide by Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower both times. In 1960, he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination for a third time at the Democratic National Convention . After President John F. Kennedy
7446-465: The Kennedy administration, with one historian noting "everyone knew that Stevenson's position was that of a bit player". Kennedy told his adviser Walt Rostow that "Stevenson wouldn't be happy as president. He thinks that if you talk long enough you get a soft option and there are very few soft options as president." In April 1961 Stevenson suffered the greatest humiliation of his diplomatic career in
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#17327720113747592-582: The Navy on committees, toured the various theaters of war, and handled many administrative duties. Since Knox was largely a figurehead, there were few major roles for Stevenson. However, in early 1944 he joined a mission to Sicily and Italy for the Foreign Economic Administration to report on the country's economy. After Knox died in April 1944, Stevenson returned to Chicago where he attempted to purchase Knox's controlling interest in
7738-602: The Soviet Union in the Cold War , Stevenson held his ground and said in various speeches that "Earth's atmosphere is contaminated from week to week by exploding hydrogen bombs...We don't want to live forever in the shadow of a radioactive mushroom cloud... [and] growing children are the principal potential sufferers" of increased strontium 90 in the atmosphere. In the end, Stevenson's push to ban atmospheric nuclear bomb tests "cost him dearly in votes," but "Adlai finally won
7884-472: The Soviet offer, telling Menshikov that he "considered the offer of such assistance highly improper, indiscreet and dangerous to all concerned". Stevenson then reported the incident directly to President Eisenhower. At the United Nations, Stevenson worked hard to support U.S. foreign policy , even when he personally disagreed with some of President Kennedy's actions. However, he was often seen as an outsider in
8030-414: The U.S. government; when this claim was proven to be false Stevenson complained that "I took this job on the understanding that I would be consulted and kept fully informed on everything. Now my credibility has been compromised and therefore my usefulness." When he told his friend Harlan Cleveland that his own government had "deliberately tricked" him into believing there was no direct American involvement in
8176-464: The United Nations, and was a member of the initial U.S. delegations to the UN. In 1948, he was elected governor of Illinois , defeating incumbent governor Dwight H. Green in an upset. As governor, Stevenson reformed the state police, cracked down on illegal gambling, improved the state highways, and attempted to cleanse the state government of corruption. Stevenson also sought, with mixed success, to reform
8322-570: The age of 65. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in his hometown of Bloomington, Illinois. Adlai Ewing Stevenson II was born in Los Angeles , California, in a neighborhood that is now designated as the North University Park Historic District . His home and birthplace at 2639 Monmouth Avenue has been designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. He was a member of a prominent Illinois political family . His grandfather and namesake Adlai Stevenson
8468-614: The bill and sent this public message regarding the veto: "It is in the nature of cats to do a certain amount of unescorted roaming... the problem of cat versus bird is as old as time. If we attempt to solve it by legislation who knows but what we may be called upon to take sides as well in the age old problem of dog versus cat, bird versus bird, or even bird versus worm. In my opinion, the State of Illinois and its local governing bodies already have enough to do without trying to control feline delinquency. For these reasons, and not because I love birds
8614-402: The blow was softened by former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt 's continued enthusiastic support. Stevenson easily defeated Harriman on the first ballot, winning his second Democratic presidential nomination. He was aided by strong support from younger delegates, who were said to form the core of the " New Politics " movement. In a bid to raise enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket, Stevenson made
8760-549: The campaign and he destroyed it all." Kennedy voted for Eisenhower in November. For their part, Stevenson and many of his aides resented Kennedy's attitude during his stay with the campaign; Stevenson friend and aide George W. Ball recalled "My impression was that Bobby was a very surly and arrogant young man...he wasn't doing any good for Adlai. I don't know why we had him along." The tension that developed between Stevenson and Robert Kennedy would have significant consequences for
8906-454: The choice of becoming ambassador to Britain, attorney general (a post that eventually went to Robert Kennedy), or United States Ambassador to the United Nations . Stevenson accepted the UN position. Many years later, it was revealed that during the campaign Stevenson was approached by Soviet Ambassador Menshikov who offered Soviet financial and public relations help to assist him in getting elected if he decided to run. Stevenson flatly rejected
