Adlai Stevenson II

Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (February 5, 1900 – July 14, 1965) was an American politician. He ran against Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1952 and 1956 elections, but he lost both times. He was the grandson of Vice President Adlai E. Stevenson. He was also the 31st Governor of Illinois from 1949 to 1953. He became United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 1961 until his death in 1965.

Adlai E. Stevenson
Stevenson in 1961
31st Governor of Illinois
In office January 10, 1949 – January 12, 1953
Lieutenant	Sherwood Dixon
Preceded by	Dwight H. Green
Succeeded by	William Stratton
Personal details
Born	Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (1900-02-05)February 5, 1900 Los Angeles, California, United States
Died	July 14, 1965(1965-07-14) (aged 65) London, England, United Kingdom
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Ellen Borden (married 1928, divorced 1949)
Alma mater	Princeton University Northwestern University Law School
Military service
Branch/service	United States Navy
Rank	Seaman Apprentice

Early life

Stevenson was born in Los Angeles, California ^[1] to Lewis Stevenson and Helen Davis Stevenson. His maternal great-grandfather Jesse W. Fell was a close friend and campaign manager for Abraham Lincoln. His oldest son Adlai Stevenson III became a United States Senator from Illinois from 1970 until 1981. He grew up in Bloomington, Illinois. He studied at Bloomington High School until his junior year. After that he went at University High School in Normal, Illinois. Then he studied at Princeton University and Northwestern University Law School.

Political career

He ran for president six times, in 1940, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956, and 1960, losing the Democrat primaries to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy. He also lost the 1952 and 1956 elections to Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower. Stevenson was Governor of Illinois from January 10, 1949-January 12, 1953. As governor, Stevenson presided over the introdution of a wide range of progressive social reforms.^[2]

Personal life

He married Ellen Borden in 1928 and divorced in 1949. Stevenson is a second cousin, once removed of actor McLean Stevenson.^[3] His son is former Illinois Senator Adlai Stevenson III.

After the 1952 and 1956 elections

In 1953, he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.^[4]

In 1957 he went back to law practice. He was employed part-time by Encyclopædia Britannica.

1960 election

Stevenson tried to run for the nomination in the 1960 election. He lost to Senator John F. Kennedy. Stevenson refused to give the nomination address to John F. Kennedy. After Kennedy won the nomination, Stevenson campaigned for him.

United States Ambassador to the United Nations

5th United States Ambassador to the United Nations
In office
1961-1965
President
John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson
Secretary-General
Dag Hammarskjöld U Thant
Predecessor
James J. Wadsworth
Successor
Arthur Goldberg

He was appointed Ambassador to the United Nations in 1961.

Stevenson's most well-known moments happened during the Cuban Missile Crisis when he gave a presentation at an emergency session of the Security Council on October 25, 1962.

Death and funeral

Stevenson's grave

Stevenson suffered a heart attack on the afternoon and died later on July 14, 1965 in London of heart failure. The funeral in Bloomington, Illinois Unitarian Church was attended by President Lyndon B. Johnson and Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren.