Joe wouldn't be experienced enough, and the party bosses would never go for an under-50 candidate (esp a Catholic one) in 1956.
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
- Thread starter Historico
- Start date
His Excellency: The First Term of Governor Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. of Massachusetts; 1949-1951
“Question: Who Governs the Governors? Answer: Entropy” Frank Herbert
************
On January 6th 1949, former Congressman Joseph P. “Joe” Kennedy Jr. was officially sworn in as the 58th Governor of Massachusetts. With his parents, and six siblings standing proudly at his side, the thirty-three year old Governor delivered a soaring speech, discussing his plans to extend higher education to all Bay Staters, construction of public housing, the creation of new industries within the commonwealth, and governing with “liberalism in moderation”. Before he was officially sworn in Joe received his receives four symbols from departing governor Bradford: the ceremonial pewter "Key" for the Governor's office door, the Butler Bible, the "Gavel", and a two-volume set of the Massachusetts General Statutes with a personal note from the man who despite his enormous popularity in the state, was usurped by the power of the Kennedy Machine. The governor-elect was then escorted by the Sergeant-at-Arms to the House Chamber and sworn in by the Senate President before a joint session of the House and Senate
One of Joe’s first acts’ as Governor in his corner office of the Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill, was to decide which past Governor, he wanted to hang in his office. Although some Bay State politicos had predicted that Kennedy would choose first Irish American Governor David I. Walsh as steward of inspiration, but always one for surprises…Joe chose former Governor William Eustis Russell, a Democrat who served from 1891-1984. Joe broke his record for youngest man ever elected to the office by a year (Russell was 34, while Joe was 33). Russell was also a man for Kennedy to look up to, because like Russell he also wanted to have a lasting impact and legacy despite a Republican controlled state legislature.
William E. Russell, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1891-1894
He also knew that he was the embodiment the assimilation and improved economic well-being of the Irish of the younger generation. Old Country ties were less emotional and the welfare programs of the political bosses were no longer needed…jobs were plentiful, and welfare had become a matter of right, not favor, since the dawn of the New Deal. In his first 100 days, Joe constantly met with republican state representatives and senators to remind them that shared much more in common in terms of policy preferences as they thought. It is in these smoky conversations, that Joe assembled his first legislative target of his career…the breaking of the bosses.
Governor Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. signing public housing creation legislation into law
From: Governor Kennedy: His Rise to Power by George Goodwin Jr.
*********
Inauguration Day, January 20th 1949
President-elect Tom Dewey and Vice President-elect Warren joined the Truman’s first family and Harriman’s second family for the traditional tea before leaving for the Inauguration ceremonies. It was a cold, overcast day as the four mounted the Inaugural stand where Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson would swear them both in. Vinson nodded to Dewey, who raised his right hand. “I, Thomas Edmund Dewey, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God."
Vice President Warren, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Truman, Vice President Harriman, President Wallace, President Hoover, Reverend Clergy, and fellow citizens
You, the people of this great nation, have given to me the highest honor you can bestow—your vote for President of the United States.
I thank you with all my heart for your friendship and your confidence. I am profoundly sensible of the responsibility that goes with the presidency. I pray God that I may deserve this opportunity to serve our country. In all humility,
I will do all that I can to represent your voice through the power of this sacred office.
I am happy to be able to say to you that I come to you unfettered by a single obligation or promise to any living person. I come free to join with you in selecting to serve our nation the finest men and women in the country, free to unite all parties and our country in meeting the grave challenge of our time.
United we can match this challenge with depth of understanding and largeness of spirit; with a unity which is above recrimination, above partisanship, and above self-interest. These are articles of faith from which the greatness of America has been fashioned. Our people are eager to know again the upsurging power of that faith. They are turning to us to put such a faith at the heart of our national life. That is what we are called upon to do, and that is what we will do.
There has been honest contention, spirited disagreement, and I believe considerable hot argument. But do not let anybody be misled by that. You have given here in this hall a moving and dramatic proof of how Americans, who honestly differ, close ranks and move forward, for the Nation's well-being, shoulder to shoulder. Let me assure once we leave this podium, there will be teamwork in the Government of the United States of America.
