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149-508: On April 4, 2018, the memorial was designated as the Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site . On April 4, 1968, Robert Kennedy flew to Indianapolis for a planned, inner-city rally promoting his presidential campaign , and was informed upon landing about King's assassination . Kennedy was told that riots had broken out in other cities and was advised not to make the speech, but he proceeded to address

298-578: A Life magazine photographer in the car just ahead of the Kennedys. Polls by CBS showed Kennedy leading McCarthy by 7 percent. On June 4, Kennedy won the California primary with 46 percent of the vote to McCarthy's 42 percent. Author Joseph Palermo referred to the victory as Kennedy's "greatest." Kennedy also won the South Dakota primary, winning approximately 50 percent of the vote. He

447-636: A United States Senator from New York , mounted an unlikely challenge to incumbent Democratic United States President Lyndon B. Johnson . Following an upset in the New Hampshire primary , Johnson announced on March 31 that he would not seek re-election to a second full term . Kennedy still faced two rival candidates for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination: the leading challenger United States Senator Eugene McCarthy and Vice President Hubert Humphrey . Humphrey had entered

596-541: A minimum wage law and repeal of the poll tax in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 . The McCarthy campaign responded with charges that Kennedy illegally taped Martin Luther King Jr. as U.S. attorney general. Kennedy admitted these mentions of McCarthy's record did not bother his supporters. Ten days ahead of the primary, Kennedy recognized the uphill battle he faced in winning the primary: "This state

745-519: A "moral obligation" and should "make an honest effort to understand one another and move forward together." Before boarding a plane to attend campaign rallies in Indianapolis, Kennedy learned that Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot in Memphis . Upon arrival, Kennedy was informed that King had died. Despite fears of riots and concerns for his safety, Kennedy went ahead with plans to attend

894-425: A 145-year-old forest that stood within the property boundaries of a historic district that a National Register of Historic Places nomination form for Arlington House had described in 1966. About 491 trees would be removed from an area of trees that was approximately 105 years old. Approximately 203 trees with ages of 50 to 145 years would be removed from a former picnic area. At a public hearing on July 11, 2013,

1043-710: A U.S. senator based in Washington, D.C. than as a governor based in Boston." In August, Kennedy made up his mind to run for the United States Senate from New York ; defeating Republican incumbent Kenneth Keating who attempted to portray Kennedy as a " carpetbagger " from Massachusetts . His opponents accused Kennedy of merely using the state as a convenient launching‐pad for the presidency. In an interview with PBS , political journalist Midge Decter stated that "nobody, for one minute, expected that he

1192-478: A better chance at gaining convention delegates in the non-primary states. In contrast, Kennedy, like his brother before him, had planned to win the nomination through popular support in the primaries. Because Democratic party leaders would influence delegate selection and convention votes, Kennedy's strategy was to influence the decision-makers with crucial wins in the primary elections. This strategy had worked for John F. Kennedy in 1960 , when he defeated Humphrey in

1341-495: A better place from which to make a run for the presidency in future years?" The Massachusetts governorship offered one important advantage: isolation from President Johnson. However, the state was hobbled by debt and an unruly legislature. Gwirtzman informed Kennedy that "you are going to receive invitations to attend dedications and speak around the country and abroad and to undertake other activities in connection with President Kennedy"...and that "it would seem easier to do this as

1490-606: A component of the Department of the Interior, informed the National Capital Planning Commission that it wanted to transfer only 4 acres (1.6 ha) to the cemetery, rather than the 12 acres (4.9 ha) that the 1995 agreement had described. In response, Metzler stated: "I was surprised. But we will continue to work with the Department of Interior and see what happens." On July 12, 1999,

1639-594: A day; in the weeks before the election, his campaign canvased 50,000 homes. During a May 27 campaign stop in Roseburg, Oregon , Kennedy made an impassioned appeal for federal gun control legislation. "At the present moment, a person who is insane, a man with a long criminal record of killing a dozen people, can go in and buy a rifle," Kennedy remarked. On May 28, McCarthy won the Oregon primary with 44.7 percent; Kennedy received 38.8 percent of votes. After Kennedy's loss

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1788-515: A defeat could have ended his hopes of securing the nomination. On June 1, Kennedy and McCarthy met in a televised debate on ABC 's "Issues and Answers", which observers generally considered a draw. "It was a conversation rather than a debate," said The New York Times , "and it demonstrated that the two rivals are in substantial agreement on every major issue." Though Kennedy considered the debate "indecisive and disappointing," subsequent polling showed that undecided voters favored his performance by

1937-570: A large portion of respondents refuting the label that RFK was not trustworthy along with being "too tough and ruthless." An April 28 Gallup poll showed Kennedy at 28% support by Democratic voters, Humphrey behind by three points and McCarthy ahead by five. A May 26 Associated Press (AP) poll showed RFK behind Humphrey among Pennsylvania national convention delegates, 1 to 27. A June 2 Gallup poll showed Kennedy at 19% support among Democratic county chairmen, Humphrey at 67% and McCarthy at 6%. A June 3 poll showed Kennedy leading McCarthy by nine points in

2086-436: A lecture honoring former Kansas governor and Republican Alfred Landon . At Kansas State, Kennedy drew a "record-setting crowd of 14,500 students" for his Landon Lecture . In his speech, Kennedy apologized for early mistakes and attacked President Johnson's Vietnam policy saying, "I was involved in many of the early decisions on Vietnam, decisions which helped set us on our present path." He further acknowledged that "past error

2235-403: A limitation on mass media access to funerals, which also proved controversial. Until 2005, the cemetery's administration gave free access, with the family's permission, to the press to cover funerals at the cemetery. In July 2008, The Washington Post reported that cemetery had imposed gradually increasing restrictions on media coverage of funerals beginning three years earlier, in 2005. After

2384-538: A margin of two-to-one. On June 3, Kennedy made a "final dash" through the state's major urban centers, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego; along with suburban Long Beach, in a single day. As his motorcade moved slowly through cheering crowds in San Francisco's Chinatown , gun shots appeared to ring out. However, it was just the sound of celebratory firecrackers . The campaign entourage and traveling press were all "scared to death," recalled Bill Eppridge,

2533-627: A memorial be created, the Simon family would offer its support. In 1994 Donnie Walsh , president and CEO of the Indiana Pacers , owned by the Simon brothers, decided to start the Pacers Foundation to empower young people and support community partnerships addressing equity in safety, education, and health. Walsh discussed his plans with Mannheimer, who recounted to Walsh the earlier conversation with Conrad. Walsh immediately seized on

2682-519: A midnight session days before the California primary concluded. When he was shouted at, Kennedy prevented a black aide from intervening: "They need to tell people off. They need to tell me off." Kennedy won 90% of the black vote in the California primary. Author Larry Tye later said: "By the time of his death in June 1968, Bobby was the most trusted white man in black America." On the other hand, Michael A. Cohen noted that Kennedy's popularity with blacks had

