Adlai Stevenson II

Politician

1900 – 1965

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Who was Adlai Stevenson II?

Adlai Ewing Stevenson II was an American politician, noted for his intellectual demeanor, eloquent oratory, and promotion of liberal causes in the Democratic Party. He served as the 31st Governor of Illinois, and received the Democratic Party's nomination for president in 1952 and 1956; both times he was defeated by Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower. He sought the Democratic presidential nomination for a third time in the election of 1960, but was defeated by Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts. After his election, President Kennedy appointed Stevenson as the Ambassador to the United Nations; he served from 1961 to 1965. He died on July 14, 1965 in London after suffering a heart attack.

The prominent historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., who served as one of his speechwriters, wrote that "Stevenson was a great creative figure in American politics. He turned the Democratic Party around in the fifties and made JFK possible...to the United States and the world he was the voice of a reasonable, civilized, and elevated America. He brought a new generation into politics, and moved millions of people in the United States and around the world."

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Born
Feb 5, 1900
Los Angeles
Also known as
  • Adlai Stevenson
  • Adlai Ewing Stevenson II
  • The Man from Libertyville
  • Adlai E. Stevenson
Parents
Siblings
Spouses
Children
Religion
  • Christian Unitarianism
  • Unitarian Universalism
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession
Education
  • Princeton University
  • Northwestern University School of Law
  • Harvard Law School
  • Northwestern University
  • Choate Rosemary Hall
  • Harvard University
Lived in
  • Libertyville
  • Bloomington
Died
Jul 14, 1965
London

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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"Adlai Stevenson II." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/adlai_stevenson>.

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