The responsibility and the opportunity that have come to our party are the greatest in the history of free government. For today our future —our peace, our prosperity, the very fate of freedom—hangs in a pre-carious balance.
Mere victory in an election was not our purpose, it is not our task. Our task is to fill our victory with such meaning for mankind everywhere, yearning for freedom, that they will take heart and move forward out of this desperate darkness of today into the light of freedom's promise.
Our people are turning away from the meaner things that divide us, and they have a yearning to move to higher ground, to find a common purpose in the finer things which unite us. In my administration, you can count on us to be the instrument of achieving that aspiration. We must be the means by which America's full powers are released and this uncertain future filled again with opportunity. That is our pledge. That will be, for the American people, the fruit of our victory.
If this unity is to be won and kept, it must have great dimensions. Its boundaries must be far above and beyond politics. Freedom can be saved —it can only be saved—if free men everywhere make this unity their common cause.
Unity in such a cause must be the chief cornerstone of peace. A peace won at the expense of liberty is a peace too dearly bought. Such a peace would not endure. Above all other purposes, we must labor by every peaceful means to build a world order founded upon justice and righteousness. That kind of world will have peace. That kind of peace will be worth having. That is the crowning responsibility that our people have laid upon us in this solemn hour. That is the crowning task to which we here dedicate ourselves.
The unity we seek is more than material. It is more than a matter of things and measures. It is most of all spiritual. Our problem is not outside ourselves.
Our problem is within ourselves. We have found the means to blow this world of ours apart, physically. We have not yet found the spiritual means to put together the world's broken pieces, to bind up its wounds, to make a good society, a community of men of good will that fits our dreams. We have devised noble plans for a new world. Without a new spirit, our noblest plans will come to nought. We pray that, in the days ahead, a full measure of that spirit may be ours.
My term in office will see the completion of the first half of the twentieth century. So far it has been a century of amazing progress and of terrible tragedy. We have seen the world transformed. We have seen man-kind's age-long struggle against nature crowned by extraordinary success.
Yet our triumphs have been darkened by bitter defeats in the equally ancient struggle of men to live together in peace, security and under-standing. For this age of progress, this twentieth century, has been dominated by two terrible world wars and, between the wars, the worst economic depression in the history of mankind.
We must learn to do better. The period that is drawing to a close has been one of scientific achievement. The era that is opening before us must be a period of human and spiritual achievement.
We propose, as a government, to continue to carry forward the great technological gains of our age. We shall harness the unimaginable possibilities of atomic energy, to bring men and women a larger, fuller life. But there is something more important than all this. With all the energy, intelligence and determination which mortal heart and mind can summon to the task, we must solve the problem of establishing a just and lasting peace in the world, and of securing to our own and other like-minded people the blessings of freedom and of individual opportunity.
To me, to be an American in this hour is to dedicate one's life to the freedom of men. As long as the world is half free and half slave, we must peacefully labor to help men everywhere to achieve liberty. And that fundamentally will be the cause that we will champion for the next four years, Thank you all, Peace be with you…and God Bless the United States of America
**************************
Associated Press, 1949
Dewey Cabinet finalized
Secretary of the Treasury: Nelson Rockefeller
Secretary of State: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Secretary of Defense: John Foster Dulles
Attorney General: Herbert Brownell
Postmaster General: Arthur Summerfield*
Secretary of Interior: Douglas McKay*
Secretary of Commerce: Robert Bradford
Secretary of Labor: James Mitchell
*********
President Dewey, for the most part in terms of Domestic Policy, decided to pick cabinet members that would keep with his moderate-to-liberal leanings. Although he had publicly espoused that he would roll back the tides of the Roosevelt-Wallace-Truman era grand social programs. In office he would keep a majority of the policies enacted under the Democratic Triumvirate. Dewey did want Americans back on a Balanced Budget and had newly appointed Secretary of the Treasury Nelson Rockefeller assemble a team of economic advisors who would know best how to put Americans’ back on the path of fiscal responsibility without hindering, it’s rapid post-war expansion.