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#17327720113749052-420: The contest of ideas that afflicts the world not by suppressing those rights, but by their triumph." Stevenson proved to be a popular public speaker and gained a national reputation as an intellectual, with a self-deprecating sense of humor to match. One example came when the Illinois legislature passed a bill (supported by bird lovers) declaring that cats roaming unescorted was a public nuisance. Stevenson vetoed
9198-508: The country in Stevenson's debt and greatly strengthened his position as his party's leader." Unlike 1952, Stevenson was an announced, active candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1956. Initially, with polls showing Eisenhower headed for a landslide re-election, few Democrats wanted the 1956 nomination, and Stevenson hoped that he could win the nomination without a serious contest, and without entering any presidential primaries. However, on September 24, 1955, Eisenhower suffered
9344-620: The country. Cleveland's advisers sent Stevenson to the South to curb the growing appeal of the Populist Party . With his Kentucky roots, Stevenson proved popular at his Southern engagements. Stevenson also publicly opposed the Lodge Bill , a proposed bill which would have enfranchised Southern blacks. The winning Cleveland-Stevenson ticket carried Illinois, although not Stevenson's home district. Civil service reformers held out hope for
9490-605: The country. Like his predecessors, Stevenson removed tens of thousands of political opponents from postal positions and replaced them with Democrats. Just before Cleveland left office, he nominated Stevenson for the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia judgeship left vacant by the death of William Matthews Merrick . Republicans controlled the U.S. Senate and refused to act, exacting a measure of revenge on Stevenson for replacing Republican postmasters while also secure in
9636-546: The curve." On election day, Eisenhower won the national popular vote by 55% to 45%. Stevenson lost heavily outside the Solid South ; he carried only nine states and lost the Electoral College vote 442 to 89. In his concession speech on election night, Stevenson said: "Someone asked me...how I felt, and I was reminded of a story that a fellow townsman of ours used to tell – Abraham Lincoln. He said he felt like
9782-450: The delegation. Stevenson then "asked if this meant no support in fact or no support because the delegates thought he was not a candidate. Daley replied that Stevenson had no support." According to Stevenson's biographer John Bartlow Martin , the phone conversation with Daley "was the real end of the [1960] Stevenson candidacy...if he could not get the support of his home state his candidacy was doomed". However, Stevenson continued to work for
9928-480: The discussion it led to his humiliation". Unaware that the anti-Castro Cuban exiles landing at the Bay of Pigs were being armed and assisted directly by the CIA and US Navy, and that American pilots were participating in bombing raids of Cuban targets, Stevenson unwittingly "repeated a CIA cover story in a speech before the UN General Assembly". He argued that the rebels were not assisted in any way by
10074-441: The discussions over whether to invade Cuba, told Schlesinger that "the integrity and credibility of Adlai Stevenson constitute one of our great national assets. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that", and he asked Schlesinger to let Stevenson know that the president was shielding him from many of the details to protect him in case the clandestine operation failed. Instead, as Robert Dallek has written, "by leaving him out of
10220-604: The economy had gotten so bad and the Democratic Party so divided that "the logical thing for me to do ... was to resign and hand the Executive branch to Mr. Stevenson," joking that he would try to get his friends jobs in Stevenson's new cabinet. Stevenson was mentioned as a candidate to succeed Cleveland in 1896 . Although he chaired the Illinois delegation to the Democratic National Convention, he gained little support. Stevenson, 60 years old, received
10366-507: The effect of removing the structural limitations on the growth of government in the state. Stevenson's governorship coincided with the Second Red Scare , and during his term, the Illinois state legislature passed a bill that would have "made it a felony to belong to any subversive group", and would have required "a loyalty oath of public employees and candidates for office." Stevenson vetoed the bill. In his public message regarding
10512-525: The election to Eisenhower by a landslide. Stevenson's views on racial progress were described after his death by his long-time companion Marietta Tree as: "He thought of all Negroes as being loveable old family retainers and not as individuals like you and me who were longing to get educated and who had aspirations and dreams just like the rest of us. I think this took him a long time to get over--the fact that they really indeed not only were created equal; they wanted equality of opportunity and wanted it now. It
10658-434: The estate to be his home, and in the 1950s, he was often called "The Man from Libertyville" by the national news media. Stevenson also purchased a farm in northwestern Illinois, just outside Galena , where he frequently rode horses and kept some cattle. On December 12, 1949, Adlai and Ellen were divorced; their son Adlai III later recalled that "There hadn't been a good relationship for a long time. I remember her [Ellen] as
10804-578: The fourth vice president that post teamed with two different presidential candidates (after George Clinton , John C. Calhoun and Thomas A. Hendricks ). He was the paternal grandfather of Adlai Stevenson II , a Governor of Illinois and the unsuccessful Democratic presidential nominee in both 1952 and 1956 . Adlai Ewing Stevenson was born in Christian County, Kentucky , on October 23, 1835, to John Turner and Eliza Ann Ewing Stevenson, Wesleyans of Scots-Irish descent. The Stevenson family
