George McGovern

Dr. George Stanley McGovern (born July 19, 1922 in Avon, South Dakota) was a United States Congressman, Senator, and Democratic presidential candidate, losing the 1972 presidential election to incumbent Richard Nixon.

Early life and career

Born and raised in South Dakota, McGovern volunteered for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He served as a B-24 Liberator bomber pilot in the Fifteenth Air Force, flying 35 missions over enemy territory from bases in North Africa and later Italy, often against heavy anti-aircraft artillery. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross; his wartime exploits were later at the center of Stephen Ambrose's book The Wild Blue. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/conversation/july-dec01/wildblue_8-16.html

Related Topics:
South Dakota - United States Army Air Forces - World War II - B-24 Liberator - Fifteenth Air Force - North Africa - Italy - Anti-aircraft artillery - Distinguished Flying Cross - Stephen Ambrose - The Wild Blue

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McGovern met and married the former Eleanor Stegeberg of Woonsocket, South Dakota on October 31, 1943.

Related Topics:
Woonsocket, South Dakota - October 31 - 1943

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On return from the war, he earned a PhD in history from Northwestern University and became a professor at his alma mater, Dakota Wesleyan University.

Related Topics:
PhD - Northwestern University - Dakota Wesleyan University

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Although he was raised by two Republican parents, he chose not to join any particular party until the 1948 presidential election, when he registered as an Independent and joined the newly-formed Progressive Party. During the campaign, he attended the party's first national convention as a delegate and volunteered for the eventually unsuccessful campaign of its presidential nominee, former Vice President Henry A. Wallace. Four years later, in 1952, he heard a radio broadcast of Governor Adlai Stevenson's speech accepting the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. He immediately went into town and registered as a Democrat, then volunteered for Stevenson's campaign the following day. Although Stevenson lost that election, McGovern remained active in Democratic politics. In 1956, he ran for and won a seat in the House of Representatives.

Related Topics:
Republican - 1948 presidential election - Independent - Progressive Party - Delegate - Presidential - Henry A. Wallace - 1952 - Radio - Adlai Stevenson - Democratic Party - 1956 - House of Representatives

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