While he was “Ye olde Platitude” during the campaign, as President, Tom Dewey wanted to bring his reputation for being a relentless and aggressive prosecutor to the realm of foreign policy. Although he was originally in the school of the more internationalists who wanted to use the UN as a new venue to help counter the soviet threat. However, he found that his former foreign affairs advisor, John Foster Dulles, was much more willing to take the aggressive approach against the communists like he wanted. Although he personally disliked the usage of nuclear weapons, As Secretary of Defense, Dulles understood that building up America’s ability to wage outright nuclear war was the only deterrent to try to stop the voracious Soviets from wiping out their allies.
For the position of Secretary of State, Dewey nominated Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. of Massachusetts, largely because of his belief in the United Nations as the only true way to prevent WWIII. Lodge tried to bridge the gap between the Truman Doctrine and the more aggressive policies of Dulles, in hopes that the US could stand against the Soviet Union more strongly without the new risk of nuclear war. His first challenge came in Korea, which the United States now considered an important defense for Japan, and of US strength in the Pacific as a whole. Though he would not support Rhee’s calls for an invasion of the north, he did push Dulles and Dewey to make contingencies for the defense of Korea.
When Kim Il-Sung went to ask Stalin for permission to invade the ROK, he replied that with the more aggressive US policy, he would not approve. The People’s Republic of China, however, worried that the US might try and overthrow the DPRK and put a capitalist nation on their border, said they would support such an act, but wanted to wait until the DPRK was better prepared. Mao also believed a victory in Korea might dissuade the plans for attack Mao believed Dewey had in store for China. Time was a double edged sword, though. The US, having put more of a focus on Korea after the border skirmishes, became aware of the attempt and moved troops to South Korea in the winter of 1949-1950. B-29s, both nuclear and conventionally armed, were readied for action. The US was unsure whether or not the Soviets would intervene, and were preparing for the worst. The 7th Fleet was also deployed to the region. When asked why there was such a buildup of forces during ‘peacetime’, Dewey and Lodge cited ‘repeated acts of aggression’ by the DPRK against the ROK, and the need to ‘prevent expansion of communism’ by the PRC.
Fearing their window for an attack was closing as the US mobilized more forces; the DPRK launched their assault on May 2nd of 1950. They captured Seoul, and drove further southward until stopped by MacArthur’s forces on a line slightly north of Taejon. By then, Lodge had secured not only a UN mandate for American actions in Korea, but for an international force to intervene. But realistically, it would be the US providing the vast majority of the forces in Korea, not the international community.
As the US (formally, the UN forces) launched their counteroffensive in the summer, the Chinese and Russians began to throw more of their weight into the situation. As UN forces passed the original borders in September, Chinese ‘volunteer’ forces began to advance into the DPRK, along with the new Mig-15 fighters, likely provided with Soviet assistance later in October. The US advance halted as air superiority disappeared, until the arrival of the F-86 Sabre. There seemed to be a stalemate through most of the winter, and MacArthur warned privately that nuclear weapons might be needed to ensure victory.
A composite photo of events in the Korean War
From: The Dewey Years by Bloc Head
************
In his first two years as Governor, Joe knew that other than Jack’s assessments that all the powers that was relegated to his office, was the ability to write out sewer contracts, and that it was nothing compared to the patronage received for Boston Mayors However, mainly through his own personal charisma, and his father’s unbelievable financial reach Joe was able to produce a remarkably successful first term for a an exceptionally young Democratic Governor, dealing with a Republican-dominated state legislature. His adoration from Ethnic voters, whom many feel that Joe is generally conceded to be one of the smartest politicians ever to sit on Beacon Hill, is a devilishly-handsome bachelor with a hearty Irish smile. In his first term, he has loaded the state payroll with his supporters/family friends and has thereby created Massachusetts' most formidable personal machine. Kennedy can and does point with pride to a $400 million highway program and construction of schools, hospitals and public housing.
The Governor was able to avoid a major controversy and potential charges of Nepotism within the first few months of his term. President Dewey’s selection of Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. for Secretary of State vacated the class one senate seat. Now, Massachusetts law stipulates that the Governor can appoint someone to fill the senate seat until the next election can be called. Many sources inside the administration, whom wish to stay anonymous, knew that Joe was adamant at appointing his younger brother John F. Kennedy to the seat. The younger Kennedy or “Jack” as he is called by family and friends; served in President Truman’s administration as Secretary of the Navy for two years, after he was elevated in May of ’47 to fill James Forestall’s office when Forestall became Secretary of Defense. With his consummate knowledge of Foreign Affairs, there was no question that Jack wasn’t qualified for the office, yet even still the act of appointing one’s brother would be far too politically damaging for a man who campaigned on as the new generation of Irish-American politicians against the corrupt practice of the old Boston pols.