10950-642: The invasion, Cleveland replied "I feel as betrayed as you do." Stevenson seriously considered resigning, but was convinced by his friends and President Kennedy to stay. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, Stevenson gave a presentation at an emergency session of the Security Council . In his presentation, which attracted national television coverage, he forcefully asked Soviet UN representative Valerian Zorin if his country
11096-519: The kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, and then mount the stump and make a speech for [tree] conservation". Journalist David Halberstam later wrote that "Stevenson [was] an elegant campaigner who raised the political discourse" and that in 1952 "Stevenson reinvigorated [the Democratic Party] and made it seem an open and exciting place for a generation of younger Americans who might otherwise never have thought of working for
11242-502: The knowledge that they would be able to confirm a Republican nominee after Benjamin Harrison was inaugurated. A disappointed Stevenson returned to Bloomington at the conclusion of Cleveland's term. Cleveland was renominated for president on the first ballot at the 1892 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. At the time, the vice presidency was considered a "final resting place for has-beens and never-wases." Nonetheless, Stevenson's brothers and cousins advocated for his nomination for
11388-484: The late 1870s and early 1880s. He was the founder of the Stevenson political family . After his appointment as assistant postmaster general of the United States during Grover Cleveland's first administration (1885–1889) , Stevenson fired many Republican postal workers and replaced them with Southern Democrats . This earned him the enmity of the Republican-controlled Congress, but made him
11534-471: The law again after talking to Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. When he returned home to Bloomington, he decided to finish his degree at Northwestern University School of Law , attending classes during the week and returning to Bloomington on the weekends to write for the Pantagraph . Stevenson received his J.D. degree from Northwestern in 1926 and passed the Illinois state bar examination
11680-455: The leaders of several state delegations to ask for their support. The key call went to Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley , the leader of the Illinois delegation. The delegation had already voted to give Kennedy 59.5 votes to Stevenson's 2, but Stevenson told Daley that he now wanted the Democratic nomination, and asked him if the "delegates' vote might merely indicate they thought he was not a candidate". Daley told Stevenson that he had no support in
11826-484: The less or cats the more, I veto and withhold my approval from Senate Bill No. 93." On June 2, 1949, Stevenson privately gave a sworn deposition as a character witness for Alger Hiss , a former State Department official who was later found to be a spy for the Soviet Union. Stevenson had infrequently worked with Hiss, first in the legal division of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration in 1933 and then in 1945, 1946, and 1947 on various United Nations projects, but he
11972-576: The little boy who had stubbed his toe in the dark. He said that he was too old to cry, but it hurt too much to laugh." Biographer Jean H. Baker summarized Stevenson's 1952 campaign: "Uncomfortable with the carnival side of elections, Stevenson tried to be a man for the people, not of them; a man of reason talking sense, not manipulation or sentiment." "Liberals...were attracted to the Illinois governor because he firmly opposed McCarthyism , [and] they also appreciated Stevenson because of his style...he had clearly dissociated himself, as did many Americans, from
12118-447: The means of translating religious and ethical values into civic issues". According to one historian, "religion never disappeared entirely from his public messages – it was indeed part of his appeal". In July 1933, Stevenson took a job opportunity as special attorney and assistant to Jerome Frank , the general counsel of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA), a part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal . Following
12264-401: The names of fellow Democrats." Truman favored U.S. diplomat W. Averell Harriman , but he had never held elected office and was inexperienced in national politics. Truman next turned to his vice-president, Alben Barkley , but at 74 years of age he was dismissed as being too old by labor union leaders. Senator Richard Russell Jr. of Georgia was popular in the South and his campaign easily won
12410-529: The nation three times before the election in November. Robert F. Kennedy traveled with the Stevenson campaign, hoping to "take home some lessons on how to manage a presidential campaign". Kennedy was deeply disillusioned by Stevenson's campaign, later saying that "I thought it was ghastly. It was poorly organized...my feeling was that he had no rapport with his audience – no comprehension of what campaigning required, no ability to make decisions...In 1952 I had been crazy about him...Then I spent six weeks with him on