2831-476: A national election. Kennedy was at his apartment in the United Nations Plaza the night President Johnson announced his withdrawal from the primary, though unlike his supporters he was not optimistic about the news. He reportedly said, "The joy is premature." Smith observed that Johnson's withdrawal meant Kennedy would have to shift the focus of his critiques from the administration's policies on

2980-435: A negative effect on his appeal to the remainder of the electorate: "Rather than create an espirit de corps between the races, his close relationship to the black community turned many whites off." Kennedy had broad support among blue-collar white voters during the campaign. Schmitt observed that "It was the allure of Kennedy as a bare knuckles advocate for their interests that led some of these same white voters to support

3129-425: A primary challenge against the incumbent Johnson. Kennedy's wife Ethel supported the idea, but his brother Ted had been opposed to the candidacy. Ted did lend his support once Kennedy entered the race. By late February or early March 1968, Kennedy had finally made the decision to enter the race for president. On March 10, Kennedy traveled to Delano, California , to meet with civil rights activist César Chávez , at

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3278-462: A rally at 7th and Broadway—an African American neighborhood near the north side of Indianapolis. That evening he addressed the crowd, many of whom had not heard about King's assassination. Instead of the rousing campaign speech they expected, Kennedy offered brief, impassioned remarks for peace. That night, riots erupted in over 100 cities (but not Indianapolis); 43 people were killed and over 3,000 were injured. The following day, Kennedy addressed

3427-643: A representative tree was 258 years old. The Interment Zone was also determined to contain significant archeological and cultural landscape resources, in addition to those in the Preservation Zone. The EA described four alternative courses of action. In contrast to the National Park Service's March 1998 statement to the National Capital Planning Commission, the 1999 environmental assessment stated that

3576-483: A speech before the Indianapolis real estate board on May 2, advocating for reliance on private enterprise instead of the federal government. During this speech, Kennedy argued that the national economy would be "restored" by the Vietnam War's conclusion. The Indiana primary was held on May 7: Kennedy won with 42 percent of the vote; Governor Roger D. Branigin (a " favorite son candidate" and stand-in for Johnson)

3725-474: A surplus at the end of the Christmas holiday season. Recalling a boyhood trip to Arlington National Cemetery, company founder Morrill Worcester donated 5,000 wreaths to the cemetery to honor the cemetery's dead with the help of volunteers and a local trucking company. In 2005, after 13 years of similar donations, a photo of snowy gravestones covered with wreaths at the cemetery received widespread circulation on

3874-455: A wave of mourning and sympathy. Robert F. Kennedy remained in the cabinet (as United States attorney general ) for several months amid what Johnson staffers began to refer to as "the Bobby problem": despite the personal hatred between the two, Democratic voters overwhelmingly favored Kennedy as Johnson's running mate in the 1964 election. Kennedy began to plan for a nationwide campaign, and in

4023-459: Is like one giant suburb. I appeal best to people who have problems." During a speech he gave in California, Kennedy said, "I think that if I get beaten in any primary, I am not a very viable candidate." The comment further intensified the importance of the Oregon primary. Kennedy realized that losing the Oregon primary would pose a risk to his credibility and began what Dary G. Richardson dubbed an "Olympian-like pace". He campaigned for sixteen hours

4172-463: Is not excuse for its own perpetration." Later that day at the University of Kansas , Kennedy spoke to an audience of 19,000—one of the largest in the university's history. During that speech he said, "I don't think that we have to shoot each other, to beat each other, to curse each other and criticize each other, I think that we can do better in this country. And that is why I run for President of

4321-725: Is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System , one of two maintained by the United States Army . Over 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia . Arlington National Cemetery was established on May 13, 1864, during the American Civil War after Arlington Estate, the land on which the cemetery was built, was confiscated by the U.S. federal government from

4470-481: The 56th United States Congress appropriated $ 75,000 (equivalent to $ 2,746,800 in 2023) to settle the U.S. government's debts to them. With limited space but large numbers of KIAs from World War II , Korean War , Vietnam War , along with natural deaths from high-ranking military officials, the need for additional burial space at Arlington Cemetery became a challenge and priority to the U.S. government. On May 30, 1929, U.S. President Herbert Hoover conducted

4619-714: The City Club of Cleveland at the Sheraton-Cleveland Hotel in Ohio; delivering the famous " On the Mindless Menace of Violence " speech. After attending King's funeral in Atlanta , Kennedy turned his attention back to the primary campaign. He drew huge crowds at campaign stops across the country. Kennedy's Indiana campaign resumed on April 10. Kennedy's campaign advisor, John Bartlow Martin , urged

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4768-676: The Delano grape strike and subsequent communications with Cesar Chavez , who told students in California that Kennedy was the candidate for farmworkers. Tye wrote that Kennedy became a hero to farmworkers by questioning local law enforcement methods. Kennedy visited Delano during the campaign to display an endorsement for the grape strike, prompting Chavez to convince the United Farm Workers (UFW) to begin voter turnout and registration campaigns. Marshall Ganz had arranged for Kennedy to speak to farmworkers after his victory speech in

4917-505: The Indianapolis Museum of Art , and Harry Robinson, professor of architecture at Howard University . From a national field of over 50 entries, the jury selected the proposal by designer Greg Perry, a 33-year-old artist from Franklin, Indiana . Perry's design featured two half-figures—one of King, the other of Kennedy—emerging from solid walls flanking a pathway to reach toward each other. It was an inspired design that captured

5066-713: The Landmark for Peace memorial on September 30, 1995, attracted nearly 3,000 people. On April 4, 2018, exactly fifty years after King's assassination and Kennedy's speech, President Donald Trump signed into law the Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site Act designating the Landmark for Peace Memorial as the Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site. In April 2009, a $ 3 million expansion

5215-914: The Military Women's Memorial , and Arlington Memorial Bridge , was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . In 1802, George Washington Parke Custis , the grandson of George Washington 's wife Martha through her first marriage, began building Arlington House at the present-day Arlington National Cemetery on land that he inherited from John Parke Custis , his natural father, following his death. Custis went to live at Mount Vernon where George Washington and Martha raised him as their own son. In 1804, Custis married Mary Lee Fitzhugh . They had four children, but only one, Mary Anna Randolph Custis , survived into adulthood. On June 30, 1831, she married future Confederate States Army general Robert E. Lee . In 1818, Arlington House

5364-693: The National Park Service -controlled Arlington House and 2001, 37 acres (15 ha) of land in 1999 from the DoD that was the site of the Navy Annex building, 8 acres (3.2 ha) of land in 1999 from the Department of the Army that was part of Fort Myer , 4 acres (1.6 ha) of land from Arlington County's Southgate Road right-of-way in 2004, and just under 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land from Fort Myer in 2005. On September 23, 1996,

5513-629: The United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery ) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Arlington County Board and the Department of the Army to expand the cemetery even further. Under the tentative plan, Arlington County would give up the easement for Southgate Road (which lies between the Navy Annex property and the cemetery's 2012 boundary), and obtain a narrow easement along