So, Governor Kennedy nominated the 68 year old, former Democratic Governor Joseph B. Ely to fill the vacated seat and revealed the special election would take place on the same day as the 1950 Midterm elections. After being sworn in, Senator Ely announced what many had already suspected that, he would not be running to serve the final two years of Lodge’s unfinished term. Unsurprisingly, weeks after the announcement, former Secretary John F. Kennedy announced his candidacy for the seat. The Kennedy machine proved no match for his primary opponents, allowing Jack to score 60% of the vote against former Lt. Governor Horace T. Cahill on November 7th Victory. With one son embarking on his second term as Governor and one son embarking to serve out a term in the Senate, old papa Joe Kennedy goal of either he or his sons reaching the White House seems suddenly within reach.
Senator-Elect John F. "Jack" Kennedy thanking supporters in Boston, Massachusetts on election night
From: Schchlesinger, Arthur M. "The Boy Governor." Time 14 Feb. 1951: 25-27. Time Archive. Web
Griselio Torresola came from a family that believed in the Puerto Rican independence cause, while Oscar Collazo had been participating in the movement since childhood. They met in New York City and became good friends. On October 28, 1950, they received the news that the jayuya uprising led by the nationalist Blanca Canales in Puerto Rico, had failed. Torresola's sister had been wounded and his brother Elio was arrested. Collazo and Torresola then decided to assassinate President Truman with the intention of bringing world attention to the independence cause of Puerto Rico. Torresola, as a skilled gunman, taught Collazo how to load and handle a gun. Both men familiarized themselves with the area around the Blair house.
During the first term of the presidency of Tom Dewey, the White House was found to have serious structural faults and was completely gutted and renovated. While the White House was undergoing renovation, the President resided at Blair House.
Torresola walked up Pennsylvania Ave from the west side while his partner, Oscar Collazo, walked up to a Capital police officer on the steps of the Blair house. Approaching Birdzell from behind, Collazo pulled out a Walter p3 handgun, pointed it at the officer's back, and pulled the trigger; but since he had failed to cock it, nothing happened. After pounding on his pistol and fumbling around with it, Collazo managed to fire the weapon just as Birdzell was turning to face him, striking the officer in his right knee. Nearby, Secret Service Agent Floyd Boring and White House Police officer Joseph Davidson heard the shot and opened fire on Collazo with their service revolvers. Collazo returned fire, and soon found himself outgunned as the wounded Birdzell managed to draw his weapon and join the shootout. Soon after, Collazo was struck by two .38 caliber rounds in the head and right arm, while other officers rushed to join the fight.
Meanwhile, Torresola approached a guard booth at the west corner of the Blair House, and noted an officer; Private Leslie Coffelt was sitting inside chatting with President Dewey, who had just woken up from a nap. Torresola, in a double handed shooting stance, quickly pivoted from left to right around the opening of the booth. Both Dewey and Coffelt were taken completely by surprise, as tourists often stopped at the box to ask for information. Torresola fired four shots from his 9 mm German Lugar semi-automatic pistol at close range at the President. Three of the shots struck Dewey in the chest and abdomen, and the fourth went through his thick, double breasted suit and a two shots hit Coffelt in the shoulder and the knee. Dewey slumped down in his chair, mortally wounded, while Coffelt tried to find his wounds.
Torresola then turned his attention to plainclothes White House policeman Joseph Downs. Downs, who had just paused to chat with Coffelt, proceeded down the walkway to the basement door at the west end of the Blair-Lee house when he heard shots being fired. Downs noticed Torresola, but was shot once in the hip before he could draw his weapon. Downs turned back towards the house, and was shot twice more by Torresola, once in the back and once in the neck. Downs staggered to the basement door, opened it, slid in, and then slammed the door behind him, denying Torresola entry into the Blair House.
