Everett Dirksen | |
---|---|
United States Senator from Illinois | |
In office January 3, 1951 – September 7, 1969 | |
Preceded by | Scott W. Lucas |
Succeeded by | Ralph Tyler Smith |
Senate Minority Leader | |
In office January 3, 1959 – September 7, 1969 | |
Deputy | Thomas Kuchel Hugh D. Scott, Jr. (whips) |
Preceded by | William F. Knowland |
Succeeded by | Hugh D. Scott, Jr. |
Senate Minority Whip | |
In office January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1959 | |
Leader | William F. Knowland |
Preceded by | Leverett Saltonstall |
Succeeded by | Thomas Kuchel |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 16th district | |
In office March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1949 | |
Preceded by | William E. Hull |
Succeeded by | Leo E. Allen |
Personal details | |
Born | Everett McKinley Dirksen January 4, 1896 Pekin, Illinois |
Died | September 7, 1969 Walter Reed General Hospital Washington, D.C. | (aged 73)
Nationality | American |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Louella Carver Dirksen |
Alma mater | University of Minnesota Law School |
Military service | |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1918-1919 |
Rank | Second Lieutenant |
Battles/wars | World War I |
Everett McKinley Dirksen (January 4, 1896 – September 7, 1969) was an American politician. He represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives (1933–1949) and U.S. Senate (1951–1969).
As Senate Minority Leader for ten years, he was very important in the politics during the 1960s. Some things he did was to help passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Open Housing Act of 1968, both landmarks of civil rights legislation.
He was also one of the Senate's strongest supporters of the Vietnam War and was known as "The Wizard of Ooze" for his oratorical style. Dirksen was a freemason.[1]
Dirksen died on September 7, 1969 in Washington, D.C. from cardiopulmonary arrest caused by lung cancer-related bronchopneumonia, aged 73.