5662-466: The University of Nebraska , where a plurality of students favored McCarthy, and that Kennedy had been defeated by "precisely two votes." After the results, Kennedy declared that he and McCarthy, both anti-war candidates, had collectively managed to earn over 80 percent of the vote. He described this as "a smashing repudiation" of the Johnson-Humphrey administration. In contrast to Nebraska,

5811-557: The Washington Post , "makes this only mildly interesting as a test for popularity." Campaigning vigorously in Nebraska, Kennedy hoped for a big win to give him momentum going into the California primary, in which McCarthy held a strong presence. While McCarthy made only one visit to Nebraska, Kennedy made numerous appearances. Kennedy's advisors had been worried about his chances in Nebraska, given RFK's lack of experience with

5960-655: The hairpin turn in Columbia Pike straightened, to provide a safer, more natural exit from S. Washington Blvd. onto Columbia Pike. Although exact acreages were not specified and the plan depended upon the Commonwealth of Virginia's cooperation, the MOU if implemented would have created a more contiguous plot of land for the cemetery. On March 12, 2013, the Corps of Engineers released a revised environmental assessment for

6109-650: The Arlington Cemetery grounds. On December 9, 1882, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5–4 in Lee's favor in United States v. Lee , concluding that the U.S. government seized Arlington Cemetery and its surrounding grounds without affording Lee due process. Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Congress abided by the Supreme Court ruling, and returned the estate to Lee. By this time, however, Lee

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6258-638: The Army could find a successor. In December 2016, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328) authorized the Secretary of the Army to expand the cemetery by acquiring from Arlington County and the Commonwealth of Virginia by condemnation and other means properties near the cemetery that contain the Southgate Road, South Joyce Street and Washington Boulevard right-of-ways, including

6407-605: The California primary on June 4, 1968, Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles . He died on June 6, 1968 at Good Samaritan Hospital. Had Kennedy been elected president, he would have been the first brother of a former U.S. president ( John F. Kennedy ) to win the presidency himself. When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson succeeded him with tremendous national popularity amid

6556-459: The California primary, at 39% to 30%. After President Johnson's withdrawal, the Wisconsin primary on April 2 was effectively uncontested. Senator Eugene McCarthy won 56–35%; Kennedy received 6 percent as a write-in candidate. Kennedy was ineligible for the ballot because he entered the race following the filing deadline. McCarthy easily won the uncontested Pennsylvania primary on April 23 and

6705-537: The California primary. Roger A. Bruns wrote the following about Kennedy's assassination: "For the country and especially for the farm workers community, the killing of Robert Kennedy was a profoundly tragic loss." Cesar Chavez claimed there were fifty Hispanics supporting the Kennedy campaign for every one that had backed his brother's campaign eight years prior. In the California primary, 95% of voting Hispanics supported Kennedy and he won 100% in several precincts. By

6854-556: The Civil War still ongoing, the Union acquired Arlington Cemetery for $ 26,800, equivalent to $ 522,087 in 2023, after the property was placed for tax sale. Mrs. Lee did not appear in person for the tax sale, but sent an agent, who attempted to pay the $ 92.07 allegedly owed in property taxes, equivalent to $ 1,794 in 2023, which had been assessed on the estate. The Union government, however, turned her agent away, and refused to accept

7003-725: The Custis-Lee Mansion, was passed on to her eldest grandson, George Washington Custis Lee . In April 1861, following the Confederate States Army bombing of Fort Sumter in the Battle of Fort Sumter and the Union Army 's subsequent surrender of the fort, the American Civil War was launched, and Virginia promptly seceded from the Union . On April 15, realizing that Fort Sumter's fall left

7152-576: The Democratic nomination on November 30, 1967. Following McCarthy's announcement, Kennedy remarked to U.S. Senator George McGovern of South Dakota that he was, "worried about [McGovern] and other people making early commitments to [McCarthy]." At a breakfast with reporters at the National Press Club on January 30, 1968, Kennedy once again indicated that he had no plans to run, but a few weeks later he had changed his mind about entering

7301-469: The DoD $ 84 million to plan, design and construct the Millennium Project. The legislation additionally appropriated to the DoD $ 19 million to study, plan and design a future expansion of the cemetery's burial space. On June 5, 2013, after reviewing 100 public comments that it had received on the revised environmental assessment, the Corps of Engineers released a final EA and a signed FONSI for

7450-566: The Indiana primary. His aides told him that a race in Indiana would be an extremely tight race and advised him against it. Despite the concerns of his advisors, Kennedy traveled to Indianapolis the following day and filed to run in the Indiana primary. At the Indiana Statehouse , Kennedy told a cheering crowd that the state was important to his campaign: "If we can win in Indiana, we can win in every other state, and win when we go to

7599-534: The Indiana primary; he didn't want to help Kennedy's chances of winning any primaries. According to Dominic Sandbrook, Kennedy's entry into the primary caused a shift in McCarthy's campaign—McCarthy was forced to further develop his own platform, instead of merely being antagonistic to the Johnson administration's policies. Walter LaFeber believed that animosity between the Kennedy and McCarthy campaigns had grown by

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7748-513: The Massachusetts primary on April 30. Vice President Hubert Humphrey announced his candidacy on April 27, and some analysts viewed Humphrey's unexpectedly strong showing in the Massachusetts primary (44,156 write-in votes, or 18 percent of the total) as a clear victory over Kennedy, a Brookline, Massachusetts native, who polled a meager 28 percent write-in vote. On March 27, 1968, Kennedy announced his intention to run against McCarthy in

7897-544: The McCarthy campaign with plans for supporting it toward gaining the nomination. Two days after Kennedy announced his candidacy, Vice President Hubert Humphrey said that RFK had supported the JFK administration's policies on the Vietnam conflict. Humphrey's office produced a statement from Kennedy, written six years prior, saying the U.S. would win in Vietnam. Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery

8046-418: The Millennium Project. The revised environmental assessment included copies of a number of public comments on the draft that criticized the project and parts of the assessment while proposing alternative locations for new military burials near the cemetery and elsewhere. However, the Department of Forestry of the Commonwealth of Virginia found that, based on information in the draft environmental assessment,

8195-454: The Millennium Project. The Final EA and the FONSI retained Alternative E as the preferred alternative. The final environmental assessment stated that, of the 905 trees to be removed, 771 trees were healthy native trees that had diameters between six and 41 inches. The project involved removing approximately 211 trees from a less than 2.63 acres (1.06 ha) area containing a portion of

8344-404: The National Capital Planning Commission approved the site and building plans for the Millennium Project. In August 2015, the U.S. Army removed Lechner as superintendent of the cemetery after a performance review "called into question his ability to serve successfully as a senior leader". The Army declined to elaborate further and appointed Hallinan to be the temporary Cemetery superintendent until

8493-611: The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 (Public Law 104–201) authorized the Secretary of the Interior to transfer to the Secretary of the Army all of the land in Section 29 that was within an "Arlington National Cemetery Interment Zone" and some of the land in the Section that was within a "Robert E. Lee Memorial Preservation Zone". On March 5, 1998, the National Park Service,