Torresola then turned his attention to the shoot-out between his partner, Collazo, and several other law enforcement officers. Torresola noted wounded policeman Donald Birdzell aiming at Collazo from the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue. Torresola aimed and shot Birdzell in the left knee from a distance of approximately 40 feet. Now shot in both knees, Birdzell was no longer able to stand and was effectively incapacitated. (He would later recover.) Soon after, the severely wounded Collazo was hit in the chest by a ricochet shot from Davidson and was incapacitated too.
Torresola realized he was out of ammunition. He stood to the immediate left of the Blair House steps while he reloaded. At the same time, the flesh-wounded Coffelt staggered out of his guard booth, leaned against it, and aimed his revolver at Torresola, who was approximately 30 feet away. Coffelt fired, hitting Torresola two inches above the ear on a slight upward angle, killing him instantly. Dewey was rushed to GW Hospital, where doctors frantically tried to find the extent of the internal damage. After working for four hours, President Thomas E. Dewey never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at the age of 48. Vice President Earl Warren, who had been on the stump for Congressional candidates in Washington State, was flown back immediately, and late that night was officially sworn in by Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson as the nation’s 36th President of the United States.
President Thomas E. Dewey (R-NY): January 20th 1949-November 1st 1950
From: The Dewey Years by Bloc Head
**********
President Earl Warren had only been in office for a week, and the nations still in the throes of grief at the shocking assassination of their young President, when the results from the 1950 Congressional elections rolled in. Riots in Puerto Rican neighborhoods in New York City, Boston and others erupted as angry American’s sought to enact the same violence which killed the President on any Puerto Rican the could find. President Warren was forced to call in the National Guard to block of Puerto Rican-majority districts as a result, and publicly declared “That violence cannot and shall not be the way of this nation.” After his call to unity, many of the riots died down enough for politico’s to weigh the results.
In the house, the sympathy vote for the late President Dewey proved strong enough to allow the Republican Party to gain a narrow 235 to 199 seat majority over the Democrats, with Joseph Martin determined to become the Speaker of the House once more. In the senate, the Democrats lost a net worth of seven seats, narrowly handing back the majority back to the Republican Party. This new wave of the GOP, included Richard M. Nixon in California, Prescott S. Bush in Connecticut, Everett Dirksen in Illinois, and Leonard W. Hall in New York. However, not all was lost on the Democrats, as the second son of former Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy and younger brother of incumbent Governor Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. of Massachusetts, former Secretary of the Navy John F. Kennedy won the special election to serve out the rest of Secretary of State Henry C. Lodge’s vacated senate seat.
Earl Warren (R-CA), The 36th President of the United States of America
From: United We Stand: A biography of Earl Warren by Ed Cray
********
The 1950 Massachusetts Gubernatorial election for Joe’s reelection was nothing short of a cakewalk. His much publicized achievements on construction of new highways, schools and public housing allowed the Governor to maintain a high approval rating of 65% percent and due to his enormous popularity weren’t challenged by a member of his party for the nomination. The Bay State Republican Party understood that 1950 would not be the year that they could take back Beacon Hill. So they nominated the ultimate WASP, in former Lt. Governor and 4th Cousin of the nation’s 30th President…Arthur W. Coolidge.
From our records on Coolidge, the spry 69-year old knew that there was virtually no chance of him pulling an upset against Kennedy. In one of the more lighthearted campaigns against Joe Jr., Coolidge reacted to taunts about his age by challenging his Democratic rival to a 100-yd. race. "And furthermore," said Coolidge, "I'll give him a handicap of a foot for each year of difference in our ages." At the ripe old age of 35, the former Navy Ari Man, who trained on running on the beach at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, heartily agreed to the event. In a crisp fall day in October, the gubernatorial nominees meet at Harvard Stadium filled with Press agents and eager spectators. Joe started on the 34 yard line, and Coolidge at the Goal line as agreed and the race was off. Although Joe physical speed had slowed abit while in office, he had the lead on old’ Coolidge until he dropped down on the 75 yard line claiming that he pulled a charley horse. Coolidge kept running, and beat him in the race. Although many were spectators were surprised that a Kennedy would let anyone win, even in a foot race, Joe later said “It was the most fun I’ve had in a good long while.”
