Birth of Everett Dirksen
Statesman Everett McKinley Dirksen was born on January 4, 1896, in Pekin, Illinois.
Born to German immigrants, Dirksen had a fraternal twin and another brother. His father died when he was just nine years old. The Dirksen family farm was on the outskirts of Pekin in an area known as Beantown because they grew beans instead of flowers.
After receiving his early education, Dirksen briefly attended the University of Minnesota Law School. He then left school to join the Army in World War I. During the war, he served as a second lieutenant in a field artillery battery.
After WWI, Dirksen explored a variety of business and personal interests. He invested in an electric washing machine business, ran a bakery with his brothers, and wrote short stories and plays. He also became an active member of the American Legion, which helped him to develop his public speaking skills.
Dirksen entered politics in 1926 when he was elected to the Pekin City Council. Having received the most votes of the eight candidates, Dirksen was also made Pekin’s commissioner of accounts and finance. He served in both roles until 1931.
In 1932, Dirksen won a congressional seat and was re-elected seven times. During his tenure, Dirksen studied law on his own and was admitted to the bar in the District of Columbia and Illinois. He supported many of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal programs and lobbied for additional staff during World War II. Dirksen then helped pass an amendment to the Lend-Lease Act that gave the House and Senate the authority to revoke powers given to the president.
Dirksen briefly left politics in 1948 but returned after just two years when he was elected to represent Illinois in the Senate in 1950. Dirksen became known for his keen political skills and over-the-top speaking, which earned him the nickname “The Wizard of Ooze.”
Dirksen was elected Senate Minority Leader in 1959 and held that position until his death. In that role, he worked to unite different groups within the Republican Party, namely by giving younger members more representation in the Senate and better appointments. Dirksen became one of the most vocal members of Republican Party during the 1960s, appearing on television frequently. He supported President Lyndon Johnson’s decision to escalate the war in Vietnam.
Dirksen was also crucial to the passage of 1960s Civil Rights legislation. In 1964, Southern Democrats led a 54-day filibuster to prevent the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Dirksen, along with two other senators, created a new bill in the hopes that it could swing enough votes to stop the filibuster. After much debate and the introduction of an amendment, the act was approved and the filibuster ended.
In addition to his political career, Dirksen recorded four spoken-word albums. For this work, he won a Grammy for Best Documentary Recording and became the oldest person at the time to appear on the Billboard Hot 100’s top 40.
In August 1969, Everett discovered he had lung cancer. Although he had it removed, he suffered complications and died on September 7, 1969.
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One of the most colorful Senators in its history. He does indeed deserve some of the credit for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 & the Voting Rights Act a year later. Still on the debit side he also tolerated the activities of Joe McCarthy too long.
I read these vignettes every day and learn so much. It is one of the reasons I collect stamps.
I can remember when Senator Dirksen was the blunt-speaking firebrand of the Senate in the 1960s. He had the ability to demonstrate principled resolve, but also possessed the wisdom to know how and when to compromise to attain a greater outcome. He spoke in a memorable gravelly voice, his comments often topped with a dash of wry humor. I wish we had someone like Senator Dirksen around today.
Harry Truman said it best: “The only thing new in the world is the history you do not know.â€
Thank you, Mystic, for bringing to light each day some of the history we do not know.
One of my favorite Dirksen quotes, A Billion here a Billion there, pretty soon we are talking real money !
Senator Dirksen was a Republican who wasn’t totally hung up on right-wing partisanship and was willing to compromise for what was good for America. Too bad there aren’t more Republicans in Congress like that now.