Adlai E. Stevenson II, Presidential Contender

Historian Richard Norton Smith, former Senator Adlai Stevenson III, and Newton Minow, who had worked for him, talked about the life and career of 1952 and 1956 Democratic presidential nominee Adlai E. Stevenson II (1900-1965). They responded to telephone calls and electronic communications from the Stevenson family home in Libertyville, Illinois. While governor of Illinois, he was drafted as the Democratic nominee against General Eisenhower. Twice defeated in the general election, he lost the 1960 nomination to Senator John Kennedy, who later appointed him as ambassador to the United Nations. Video clips of speeches and campaign ads were shown, including an August 1, 1960, news conference with Senator Kennedy. Jacqueline Kennedy was heard in a March 1964 interview.