12556-514: The nation's academic community, the Republicans and some working-class Democrats ridiculed what they perceived as his indecisive, aristocratic air. During the 1952 campaign Stewart Alsop , a powerful Connecticut Republican, labeled Stevenson an "egghead", based on his baldness and intellectual air. His brother, the influential newspaper columnist Joe Alsop , used the word to underscore Stevenson's difficulty in attracting working-class voters, and
12702-420: The new law firm included Willard Wirtz , William McCormick Blair Jr. , and Newton N. Minow ; each of these men later served in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. He also accepted an appointment, along with other prominent Democrats, to the new Democratic Advisory Council, which "pursued an aggressive line in attacking the [Republican] Eisenhower administration and in developing new Democratic policies". He
12848-477: The new medium at first, but Ike relented sooner. He used "Mad Men" advertising executive Rosser Reeves of the Ted Bates agency to create brilliant thirty-second TV spots. Ironically, Stevenson came across well on TV, but his arrogant nature caused him to minimize it in the campaign. "This is the worst thing I've ever heard of," he scoffed, "selling the presidency like breakfast cereal!" That attitude left him behind
12994-471: The nickname stuck. Stevenson himself made fun of his "egghead" nickname; in one speech he joked " eggheads of the world unite , you have nothing to lose but your yolks!" In his campaign speeches Stevenson strongly criticized the Communist-hunting tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy, labeling "McCarthy's kind of patriotism" as "a disgrace" and ridiculing right-wing Republicans "who hunt Communists in
13140-688: The nomination on the first ballot with 806 delegate votes; Stevenson finished in fourth place with 79.5 votes. Once Kennedy won the nomination, Stevenson, always an enormously popular public speaker, campaigned actively for him. Due to his two presidential nominations and previous United Nations experience, Stevenson perceived himself an elder statesman and the natural choice for Secretary of State. However, according to historian Robert Dallek , "neither Jack nor Bobby [Kennedy] thought all that well of Stevenson...they saw him as rather prissy and ineffective. [Stevenson] never met their standard of tough-mindedness." Stevenson's refusal to publicly endorse Kennedy before
13286-404: The nomination the next day, fulfilling what he felt were obligations to old friends and supporters such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Agnes Meyer. Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota delivered an impassioned nominating speech for Stevenson, urging the convention to not "reject the man who has made us proud to be Democrats. Do not leave this prophet without honor in his own party." However, Kennedy won
13432-432: The nomination. Truman told Stevenson "I have been trying since January to get you to say that. Why should it embarrass me?" Kefauver led on the first ballot, but was well below the vote total he needed to win. Stevenson gradually gained strength until he was nominated on the third ballot. The 1952 Democratic National Convention was the last political convention of either major party to require more than one ballot to nominate
13578-399: The party's presidential nomination in 1956, urged the government to "proceed gradually" on school desegregation in deference to the South's long-held "traditions". Stevenson backed integration but opposed using armed personnel to enforce Brown.... It certainly helped. Stevenson carried most of Dixie in the fall campaign but received just 61 percent of the black vote, low for a Democrat, and lost
13724-416: The planned air strikes to destroy Castro's air force. Kennedy Library historian Sheldon Stern interviewed Ambassador Charles W. Yost , Stevenson's deputy, who attended the meeting and confirmed that Yost had been suspicious of the story from the start. Yost agreed that this was another one of the CIA's "clumsy tricks". Assistant Secretary of State Harlan Cleveland , who attended the briefing, felt that Barnes
13870-544: The plebians. Stevenson dramatized the complex feelings of educated elites, some of whom came to adore him not because he was a liberal, but because he was not...he spoke a language that set apart from average Americans an increasingly college-educated population. His approach to voters as rational participants in a process that depended on weighing the issues attracted reformers, intellectuals, and middle-class women with time and money (the "Shakespeare vote", joked one columnist). Or as one enthralled voter wrote "You were too good for
14016-441: The position. Likewise, Mayor of Chicago Carter Harrison threw his support behind Stevenson as a native son, believing that he could influence the state to vote Democratic. Stevenson was nominated on the first ballot. Stevenson backed off his former support of greenbacks in favor of Cleveland's gold standard policy. Unlike Cleveland, who only appeared once in public to support his candidacy, Stevenson traveled with his wife across
14162-400: The powerful Chicago Democratic political organization, to be the Democratic candidate in the Illinois gubernatorial race against the incumbent Republican, Dwight H. Green . In an upset, Stevenson defeated Green by 572,067 votes, a record margin in Illinois gubernatorial elections. President Truman carried Illinois by only 33,612 votes against his Republican opponent, Thomas E. Dewey , leading
