Adlai Stevenson

:This page is about the Governor of Illinois and unsuccessful Presidential contender from the 1950s; for Grover Cleveland's Vice-President, see Adlai E. Stevenson; for the U.S. Senator from Illinois during the 1970s, see Adlai Stevenson III.

1960 election and the United Nations

Prior to the 1960 Democratic National Convention, Stevenson announced that he was not seeking the Democratic nomination for president, but would accept another draft. Because he still hoped to be a candidate, Stevenson refused to give the nominating address for relative newcomer John F. Kennedy, a cause for future strained relations between the two politicians. Once Kennedy won the nomination, Stevenson, always an enormously popular public speaker, campaigned actively for him. Due to his two presidential nominations and previous United Nations experience, Stevenson perceived himself an elder statesman and a natural choice for Secretary of State, an opinion shared by many.

Related Topics:
1960 - Draft - Elder statesman - Secretary of State

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Following Kennedy's victory, Stevenson was appointed U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, where he worked hard to support U.S. foreign policy, even when he personally disagreed with some of Kennedy's actions. His most famous moment came on October 25, 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis, when he gave a presentation at an emergency session of the Security Council. He forcefully asked the Soviet representative if his country was installing missiles in Cuba, punctuated with the famous demand, "Don't wait for the translation!" in demanding an immediate answer. In a diplomatic coup, Stevenson then showed photographs that proved the existence of missiles in Cuba, just after Soviet ambassador Valerian Zorin had said they did not exist.

Related Topics:
U.S. ambassador - United Nations - October 25 - 1962 - Cuban missile crisis - Security Council - Valerian Zorin

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Stevenson died suddenly on July 14, 1965, during a stop in London. Following memorial services in Washington, D.C; Springfield, Illinois; and Bloomington, Illinois, Stevenson was interred in the family plot in Evergreen Cemetery, Bloomington, Illinois.

Related Topics:
July 14 - 1965 - London - Washington, D.C - Springfield, Illinois - Bloomington, Illinois - Evergreen Cemetery

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Stevenson's father, Lewis G. Stevenson, was Illinois secretary of state (1914–1917). Stevenson's eldest son, Adlai E. Stevenson III, was a U.S. Senator from Illinois (1970–1981). His first cousin is actor McLean Stevenson.

Related Topics:
Lewis G. Stevenson - Adlai E. Stevenson III - U.S. Senator - McLean Stevenson

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The Bloomington airport has a whimsical statue of Stevenson, sitting on a bench with his feet propped on his briefcase and his head in one hand, as if waiting for his flight.

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