Gov. Adlai Ewing Stevenson, Jr.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adlai_Stevenson_II

Gov. Aldlai E. Stevenson, II was the grandson of Vice President Aldlai Ewing Stevenson and the son of Illinois Secretary of State Lewis G. Stevenson. Adlai II was born Feb. 5, 1900 in Los Angeles, California where is father was temporarily working and he was raised in Bloomington, Illinois. He attended University High School in Normal and when America entered World War I, Adlai enlisted in the Navy as a seaman apprentice. He graduated from Princeton University in 1922 with an A.B. and attended one full year at Harvard Law School but dropped out in his second year. He returned to Bloomington to write for The Daily Pantagraph newspaper that had been founded by his maternal great grandfather James Fell. Adlai, II eventually returned to the study of law at Northwestern University School of Law and earned a Juris Doctor degree there in 1926. While practicing law in Chicago, in 1928 he married a wealthy Chicago socialite, Ellen Borden, whose family owned the Borden Milk Company. The couple had three sons over the next decade. He later managed a family farm in Libertyville. Col. Frank Knox, the former publisher of the Chicago Daily News and the Republican candidate for Vice President in 1936 was appointed Secretary of the Navy in a bipartisan move by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940. Knox appointed Adlai Stevenson, II as an assistant secretary of the Navy and one of his top aides. Aldai was elected governor of Illinois in 1948 and took office in January 1949 but Ellen never moved into the Governor's Mansion and the couple divorced in September of that year. Adlai did not remarry. After one term as governor, Adlai was twice nominated by the Democratic Party to run for President of the United States against Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and in 1956 but was defeated soundly both times. President John F. Kennedy appointed Adlai as US Ambassador to the United Nations in 1961. There have been three Illinoisans in that post, more than any other state. The other two were Arthur J. Goldberg of Chicago (1965-1968) and Donald McHenry of East St. Louis (1979-1981). The most famous sound bite of Adlai's UN career was his famous confrontation with Soviet Ambassador Valerian Zorin during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis debate. Zorin refused to answer Stevenson's simple question, "Do you have missiles in Cuba, yes or no?" Zorin urged Aldai to move on and Adlai said, "I am prepared to wait until Hell freezes over if that is your answer." Adlai, II died on July 14, 1965 while still serving at the UN.

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Illinois Governor, US Presidential Candidate, US Ambassador. He was regarded by many as being one of the most eloquent public speakers in American Political History. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the Governor of the State of Illinois from 1949 to 1953. Born Adlai Ewing Stevenson, II, in Los Angeles, California, he was the grandson of Adlai Stevenson, Vice President of the United States under Grover Cleveland. He attended Princeton, Harvard and Northwestern University, prior to joining a Chicago law firm in 1927. Stevenson went onto hold the prominent Washington, DC positions of council to the Agricultural Adjustment Administration from 1933 to 1934 and as a special assistant and personal counsel to Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox from 1941 to 1944. In 1945, he served as special assistant to Secretary of State Stettinius and later became Chief of the United States delegation to the United Nations Preparatory Commission. President Truman appointed him delegate to the General Assembly and he served at that capacity from 1946 to 1947. In 1948, Stevenson was elected as Governor of Illinois by the widest margin in the state's history and during his term, he prioritized efforts to battle corruption. His popularity led to the securing of the Democratic Presidential Nomination in 1952 and 1956. Both times he was defeated overwhelmingly by Dwight Eisenhower. America during the 1950s was a conservative nation and it is thought by many that Stevenson's liberal approach did not resonate. Additionally, his divorce a few years earlier may also have perhaps weighted against him. He resumed practicing law in Chicago and following John F. Kennedy's election as president, Stevenson was appointed as United States Ambassador to the United Nations. He may perhaps be best remembered by many for his clash with Soviet representative Valerian Zorin during the "Cuban Missile Crisis". Stevenson asked Zorin if his country was placing missiles in Cuba followed by the quote "Don't wait for the translation, answer yes or no!" When Zorin refused to answer, Stevenson followed up with "I'm prepared to wait for my answer until Hell freezes over". On month before President Kennedy's assassination in October of 1963, Stevenson met with hostile protesters in Dallas during an event to mark United Nations Day in which he was spat upon and verbally abused. One of his last public addresses was a speech in Washington, DC elegizing Winston Churchill following his death in January 1965. On July 14th, 1965 Stevenson suffered a fatal heart attack in London. His son Adlai Stevenson, III served as Senator of Illinois from 1970 until 1981. (bio by: [fg.cgi?page=mr&MRid=46798780" target="_blank C.S.)] Cause of death: Heart attack Maintained by: Find A Grave Record added: Jan 01, 2001

Find A Grave Memorial# 985

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jan 8 2018, 4:44:46 UTC