14308-491: The powerful, isolationist publisher of the Chicago Tribune , and a leading member of the non-interventionist America First Committee . In 1940, Major Frank Knox , newly appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as Secretary of the Navy , offered Stevenson a position as Principal Attorney and special assistant. Stevenson accepted the position and in this capacity wrote speeches, represented Secretary Knox and
14454-550: The presidency by a landslide, winning only 42% of the popular vote and 73 electoral votes from just seven states, all except Missouri in the solid Democratic South. Early in 1957, Stevenson resumed law practice and allied himself with Judge Simon H. Rifkind to create a law firm based in Washington, DC. (Stevenson, Paul, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison), and a second firm in Chicago (Stevenson, Rifkind & Wirtz). Both law firms were related to New York City's Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison . Stevenson's associates in
14600-477: The presidency that summer. Adlai Stevenson enjoyed his role as vice president, presiding over the U.S. Senate, "the most august legislative assembly known to men." He won praise for ruling in a dignified, nonpartisan manner. In personal appearance he stood six feet tall and was "of fine personal bearing and uniformly courteous to all." Although he was often a guest at the White House, Stevenson admitted that he
14746-590: The race on November 16, 1955, and campaigned in the Minnesota, Florida, and California primaries. Stevenson was upset in the Minnesota primary by Kefauver, who successfully portrayed him as a "captive" of corrupt Chicago political bosses and "a corporation lawyer out of step with regular Democrats". Stevenson next battled Kefauver in the Florida primary, where he agreed to debate Kefauver on radio and television. Stevenson later joked that in Florida he had appealed to
14892-676: The repeal of Prohibition in December 1933, Stevenson changed jobs, becoming chief attorney for the Federal Alcohol Control Administration (FACA), a subsidiary of the AAA which regulated the activities of the alcohol industry. In 1935, Stevenson returned to Chicago to practice law. He became involved in civic activities, particularly as chairman of the Chicago branch of the Committee to Defend America by Aiding
15038-409: The same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adlai_Stevenson&oldid=1197953015 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
15184-421: The same year. He obtained a position at Cutting, Moore & Sidley , one of Chicago's oldest and most prestigious law firms. On December 1, 1928, Stevenson married Ellen Borden , a well-to-do socialite. The young couple soon became popular and familiar figures on the Chicago social scene; they especially enjoyed attending and hosting costume parties. They had three sons: Adlai Stevenson III , who would become
15330-415: The sawmill. Stevenson studied law with Bloomington attorney Robert E. Williams. He was admitted to the bar in 1858, and commenced practice in Metamora . As a young lawyer, Stevenson encountered such celebrated Illinois attorneys as Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln , and he campaigned for Douglas in his 1858 Senate race against Lincoln. Stevenson's dislike of Lincoln might have been prompted by
15476-723: The second Cleveland administration but saw Vice President Stevenson as a symbol of the spoils system . He never hesitated to feed names of Democrats to the Post Office Department. Once he called at the US Treasury Department to protest against an appointment and was shown a letter he had written endorsing the candidate. Stevenson told the treasury officials not to pay attention to any of his written endorsements; if he really favored someone he would tell them personally. A habitual cigar -smoker, Cleveland developed oral cancer requiring immediate surgery in
15622-443: The second ballot. In his acceptance speech, Stevenson spoke of his plan for a "New America", which included extending New Deal programs to "areas of education, health, and poverty". He also criticized Republicans for trying to "merchandise candidates like breakfast cereal". Following his nomination, Stevenson waged a vigorous presidential campaign , delivering 300 speeches and traveling 55,000 miles (89,000 km); he crisscrossed
15768-460: The state highways. He sought, with mixed success, to cleanse the Illinois state government of corruption; in one instance he fired the warden of the state penitentiary for overcrowding, political corruption, and incompetence that had left the prisoners on the verge of revolt, and in another instance Stevenson fired the superintendent of an institution for alcoholics when he learned that the superintendent, after receiving bribes from local tavern owners,
15914-475: The state legislature, much to Stevenson's chagrin. However, Stevenson agreed to support a Republican alternative to con-con called "Gateway", it passed the legislature and was approved by Illinois voters in a 1950 referendum. Stevenson's push for an improved state constitution "began the process of constitutional change...and in 1969, four years after his death, the goal was achieved. It was perhaps his most important achievement as governor." The new constitution had
16060-623: The state's citrus farmers by "bitterly denouncing the Japanese beetle and fearlessly attacking the Mediterranean fruit fly". He narrowly defeated Kefauver in Florida by 12,000 votes, and then won the California primary over Kefauver with 63% of the vote, effectively ending Kefauver's presidential bid. At the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, former President Truman endorsed Governor Harriman, to Stevenson's dismay, but