8642-635: The National Park Service published a Federal Register notice, announcing the availability of an environmental assessment for the transfer. The EA stated that the Interment Zone contained the oldest and largest tract of climax eastern hardwood forest in Arlington County. This forest was the same type that once covered the Arlington estate, and had regenerated from trees that were present historically. A forestry study determined that

8791-528: The New Hampshire primary. On March 12, when Johnson won an astonishingly narrow victory in the New Hampshire primary against McCarthy, who polled 42 percent of the vote, Kennedy knew it would be unlikely that the Minnesota senator would agree to withdraw. He moved forward with his plans to announce his candidacy. On March 16, Kennedy declared, "I am today announcing my candidacy for the presidency of

8940-405: The New Hampshire primary. The day after announcing his candidacy, Kennedy predicted that Johnson would lose the general election if he was the party's nominee, if he continued to "follow the same policies we are following at the moment." Kennedy told reporters during a flight to Kansas City : "I didn't want to run for President. But when [Johnson] made it clear the war would go on, and that nothing

9089-430: The North Vietnamese. Vice President Hubert Humphrey , long a champion of labor unions and civil rights, entered the race on April 27. Although he was a write-in candidate in some of the contests, Humphrey had announced his candidacy too late to be a formal candidate in most of the primaries. Despite late entry into the primary race, Humphrey had the support of the president and many Democratic insiders, which gave him

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9238-491: The Oregon primary posed several challenges to Kennedy's campaign. His campaign organization, run by U.S. Congresswoman Edith Green , was not strong and his platform emphasizing poverty, hunger, and minority issues did not resonate with Oregon voters. Mills wrote the following about Kennedy's calls for unity amongst Americans: "As far as Oregonians were concerned, America had not fallen apart." The Kennedy campaign circulated material on McCarthy's record; McCarthy had voted against

9387-457: The Secretary of the Interior to transfer to the Secretary of the Army jurisdiction over the Interment Zone, which is the plan in Alternative 3. Adoption of any of the other alternatives would require legislative action to amend the existing law." In 1998, a Congressional proposal to expand the cemetery onto land that the Navy Annex and Fort Myer then occupied led to concerns that Arlington County officials had not been properly consulted, leading to

9536-437: The Secretary of the Interior to transfer to the Secretary of the Army within 30 days the approximately 12 acres (4.9 ha) Interment Zone. The transfer therefore involved the entire 12 acres (4.9 ha) of NPS land that the 1995 agreement and Alternative 3 in the 1999 EA had described. The 2001 legislation required the Secretary of the Army to use the Interment Zone for in-ground burial sites and columbarium . In addition,

9685-417: The Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery, asked the U.S. Army's Quartermaster General to close the village on the grounds that people living in it had been taking trees at night from the cemetery for use as firewood. The Quartermaster General and the Secretary of War then approved Commerford's request. In 1874, George Washington Custis Lee sued the U.S. federal government , claiming ownership of

9834-454: The Supply Division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , overseeing the equipping security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan . Since 2010, he served as executive officer and deputy superintendent of the cemetery under Hallinan. In September 2008, environmentalists expressed concerns that the agreement would result in the partial destruction of the 24-acre (9.7 ha) remnant of a historically important stand of native trees. A historical marker near

9983-462: The U.S. Army a part of Arlington Woods, which was located in Section 29 of the National Park Service at Arlington National Cemetery between Arlington House and Fort Myer . The property transfer, which involved 12 acres (4.9 ha) of NPS land, was intended to permit Metzler to start expanding the cemetery beyond its existing boundaries. In September 1996, Arlington Cemetery received the authority to transfer 12 acres (4.9 ha) of woodland from

10132-508: The Union from Arlington and neighboring Alexandria . On May 7, 1861, however, the Confederate-aligned Virginia militia captured Arlington and Arlington House. With Confederate forces occupying the high ground of Arlington, the neighboring national capital in Washington, D.C. was left vulnerable to Confederate Army attack. Despite not wanting to leave Arlington House, Mary Lee believed her estate would soon be recaptured by Union soldiers. On May 14, she buried many of her family treasures on

10281-545: The Union. On May 13, 1864, William Henry Christman was buried at Arlington Cemetery, close to what is now the northeast gate in Section 27, even though Meigs did not formally authorize establishment of burials until the following month, on June 15, 1864. Consistent with the practices of many cemeteries in the late 19th century, Arlington Cemetery maintained segregated burial practices. On July 26, 1948, however, U.S. president Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981, which formally reversed this practice. In 1864, with

10430-402: The United States. He also argued that the focus of welfare spending should be shifted more towards improving credit and income for farmers. In 1968, Kennedy expressed his strong willingness to support a bill that was under consideration for the abolition of the death penalty. He argued that rising crime rates could be countered with more job and educational opportunities. However, Kennedy

10579-568: The United States. I do not run for the presidency merely to oppose any man, but to propose new policies. I run because I am convinced that this country is on a perilous course and because I have such strong feelings about what must be done, and I feel that I'm obliged to do all I can." Kennedy made this announcement from the same spot in the Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building where John F. Kennedy had announced his presidential candidacy in January 1960. McCarthy supporters angrily denounced Kennedy as an opportunist . With Kennedy joining

10728-485: The United States." From Kansas, Kennedy went on to campaign in the Democratic primaries in Indiana, Washington, D.C., Nebraska, Oregon, South Dakota, and California. On March 31, President Johnson stunned the nation by dropping out of the presidential race. He withdrew from the election during a televised speech, where he also announced a partial halt to the bombing of Vietnam and proposed peace negotiations with

10877-522: The Vietnam War . Shesol wrote that Kennedy moved to a praising tone of Johnson, crediting Johnson with fulfillment of "the policies of thirty years" during an April 1 appearance in New Jersey. While in Philadelphia , he called Johnson's withdrawal an "act of leadership and sacrifice." On April 3, 1968, three days after President Johnson announced that he would not seek the nomination, Kennedy and

11026-638: The Virginia Native Plant Society recognized the woodland as being one of the best examples of old growth terraced gravel forest remaining in Virginia. On December 12, 2012, the United States Army Corps of Engineers asked for comments on a draft environmental assessment that described a further expansion of Arlington National Cemetery as part of the Millennium Project. The 2012 draft environmental assessment

11175-579: The Washington Boulevard-Columbia Pike interchange. The Army then informed the Arlington County government in June 2017 that the Army would no longer pursue a land exchange with the county. The Army told the County that the Army would use the entire Navy Annex site to expand the cemetery and would acquire for the cemetery about 5 acres (2.0 ha) of public land that Arlington County then owned. The Army would also acquire for

11324-550: The Wisconsin and West Virginia primaries. Kennedy ran on a platform of racial equality , economic justice , non-aggression in foreign policy, decentralization of power, and social improvement. A crucial element of his campaign was youth engagement. "You are the people," Kennedy said, "who have the least ties to the present and the greatest stake in the future." According to Schlesinger, Kennedy's presidential campaign generated "wild enthusiasm" as well as deep anger. He visited numerous small towns and made himself available to

