I remember a while ago I read a timeline where Robert F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States in 1964, due to the early death of his brother John in 1954 while undergoing back surgery. However, the timeline was written by Michael P, poster of Lee of the Union fame (DW people will definitely know him) and of course it turned into a Democrats wet dream, which consequently lacked plausibility. Despite my constant criticism of Michael P, which was ever present in my previous paragraph, one of the only plausible ways in which Robert F. Kennedy can be elected President of the United States by November 3, 1964 is if his brother John dies during back surgery in 1954; the point of divergence of the infamous Michael P timeline. However, unlike his timeline where Robert F. Kennedy is elected after a barrage of scandals, including the Nixon Administration’s involvement in the 16th Street bombings in Birmingham, Alabama, my POD, albeit a more realistic one (I hope!) sees the following ensue:
1. While undergoing back surgery in Boston, Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, aged just 37 dies suddenly during the operation in October 1954. Kennedy had been battling back problems for years, however many, inclusive of his father Joe were sure that their beloved Jack would be able to overcome such difficulties after escaping death many times before. With both Joe Junior and Jack meeting early fates, Joe turns to Robert in the hopes of his seventh born becoming President of the United States.
2. Despite Dwight Eisenhower’s landslide re-election over Adlai Stevenson, Robert F. Kennedy, brother of deceased Senator John Fitzgerald, is elected into the United States Senate, representing the state of Massachusetts on November 6, 1956, defeating his Republican opponent, John W. Hestleton who had been appointed by Republican Governor Christian Herter upon Jack Kennedy’s death in October 1954.
3. Upon his election, the 31-year-old Kennedy is appointed on the prestigious Senate Labor Rackets Committee, much to the dismay of Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson. Senator Kennedy’s early tenure in the Senate is dominated by confrontations between himself and Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa, which in turn lead Kennedy to begin on an endless pursuit of the controversial union figure throughout his entire political life as well as his continuing support of the ever-growing Civil Rights movement.
4. With Senator Kennedy ineligible to seek the Democratic nomination in 1960, due to age regulations, Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota claims the nomination easily on the first ballot at the Democratic National Convention held in Los Angeles, California, due in part to a lack of serious competition. As widely expected, the Republican ticket of Vice President Richard Nixon and Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge easily encounters for the Democratic ticket of Senators Hubert Humphrey and Stuart Symington.
5. Vice President Richard Nixon is sworn in as 36th President of the United States on January 20, 1961. As President, Nixon continues a wide array of initiatives undertaken by the Eisenhower Administration. Despite the United States avoiding conflicts with both Cuba and the Soviet Union throughout his tenure as President, his proposed economic reforms backfire, which in turn cause ripe conditions for recession to ensue prior to the 1962 Congressional Elections. Combined with the President’s lack of progress on civil rights, the Democrats increase their majorities in both Houses of Congress.
6. In height of the recent crises engulfing the stagnating Nixon Administration, Senator Robert F. Kennedy of Massachusetts announces his candidacy for the Presidency of the United States in September 1963 in Boston, Massachusetts. With both the money and organization, Senator Kennedy dismisses token opposition and prevails easily on the first ballot at the Democratic National Convention held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Playing on the issues of the economic recovery, comprehensive civil rights reform and above all twelve years of continuous Republican rule, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, aged 37, makes history by becoming the youngest ever elected President of the United States on November 3, 1964. Not only does the Democratic ticket of Senator’s Kennedy and ‘Scoop’ Jackson comfortably defeat Nixon/Lodge, but the Democrats also make impressive gains in both Houses of Congress. The era of Camelot had begun.