16206-549: The state's most prominent law firms. Ewing would later become the U.S. ambassador to Belgium. The Democratic Party nominated Stevenson for the United States Congress in 1874 . Stevenson was well-liked by Republicans and levied influence in the local Masonic lodge. Stevenson also received the nomination of the Independent Reform Party , a state party that fought monopolies following
16352-541: The summer of 1893. The president insisted the surgery be kept secret to avoid another panic on Wall Street . While on a yacht in New York Harbor that summer, Cleveland had part of his upper jaw removed and replaced with an artificial device in an operation that left no outward scar. The cancer surgery remained secret for another quarter century. Cleveland's aides explained that he had merely had dental work. His vice president little realized how close he came to
16498-477: The tacit understanding that Towne would step aside if the Democrats nominated someone else. Bryan preferred his good friend Towne, but Democrats wanted one of their own, and the regular element of the party felt comfortable with Stevenson. Towne withdrew and campaigned for Bryan and Stevenson. As a result, Stevenson, who had run with Cleveland in 1892, now ran in 1900 with Cleveland's opponent Bryan. Twenty-five years senior to Bryan, Stevenson added age and experience to
16644-566: The tennis team, acted in plays, and was elected editor-in-chief of The Choate News , the school newspaper. Upon his graduation from Choate in 1918, he enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve and served at the rank of seaman apprentice , but his training was completed too late for him to participate in World War One. He attended Princeton University , becoming managing editor of The Daily Princetonian ,
16790-455: The ticket. After the 1896 election, Bryan remained the titular leader of the Democrats and frontrunner for the nomination in 1900 . Much of the newspaper speculation about who would run as the party's vice-presidential candidate centered on Indiana Senator Benjamin Shively . When reporter Arthur Wallace Dunn interviewed Shively at the convention, the senator said he "did not want the glory of
16936-729: The ticket. Nevertheless, their effort failed badly against the Republican ticket of incumbent president William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt . Stevenson was the third U.S. vice president to win nomination for the office with a different running mate. He was seeking to follow George Clinton who served in Thomas Jefferson's second term and James Madison's first as well as John C. Calhoun who served under John Quincy Adams and then in Andrew Jackson's first term. As of 2023, Republican Charles W. Fairbanks ' failure to win
17082-503: The time of his death. One branch of the family, including Adlai Stevenson's father, then moved to Kentucky in 1813. Stevenson was born on the family farm in Christian County. He attended Blue Water School in what is now Herndon, Kentucky . His childhood playmates included James A. McKenzie , a future representative for Kentucky, and Amanda Barkley, the grandmother of future Vice President Alben W. Barkley . In 1850, when he
17228-570: The twentieth century – the bloodiest, most turbulent age of the Christian era – is far from over. Sacrifice, patience, understanding, and implacable purpose may be our lot for years to come. ... Let's talk sense to the American people! Let's tell them the truth, that there are no gains without pains, that we are now on the eve of great decisions. Although Stevenson's eloquent oratory and thoughtful, stylish demeanor impressed many intellectuals, journalists, political commentators, and members of
17374-408: The unreasonable one, not only with Dad, but with us and the servants. I was embarrassed by her peremptory way with servants." Several of Stevenson's biographers have written that his wife suffered from mental illness: "Incidents that went from petulant to bizarre to nasty generally have been described without placing them in the context of the progression of [her] increasingly serious mental illness. It
17520-403: The unusual decision to leave the selection of his running mate up to the convention delegates. This set off a frantic scramble among several prominent Democrats to win the vice-presidential nomination, including Kefauver, Senator Hubert Humphrey , and Senator John F. Kennedy . After fending off a surprisingly strong challenge from Kennedy, Kefauver narrowly won the vice-presidential nomination on
17666-814: The verdict," as Eisenhower suspended above-ground nuclear tests in 1958, President Kennedy would sign the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty into law in 1963, and President Nixon would end the military draft in 1973. Civil rights was emerging rapidly as a major political issue. Stevenson urged caution and warned against aggressive enforcement of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education in order to gain Southern white support. Kotlowski writes: Liberal Democrats, too, flinched before Brown. Adlai E. Stevenson, front-runner for
17812-647: The veto, Stevenson wrote "Does anyone seriously think that a real traitor will hesitate to sign a loyalty oath? Of course not. Really dangerous subversives and saboteurs will be caught by careful, constant, professional investigation, not by pieces of paper. The whole notion of loyalty inquisitions is a natural characteristic of the police state, not of democracy. I know full well this veto will be distorted and misunderstood...I know that to veto this bill in this period of grave anxiety will be unpopular with many. But I must, in good conscience, protest against any unnecessary suppression of our ancient rights as free men...we will win
17958-610: The votes siphoned away from the Republican Base by the Independent Reform Party, Stevenson won the election with 52% of the vote, though he did not carry his hometown of Bloomington. He was elevated to the 44th United States Congress , the first under Democratic control since the Civil War. In 1876 , Stevenson was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection. The Republican presidential ticket, headed by Rutherford B. Hayes , carried his district, and Stevenson
18104-409: The welcoming address to the delegates. His speech was so stirring and witty that it invigorated efforts to secure the nomination for him, in spite of his continued protests that he was not a presidential candidate. In his welcoming speech he poked fun at the 1952 Republican National Convention , which had been held in Chicago in the same coliseum two weeks earlier. Stevenson described the achievements of
18250-575: Was Vice President of the United States under President Grover Cleveland from 1893 to 1897. His father, Lewis Stevenson , never held an elected office, but was appointed Illinois Secretary of State (1914–1917) and was considered a strong contender for the Democratic vice-presidential nomination in 1928. A maternal great-grandfather, Jesse W. Fell , had been a close friend and campaign manager for Abraham Lincoln in his 1858 US Senate race; Stevenson often referred to Fell as his favorite ancestor. Stevenson's eldest son, Adlai E. Stevenson III , became
18396-590: Was state's attorney of Woodford County beginning in 1859. During the American Civil War , he was appointed a master in chancery (an aide in a court of equity ). In 1864 Stevenson was a presidential elector for the Democratic ticket. In 1866, he married Letitia Green . They had three daughters, Mary, Julia and Letitia, and a son, Lewis Stevenson . Letitia helped establish the Daughters of
18542-518: Was 14, frost killed the family's tobacco crop. Two years later, his father set free their few slaves and the family moved to Bloomington, Illinois , where his father then operated a sawmill. Stevenson attended Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington and ultimately graduated from Centre College , in Danville, Kentucky ; at the latter he was a part of Phi Delta Theta . His father's death prompted Stevenson to return from Kentucky to Illinois to run
18688-489: Was a member of Bloomington's upper class and lived in one of the city's well-to-do neighborhoods. On December 30, 1912, at the age of twelve, Stevenson accidentally killed Ruth Merwin, a 16-year-old friend, while demonstrating drill technique with a rifle, inadvertently left loaded, during a party at the Stevenson home. Stevenson was devastated by the accident and rarely mentioned or discussed it as an adult, even with his wife and children. However, in 1955 Stevenson heard about
18834-507: Was a tailor who specialized in millinery . After William's father died in the 1730s, his family moved to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania . William joined when his apprenticeship was completed in 1748. In 1762, the family moved to North Carolina in what is now Iredell County . Including lands given to his children, William Stephenson (Stevenson after the American Revolution ) had amassed 3,400 acres (1,400 ha) of land by
18980-401: Was allowing the patients to buy drinks at local bars. Two of Stevenson's major initiatives as governor were a proposal to create a constitutional convention (called "con-con") to reform and improve the Illinois state constitution, and several crime bills that would have provided new resources and methods to fight criminal activities in Illinois. Most of the crime bills and con-con failed to pass
19126-473: Was also employed part-time by the Encyclopædia Britannica as a legal consultant. In early 1960, Stevenson announced that he would not seek a third Democratic presidential nomination, but would accept a draft. One of his closest friends told a journalist that "Deep down, he wants [the Democratic nomination]. But he wants the [Democratic] Convention to come to him, he doesn't want to go to
19272-496: Was an American politician and diplomat and who was the United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 1961 until his death in 1965. He previously served as the 31st governor of Illinois from 1949 to 1953 and was the Democratic nominee for president of the United States in 1952 and 1956 , losing both elections to Dwight D. Eisenhower in landslides . Stevenson was the grandson of Adlai Stevenson ,
19418-470: Was an ambitious, unprincipled partisan who craved winning, the exact personification of what was wrong with modern American politics...[for Stevenson] Nixon was an entirely plastic politician...Nixon was Stevenson's complete villain. Others sensed the potential for immorality that led to Nixon's humiliating resignation in 1974, but Stevenson was among the first." During the 1952 campaign Stevenson often used his wit to attack Nixon, and once stated that Nixon "was
19564-473: Was an illness that those closest to her – including Adlai for long after the divorce – were slow and reluctant to recognize. Hindsight, legal proceedings, and psychiatric testimony now make understandable the behavior that baffled and saddened her family." Stevenson did not remarry after his divorce, but instead dated a number of prominent women throughout the rest of his life, including Alicia Patterson , Marietta Tree , and Betty Beale. Stevenson belonged to