11473-613: The candidate to speak out against violence and rioting, emphasize his "law enforcement experience" as former U.S. attorney general, and promote the idea that the federal government and the private sector should work together to solve domestic issues. Martin also urged Kennedy to speak out on the war in Vietnam—support for the cessation of hostilities and reallocating war funds to domestic programs were ideas which "always got applause." To appeal to Indiana's more-conservative voters, Kennedy "toned down his rhetoric" as well. Kennedy delivered

11622-457: The cemetery grounds into burial space in 2006 and 2007 to allow an additional 26,000 graves and 5,000 inurnments . The Millennium Project expanded the cemetery's physical boundaries for the first time since the 1960s, and was the largest expansion of burial space at the site since the U.S. Civil War. Several environmental and historical preservation groups criticized Metzler's plans, as did the NPS and

11771-783: The cemetery's management controversy began to end, the Army appointed Patrick K. Hallinan the acting superintendent of the cemetery in June 2010. He was promoted permanently to the position in October 2010. Hallinan had previously worked for the Office of Field Programs in the National Cemetery Administration, an agency of the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs . In that capacity, Hallinan had oversight of 131 national cemeteries, national cemetery policy, procedures, and operations. Hallinan

11920-485: The confiscated weapons to be used in the memorial's design. The City of Indianapolis contributed significantly to the project by completely redesigning the southern half of King Memorial Park where the sculpture would stand. This effort amounted to a $ 350,000 addition to the total project and was overseen by the Indianapolis Parks and Recreation Department and its landscape architecture staff. The unveiling of

12069-841: The convention in August." On April 4, 1968, Kennedy made his first campaign stop in Indiana at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend , followed by a speech at Ball State University in Muncie . In his speech at Ball State, Kennedy suggested that the 1968 election would "determine the direction that the United States is going to move" and that the American people should "examine everything. Not take anything for granted." In addition, Kennedy enumerated his concerns about poverty and hunger, lawlessness and violence, jobs and economic development, and foreign policy. He emphasized that Americans had

12218-515: The early morning hours of June 5, Kennedy left the Ambassador Hotel's ballroom through a service area to greet kitchen workers. In a crowded kitchen passageway, Sirhan Sirhan , a 24-year-old Palestinian-born Jordanian , opened fire with a .22 caliber revolver and mortally wounded Kennedy. Following the shooting, Kennedy was rushed to Central Receiving Hospital and then transferred to The Good Samaritan Hospital , where he died early in

12367-461: The end of March. Following President Johnson's withdrawal from the primary, McCarthy said: "Up to now Bobby was Jack running against Lyndon. Now Bobby has to run against Jack." Mills wrote that Kennedy's focus on providing assistance for the poor and powerless during the Indiana primary was meant to highlight an issue that the McCarthy campaign had neglected. After his Nebraska victory, Kennedy said that McCarthy supporters should support him to prevent

12516-438: The end of a 25-day hunger strike . En route to California, Kennedy told his aide, Peter Edelman, that he had decided to run and had to "figure out how to get McCarthy out of it." The weekend before the New Hampshire primary , Kennedy told several aides that he would run if he could persuade McCarthy to withdraw from the presidential race. Kennedy agreed to McCarthy's request to delay an announcement of his intentions until after

12665-463: The estate and receiving schooling and occupational training, both during the Civil War and after its end. In May 1864, the Union Army suffered large fatalities in the Battle of the Wilderness . Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs ordered a review of eligible sites for the establishment of a large and new national military cemetery. Within weeks, his staff reported that Arlington Estate

12814-471: The eulogy by paraphrasing George Bernard Shaw , "As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he touched and who sought to touch him: 'Some men see things as they are and say why? I dream things that never were and say why not? ' " Later that day, a funeral train carried Kennedy's body from New York's Penn Station to Washington, D.C.'s Union Station , where he was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery . Kennedy's death continues to be

12963-590: The evaluation of environmental impacts....., no significant impacts would be expected from the Proposed Action; therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement will not be prepared and a Finding of No Significant Impact will be prepared and signed." In January 2013, the county manager of Arlington County, Virginia, and the executive director of the Army National Military Cemeteries (consisting of Arlington National Cemetery and

13112-403: The fall of 1965 showed 72% of respondents believed RFK wanted to become the president, and 40% of independents and 56% of Democrats stated their support for a possible bid. Harris and Gallup polls released in August 1966 showed RFK being favored over President Johnson for the nomination by 2% among Democrats and 14% by independents. A late March Gallup poll released shortly before RFK's entry into

13261-607: The first national Memorial Day ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery. In October 1991, John C. Metzler Jr. , Arlington Cemetery's superintendent, implemented a $ 1.4 million plan to clear a former 13-acre (5.3 ha) parking lot to create additional space that would accommodate approximately 9,000 additional grave sites. In 1992, the Worcester Wreath company in Harrington, Maine , had

13410-790: The following year, on June 1, 1862, Lee was appointed commander of the Army of Northern Virginia , the Confederate Army's primary military force. When the Civil War commenced, American military personnel who died in battle near Washington, D.C. , were buried at the United States Soldiers' Cemetery in Washington, D.C., or Alexandria Cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia . By late 1863, however, both cemeteries were nearly full. On May 3, 1861, General Winfield Scott ordered Brigadier General Irvin McDowell to clear all troops not loyal to

13559-621: The gathered crowd at 17th and Broadway, near the site where the memorial now stands. Instead of a campaign stump speech, he delivered a five-minute improvised statement informing the crowd of King's death and urging racial reconciliation. No riots took place in Indianapolis, a fact many attribute to the effect of Kennedy's speech. The idea to create the Landmark for Peace was originally suggested by Indiana Democratic politician, Larry Allyn Conrad . Before his death Conrad befriended Steve Mannheimer, an Indianapolis Star art critic and Herron School of Art professor. They once spoke at length about

13708-421: The grounds, and then left for her sister's estate at Ravensworth in present-day Fairfax County, Virginia . Some of the personal property she buried included family portraits that were stolen by Union soldiers. McDowell occupied Arlington without opposition on May 24. On July 16, 1862, the U.S. Congress passed legislation authorizing the U.S. federal government to purchase land for national cemeteries for

13857-590: The historical importance of these two great Americans and powerfully expressed the spirit of reconciliation and the striving for peace people still found in the story of their lives—and deaths. Before the actual construction of the memorial began, a ceremonial groundbreaking was held on May 14, 1994. This event attracted President Bill Clinton , Senator Ted Kennedy , RFK's widow Ethel Kennedy , two sons of King, Dexter Scott King and Martin Luther King III , as well as other Indiana and national dignitaries. As

14006-490: The idea of a memorial as an ideal project to launch the Foundation and asked Mannheimer to work with Pacers executive Kathryn Jordan on the project. Together Mannheimer and Jordan developed a plan to hold a national design competition to create a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. The design competition was funded by the Pacers Foundation. Jurors for the competition included Bret Waller, director of

14155-500: The incumbent president, Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy had not ruled out entering the race. His younger brother Ted Kennedy was the leading voice against a bid for the presidency. He felt that his brother ought to wait until 1972 , after Johnson’s tenure was finished. If RFK ran in 1968 and lost in the primaries to a sitting president, Ted felt that it would destroy his brother's chances later. U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota had announced his intention to run against Johnson for

14304-423: The informal New Hampshire vice-presidential primary, Kennedy defeated Hubert H. Humphrey in a landslide. In July 1964, Johnson issued an official statement ruling out any cabinet member for the vice presidency. In search of a way out of the dilemma, Kennedy asked speechwriter Milton Gwirtzman to write a memo comparing two offices: 1) governor of Massachusetts and 2) U.S. senator from New York, and "which would be

14453-455: The insurgent candidacy of George Wallace in the fall of 1968." An internal memo released during the Indiana primary showed that Kennedy-backing voters had favorable opinions of Wallace. Samuel Lubell, though noting Kennedy's support among blacks, stated that he "had also carried the racially sensitive low-income white workers who come in from rural areas to settle in east Omaha." Kennedy endeared himself to farmworkers through his support of

14602-509: The interest of both of them in the Presidency and the ambition of both of them." Prior to Kennedy's announcement of his intentions to run, close friend Arthur Schlesinger Jr. wrote in a journal that he'd never seen Kennedy "so torn about anything...I think that he cannot bear the thought of consigning the country to four more years of LBJ, without having done something to avert this." Kennedy announced his candidacy after Johnson almost lost

14751-441: The internet. Thousands of people called Worcester Wreath Company, wanting to replicate the wreath-laying service at their own veteran cemeteries. In 2014, volunteers were able to place wreaths in all sections of the cemetery for the first time. On February 22, 1995, officials of the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Department of the Army signed an agreement to transfer from Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, to

14900-473: The investigation commenced. In March 2011, as a result of the problems discovered, Kathryn Condon, the recently appointed executive director of the Army National Military Cemeteries, announced that the cemetery's staff had been increased from 102 to 159. She added that the cemetery was also acquiring additional equipment because, "They didn't have the proper equipment to do the job really to the standard they needed to do." The mismanagement controversy included

15049-399: The issues of ranching and agriculture —subjects of high importance to Nebraskans—and the short amount of time to campaign in the state after the Indiana primary. Kennedy won the Nebraska primary on May 14, with 51.4 percent of the vote to McCarthy's 31 percent. Kennedy won 24 of the 25 counties that he visited ahead of the vote; of those, Mills noted that the sole county he lost harbored

15198-431: The largest black populations. Richardson noted that Kennedy was appealing to low-earning black voters. Kennedy had received support from black people by "an overwhelming margin." Support amongst black voters was one of the key factors in Kennedy's victory in Indiana, where he gave a notable speech on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Indianapolis days before the primary took place. Samuel Lubell argued that

15347-548: The legislation required the Secretary of the Interior to manage the remainder of Section 29 "in perpetuity to provide a natural setting and visual buffer for Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial." In 2007, Metzler implemented the Millennium Project, a $ 35 million expansion plan to begin utilizing the Arlington woodland, Fort Myer, and Navy Annex land. The project also included converting 40 acres (16 ha) of unused space and 4 acres (16,000 m ) of maintenance property on

15496-900: The manager of Arlington House. On June 9, 2010, United States Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh reprimanded the cemetery's superintendent, John C. Metzler, Jr., and his deputy, Thurman Higgenbotham, after a DOD inspector general 's report revealed that cemetery officials had placed the wrong headstones on tombs, buried coffins in shallow graves, and buried bodies on top of one another. Metzler, who had already announced his intention to retire on July 2, 2010, admitted some mistakes had been made but denied allegations of widespread or serious mismanagement. The investigation also found that cemetery employees were burdened in their day-to-day work by "dysfunctional management, lack of established policy and procedures, and an overall unhealthy organizational climate." Both Metzler and Higgenbotham retired soon after

15645-465: The masses by participating in long motorcades and street-corner stump speeches , often in inner cities. Kennedy's candidacy faced opposition from Southern Democrats , leaders of organized labor, and the business community, where he was viewed as a fiscal liability. At one of his university speeches ( Indiana University Medical School ), he was asked, "Where are we going to get the money to pay for all these new programs you're proposing?" He replied to

15794-587: The medical students, about to enter lucrative careers, "From you." Kennedy did not support an immediate withdrawal of U.S. military personnel from Vietnam or an immediate end to the war. He sought to end the conflict by strengthening the South Vietnamese military and reducing corruption within the South Vietnamese government. He supported a peace settlement between North and South Vietnam. Kennedy argued that increased government cooperation with private enterprise would reduce housing and employment woes in

15943-411: The memorial construction got underway, the jury suggested modifications to make Perry's original design more open and inviting. These included shortening and some physical piercing of the walls to allow greater visual penetration of the entire structure. Perry worked with Mannheimer and Daniel Edwards , who sculpted and oversaw casting of the figures of King and Kennedy, to fine-tune the design. To relieve

16092-482: The monolithic solidity of the steel walls, the three conceived the idea of openings contoured to suggest shadows cast by the half-figures. After several attempts to shine bright lights on the half-figures to create actual shadows, Mannheimer drew the desired contours in chalk on the steel walls, which were laser cut and smoothed to create the cut-outs. The total cost of creating and installing the memorial, including two markers with bronze plaques, approached $ 200,000. One of

16241-600: The morning on June 6. Kennedy's body was returned to New York City, where he lay in repose at St. Patrick's Cathedral for several days before the Requiem Mass was held there on June 8. His younger brother, U.S. Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy , eulogized him with the words: "My brother need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it." Kennedy concluded

16390-504: The national capital of Washington, D.C. highly vulnerable to Confederate attack and occupation, President Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers from around the Union to help defend it. Five days after Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers to defend the national capital, on April 20, Robert E. Lee , embracing the cause of Virginia's separation from the Union , resigned his U.S. Army commission to lead Virginia's separatist armed forces;

16539-581: The need to commemorate the events of April 4, 1968, and Robert Kennedy's speech to a crowd gathered near the corner of 17th and Broadway streets in Indianapolis. At the time Conrad was an executive with the Simon Property Group , the Indianapolis-based shopping mall developers, and a close friend of Herbert A. Simon and his wife Diane, who had been a worker in Kennedy's campaign at the time of his speech. Conrad suggested that should

16688-579: The nomination of Humphrey at the Democratic National Convention. McCarthy rebuked Kennedy's proposals about fixing cities during a late May speech at University of California, Davis . The McCarthy campaign believed that if Kennedy did well enough to survive the California primary, it would lead to a fractured Democratic National Convention where McCarthy would be the alternative for those opposed to both Kennedy and Humphrey. After Kennedy's assassination, some Kennedy advisors joined

16837-467: The ones who divide us." In late March, three days before Johnson announced that he would not be seeking the Democratic Party's nomination, James H. Rowe sent Johnson a memorandum charging that Kennedy's backers had said "the president would not run and that the best course for the Democrats was to 'Stay loose and stay committed. ' " A late-March Gallup poll showed Kennedy defeating President Johnson in