19710-482: Was brought in by founder Jesse Grant Chapline to aid distance learning school La Salle Extension University . After that, he retired to Bloomington, where his Republican neighbors described him as "windy but amusing." Stevenson's wife Letitia died on December 25, 1913. William Jennings Bryan sent a letter of condolence to Stevenson. After this, Stevenson was emotionally broken, and only lived six more months. He died in Chicago, on June 14, 1914, aged 78. His body
19856-477: Was elected, he appointed Stevenson as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Two major events Stevenson dealt with during his time as UN ambassador were the Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba in April 1961 and the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. He was still serving as UN ambassador when he suffered a heart attack during a visit to London on July 14, 1965, dying later that day at
20002-534: Was even surprised the next morning when the mail was delivered on time. But we Democrats were by no means the only victims here. First they [Republicans] slaughtered each other, and then they went after us...perhaps the proximity of the stockyards accounts for the carnage." Following this speech, the Illinois delegation (led by Jacob Arvey) announced that they would place Stevenson's name in nomination, and Stevenson called President Truman to ask if "he would be embarrassed" if Stevenson formally announced his candidacy for
20148-466: Was founded by his maternal great-grandfather Jesse Fell. The Pantagraph , which had one of the largest circulations of any newspaper in Illinois outside the Chicago area, was a main source of the Stevenson family's wealth. Following his mother's death in 1935, Adlai inherited one-quarter of the Pantagraph's stock, providing him with a large, dependable source of income for the rest of his life. A year after leaving Harvard, Stevenson became interested in
20294-533: Was going to be a clandestine operation in Cuba...it was strictly a Cuban affair. It would have some American cooperation, but only with the training and financing." According to historian Peter Wyden, Barnes did not tell Stevenson that there would be a large-scale invasion of Cuba, nor did he provide details about the full extent of American support for, and involvement with, the Cuban rebels, nor did he tell Stevenson about
20440-460: Was hard for him to understand the urgency." While President Eisenhower suffered heart problems, the economy enjoyed robust health. Stevenson's hopes for victory were dashed when, in October, Eisenhower's doctors gave him a clean bill of health and the Suez and Hungary crises erupted simultaneously. The public was not convinced that a change in leadership was needed. Stevenson lost his second bid for
20586-503: Was installing nuclear missiles in Cuba, and when Zorin appeared reluctant to reply, Stevenson punctuated with the demand "Don't wait for the translation, [answer] 'yes' or 'no'!" When Zorin replied that "I am not in an American court of law, and therefore do not answer a question put to me in the manner of a prosecuting counsel...you will have your answer in due course", Stevenson retorted, "I am prepared to wait for my answer until Hell freezes over." Stevenson then showed photographs taken by
20732-510: Was less an adviser to the president than "the neighbor to his counsels." He credited the President with being "courteous at all times" but noted that "no guards were necessary to the preservation of his dignity. No one would have thought of undue familiarity." For his part, President Cleveland snorted that the Vice President had surrounded himself with a coterie of free-silver men dubbed the "Stevenson cabinet." The president even mused that
20878-403: Was narrowly defeated, getting 49.6 percent of the vote. In 1878 , he ran on both the Democratic and Greenback tickets and won, returning to a House from which one-third of his earlier colleagues had either voluntarily retired or been removed by the voters. In 1880, again a presidential election year, he once more lost narrowly, and he lost again in 1882 in his final race for Congress. He considered
21024-452: Was not a candidate, President Truman and the Democratic Party leadership looked for other prospective candidates. However, each of the other main contenders had a major weakness. Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee won most of the presidential primaries and entered the 1952 Democratic National Convention with the largest number of delegates, but he was unpopular with President Truman and other prominent Democrats. In 1950, Kefauver had chaired
21170-471: Was not a close friend or associate of him. In the deposition, Stevenson testified that the reputation of Hiss for integrity, loyalty, and veracity was good. In 1950, Hiss was found guilty of perjury on the spying charges. Stevenson's deposition, according to his biographer Porter McKeever, would later be used in the 1952 presidential campaign by Senators Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon to "inflame public opinion and attack Adlai as 'soft on communism'." In
21316-444: Was too evasive in his description of the operation, and that it was clear that Stevenson was not to be given the full details of the invasion plan. Historian Garry Wills has written that "news of the invasion was leaking out...Castro knew the landings would occur; only Adlai Stevenson was kept in the dark" about the invasion by President Kennedy and his aides. Kennedy, anticipating that Stevenson might be angered at being left out of
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