16986-492: The plaques contains the text of Kennedy's speech, parts of which were later inscribed on his own memorial at Arlington National Cemetery after the senator's assassination later that year. A marker near the actual spot from which Kennedy spoke contains remnants of guns confiscated by the Indianapolis police or collected as part of a city amnesty program created in conjunction with the Indiana Pacers. The contest required

17135-440: The preferred alternative (Alternative 1) would transfer to the cemetery approximately 9.6 acres (3.9 ha), comprising most of the Interment Zone and the northern tip of the Preservation Zone. Another alternative (Alternative 3) would transfer to the cemetery the 12 acres (4.9 ha) Interment Zone, while keeping the 12.5 acres (5.1 ha) Preservation Zone under NPS jurisdiction. The EA concluded: "Public Law 104-201 directed

17284-647: The president met at the White House. When asked about his intentions for the primary, Johnson replied: "Stay out of it." Although Johnson's withdrawal from the race meant Vice-President Humphrey would enter, Kennedy had gained the president's declaration of neutrality. In comments to Henry Ford II and Gregory Peck , Johnson concluded that Kennedy won his June debate with McCarthy. After the primaries, Senator Eugene McCarthy claimed that Kennedy had promised in November 1967 that he would not run. Prior to entering

17433-687: The presidential primary race. On February 29, 1968, the Kerner Commission issued a report on the racial unrest that had affected American cities during the previous summer. The Kerner Commission blamed "white racism" for the violence, but its findings were largely dismissed by the Johnson administration. Concerned about President Johnson's policies and actions, Kennedy asked his advisor, historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. : "How can we possibly survive five more years of Lyndon Johnson?" Disagreement amongst Kennedy's friends, political advisors, and family members further complicated his decision to launch

17582-467: The primary showed him leading President Johnson by three points at 44% to 41%. A poll released in the early part of April featured Kennedy with a 26-point lead over McCarthy in the Indiana primary, at 46% to 19%. Another April poll in Indiana, the Oliver Quayle survey, showed Kennedy with a three-to-one lead over McCarthy and the state's governor Roger D. Branigin ; Schmitt noted the poll featured

17731-420: The primary, he told reporters Hayne Johnson and Jack Newfield: "I can't be a hypocrite anymore. I just don't believe Gene McCarthy would be a good president. If it had been George McGovern who had run in New Hampshire, I wouldn't have gotten into it. But what has McCarthy ever done for the ghettos or for the poor?" The day Kennedy announced his entry into the primary, McCarthy reversed his decision to not enter

17880-444: The private ownership of Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee 's family following a tax dispute over the property. The cemetery is managed by the U.S. Department of the Army . As of 2024, it conducts approximately 27 to 30 funerals each weekday and between six and eight services on Saturday. In April 2014, Arlington National Cemetery Historic District, including Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington House , Memorial Drive,

18029-527: The project would not have a significant adverse impact on the Commonwealth's forest resources. The revised EA did not change the preferred alternative (Alternative E) or the Army's plans to prepare and sign the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) that the draft EA had described. On March 26, 2013, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 ( Public Law 113–6) appropriated to

18178-468: The property for use as part of the cemetery, while requiring the Secretary of the Army to incorporate the Annex property into the cemetery. On December 28, 2001, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 (Public Law 107-107) repealed the "obsolete" part of Public Law 104-201 that had authorized the transfer of portions of Section 29 to the Secretary of the Army. The new legislation required

18327-500: The prospect of a contentious primary seriously, after having underestimated the political skillfulness of John F. Kennedy in 1960. During a December 19, 1967 press conference, Johnson said the following about what he called the Kennedy-McCarthy movement: "I don't know what the effect of the Kennedy-McCarthy movement is having in the country ...I am not privileged to all of the conversations that have taken place ...I do know of

18476-444: The purpose of burying military dead, and placed the U.S. Army Quartermaster General in charge of this program. Beginning in 1863, the federal government used the southern portion of the land now occupied by the cemetery as a settlement for freed slaves, giving the land the name "Freedman's Village". The government constructed rental houses that 1,100 to 3,000 freed slaves eventually occupied while farming 1,100 acres (450 ha) of

18625-471: The race after Johnson's withdrawal, but Kennedy and McCarthy remained the main challengers to the policies of the Johnson administration. During the spring of 1968, Kennedy led a leading campaign in presidential primary elections throughout the United States. Kennedy's campaign was especially active in Indiana , Nebraska , Oregon , South Dakota , California , and Washington, D.C. After declaring victory in

18774-429: The race, Kennedy worried McCarthy lacked a platform, as the latter had rarely spoken about domestic issues. In mid-March, Ted Kennedy attempted to broker "a political deal" where his brother would remain out of the race, if McCarthy spoke out on domestic problems. McCarthy declined and the refusal propelled Schlesinger's unsuccessful suggestion that Kennedy endorse McCarthy. The day before Kennedy announced his entry into

18923-451: The race, liberal Democrats thought that votes among supporters of the anti-war movement would now be split between McCarthy and Kennedy. On March 17, Kennedy made his first campaign appearances by marching in the St. Patrick's Day Parades in Boston and New York City. The following day, he delivered his first campaign speech at Kansas State University , where he had previously agreed to give

19072-662: The race. In early February 1968, after the Tet Offensive in Vietnam , Kennedy received an anguished letter from writer Pete Hamill , noting that poor people in the Watts area of Los Angeles had hung pictures of Kennedy's brother, President John F. Kennedy, in their homes. Hamill's letter reminded Robert Kennedy that he had an "obligation of staying true to whatever it was that put those pictures on those walls." There were other factors that influenced Kennedy's decision to enter

19221-664: The southwest border of the Navy Annex site for a new Southgate Road. In exchange, the Department of Defense would give the Navy Annex parking lot to the county. The Army would also transfer land west of South Joyce Street to Columbia Pike to Arlington County. Additionally, the Commonwealth of Virginia would convey to the cemetery roughly the northern half of the Virginia Department of Transportation land bounded by South Joyce Street, Columbia Pike, and South Washington Boulevard . The cloverleaf interchange between Columbia Pike and S. Washington Blvd. would be eliminated, and

19370-400: The subject of much historical analysis, in addition to multiple conspiracy theories . Kennedy had been a supporter of the civil rights movement . During the campaign, there were signs in black neighborhoods that read "Kennedy white but alright / The one before, he opened the door." In the Indiana primary, Kennedy secured 86% of the black vote. His performance was strongest in cities with

19519-514: The tendered payment. The Washington Chronicle described the Freedmen's Village at Arlington in an article published in September 1864 and recorded at that time, "This cemetery is at present divided into the upper yard and the lower yard. The upper yard contains fourteen hundred graves, and the lower twelve hundred. These graves are marked with wooden slabs, with the exception of one marble slab in

19668-422: The time of the primary, he had become "the leading candidate among Latinos in California." Hispanic input heavily impacted Kennedy's victory. Even before Kennedy announced his candidacy, President Lyndon B. Johnson was convinced that Kennedy wanted to challenge him. Johnson was convinced that his presidency would be "trapped forever between the two Kennedys" administrations. Jeff Shesol wrote that Johnson took

19817-475: The upper and one in the lower yard. As we passed by it, a cortege of five ambulances, containing nine coffins, moved by. Some of the coffins were draped with our colors. The cemetery is as yet enclosed with a wooden fence." In 1866, The Old Bell Church , led by Rev. Robert S. Laws , was founded. After Freedman's Village became part of a military reservation, the government asked the villagers to leave. In 1887, however, some still remained, and John A. Commerford,

19966-538: The victory was partially inspired by Kennedy's support for corporate attempts to hire blacks; he wrote that Kennedy had largely won "the Negro wards." However, Indianapolis Star journalist Will Higgins noted that Kennedy got a boost from the King assassination speech, which, unlike many other American cities , aided Indianapolis in being spared of riots. Higgins also noted that the crowd which Kennedy spoke with that evening

20115-428: The withdrawal of the proposal. However, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 (Public Law 106–65), which was enacted into law during October 1999, subsequently required the Secretary of Defense to transfer administrative jurisdiction of the 36 acres (15 ha) Navy Annex property to the Secretary of the Army. The Act required the Secretary of Defense to demolish the Annex's buildings and prepare

20264-546: The woodland notes that, while visiting Arlington House in 1825, Marquis de Lafayette , the French volunteer to the Continental Army who ultimately became one of George Washington 's long-standing friends, warned Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis , wife of George Washington Parke Custis , "Cherish these forest trees around your mansion. Recollect how much easier it is to cut a tree than to make one grow." The marker notes that

20413-732: Was also known for his focus on law and order , stating “I was the chief law-enforcement offer of the United States. I promise if elected, I will do all in my power to bring an end to this violence,” while Richard Nixon remarked "Do you know a lot of these people think Bobby is more a law-and-order man than I am!" Kennedy supported laws that would reduce casual firearm purchases. He said he believed in keeping firearms away from "people who have no business" with them—specifying criminals, individuals with mental health issues, and minors as classes of persons who should be prevented from purchasing firearms. Kennedy argued for legislation, which would reform flagrant tax loopholes. A Gallup poll conducted in

20562-418: Was completed. Custis initially intended the house to serve as a home and memorial to George Washington , his foster father, but Washington died on December 14, 1799. Custis' will granted a life inheritance of the house to his wife, allowing her to live at and run Arlington House for the rest of her life but prohibiting her from selling any portion of it. Following his wife's death, Arlington House, then known as

20711-456: Was confirmed, Kennedy sent a congratulatory message to McCarthy in which he asserted that he would remain in the race. Kennedy began campaigning in California before the Oregon primary; after his loss in Oregon, California's winner-take-all primary became crucial to both his and McCarthy's campaigns. In South Dakota, he also hoped to simultaneously pull off an upset victory over McCarthy and Humphrey, both from neighboring Minnesota. For Kennedy,

20860-691: Was estimated to be only 2,500 people. In the Nebraska primary, Kennedy ended his campaigning in the state with a speech in a black neighborhood in Omaha . While a late May poll showed that only 40% of overall respondents believed Kennedy embodied "many of the same outstanding qualities" of the late President Kennedy, 94% of black respondents agreed with the comparison. When McCarthy revealed that Kennedy had agreed to limited surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr. back in 1963, blacks in California considered switching their support to McCarthy. In Oakland , Kennedy met with Black Panthers amid other minority activists in

21009-569: Was going into the Senate to stay there. It was understood that it was the next move on the way to reclaiming what was rightfully the Kennedys, namely, the White House." Kennedy was a late entry in making a campaign announcement for the primary race in the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 1968. His political advisors had been pressuring him to make a decision, fearing Kennedy was running out of time to announce his candidacy. Although Kennedy and his advisors knew it would not be easy to beat

21158-545: Was going to change, I had no choice." Clarke wrote that Kennedy was conveying he had a moral obligation to do everything in his power to prevent a prolonging of the policies he opposed. In mid-March, during an appearance at Vanderbilt University in Nashville , Kennedy charged Johnson's leadership with leading to the divisiveness of the U.S.: "They are the ones, the President of the United States, President Johnson, they are

21307-473: Was intended to implement conversion into burial space of the 17 acres (6.9 ha) of Fort Myer grounds and 10 acres (4.0 ha) of Section 29 woodland. The draft described seven alternatives. The preferred alternative (Alternative E) called for the removal of about one-half of the 1,700 trees with a diameter of 6 inches (15 cm) or greater on the site. About 640 of the trees were within a 135-year-old portion of Arlington Woods. The draft concluded, "Based on

21456-405: Was less interested in obtaining the property than in receiving cash compensation for it. On March 3, 1883, Custis Lee sold it back to the U.S. government for $ 150,000 (equivalent to $ 4,161,818 in 2023) at a signing ceremony with then Secretary of War Robert Todd Lincoln . The land then became a U.S. military reservation. In 1900, the last remaining residents of the village departed after

21605-503: Was now in second place with 393 total delegates, against Humphrey's 561 delegates. Around midnight on June 5, Kennedy addressed supporters at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, confidently promising to heal the many divisions within the country. At approximately 12:10 a.m., concluding his victory speech, Kennedy said: "So my thanks to all of you and on to Chicago and let's win there." After addressing his supporters during

21754-432: Was planned for the memorial. Components of this expansion would include an eternal flame incorporated into the site, an amphitheater to seat 75 to 200 people, and twin elliptical walkways along a wall that abruptly end to symbolize the sudden end of the lives of King and Kennedy. Robert F. Kennedy presidential campaign, 1968 The Robert F. Kennedy presidential campaign began on March 16, 1968, when Kennedy ,

21903-451: Was promoted to executive director of the Army National Military Cemeteries upon the retirement of Kathryn Condon in spring 2014. In May 2014, Hallinan stepped down and was replaced by Jack E. Lechner, Jr. as superintendent of the cemetery. Lechner had been a funeral director for 10 years in the private sector before joining the U.S. Army. He rose to the rank of colonel, and retired in November 2011 after having spent 2008 to 2010 as chief of

22052-424: Was second with 31 percent of the vote; and McCarthy, earning 27 percent, came in third. On May 7, Kennedy won the Washington, D.C. primary with 62.5 percent of the vote; Humphrey received 37.5 percent. Two-thirds of Washington's 810,000 residents were African American, and Kennedy's campaign staff successfully geared its efforts to win their support. "But here a light turnout and Mr. Humphrey's inaction," reported

22201-491: Was the most suitable property in the area. The property was located at a relatively high elevation and was typically free from floods capable of unearthing graves, and it was aesthetically pleasing. An additional factor in its selection was likely that it was the residence of Robert E. Lee, a leader in the Confederate States Army, and denying Lee use of his home during and following the war was advantageous to

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