The White-haired former Lt. Governor could take solace in his gracious win against Joe in their 100-yard dash because in the election, he was dust in the win. Joe Jr. delivered a resounding victory, winning on a 70% to 30% margin over Coolidge. However, unlike in ’46 or ’48…Joe understood this as a personal victory won on his own real achievements and not entirely on his father’s connections. Even being a popular two-term governor, of a densely populated yet geographically small state like Massachusetts, he still wasn’t talked about by the majority of the media sources as a true potential Presidential candidate. Joe knew that there was two things that he needed to do to complete the equation…Carry Massachusetts for the Democratic Ticket in 1952 and secondly to find him a beautiful wife to start a family.
Arthur W. Coolidge, 1950 Republican Nominee for Governor against Joe Kennedy Jr.
From: AN [REDACTED] LIFE: Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. 1915-[REDACTED] by Robert Dallek
*****
It was New Years, a few minutes past twelve in 1952 at the Le Pavillion where we were enjoying the festivities with the Governor. She was wearing a tight black dress of some shimmering material which seemed to be several sizes too small for her, a white fox stole, whole outfit looked as if it might have been purchased from a thrift shop. Not that it mattered-the tall, elegant blonde seemed somehow beyond taste good and bad. At this point in her life, she was still a fledgling actress looking for a breakout role in Hollywood. Fourteen Hours, a 20th Century Fox film released in March was her debut but not critically acclaimed and later that year stared opposite Gary Cooper in High Noon, in which she played the demure and Victorian Amy Kane.
I took the opportunity to move closer to Joe, whose expression resembled that of a man getting his first glimpse of the Grand Canyon or Mount Everest…some natural wonder of awesome proportions and reputation
“Jesus Christ! Who’s the fox?” Joe whispered
“The blonde, I’m not sure…I think she did a couple of pictures last year but she’s definitely new to this town.” I whispered back, after before I could even finish the Governor was off.
Joe closed the distance, determined to reach the girl before I did, took her hand, squeezed it briefly rather than shaking it, and gave her his now infamous half-grin. She smiled back “And who are you I might ask?” in her articulate, almost foreign-accented voice. “I’m Joe Kennedy Jr.…the Governor of Massachusetts.” Joe replied back. She had a charming habit of ending every sentence as if it were a question “I can’t believe you’re a governor…I thought that they were all old, fat and balding.”
She hadn’t removed her hand from his, and I could see that Feldman’s face was a mixture of regret and dismay…he must have been wishing he’d never invited Joe here, or that he didn’t bring the blonde with him. “Are you sure you’re a governor?” she asked giggling. “You look just like a boy.”
She could hardly have said anything more certain to charm him. He looked her over from top to toe, appreciatively, lingering on the full wonder of all that slender, incredible beauty. “Well,” he said at last, “you look just like a girl…what’s your name dear?” She smiled right back to him, after taking a draft from her cigarette.
“It’s Grace…Grace Kelly.”
From: The Immortals, A story about Joe and Grace by Michael Korda
“Question: Who Governs the Governors? Answer: Entropy” Frank Herbert
************
On January 6th 1949, former Congressman Joseph P. “Joe” Kennedy Jr. was officially sworn in as the 58th Governor of Massachusetts. With his parents, and six siblings standing proudly at his side, the thirty-three year old Governor delivered a soaring speech, discussing his plans to extend higher education to all Bay Staters, construction of public housing, the creation of new industries within the commonwealth, and governing with “liberalism in moderation”. Before he was officially sworn in Joe received his receives four symbols from departing governor Bradford: the ceremonial pewter "Key" for the Governor's office door, the Butler Bible, the "Gavel", and a two-volume set of the Massachusetts General Statutes with a personal note from the man who despite his enormous popularity in the state, was usurped by the power of the Kennedy Machine. The governor-elect was then escorted by the Sergeant-at-Arms to the House Chamber and sworn in by the Senate President before a joint session of the House and Senate
One of Joe’s first acts’ as Governor in his corner office of the Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill, was to decide which past Governor, he wanted to hang in his office. Although some Bay State politicos had predicted that Kennedy would choose first Irish American Governor David I. Walsh as steward of inspiration, but always one for surprises…Joe chose former Governor William Eustis Russell, a Democrat who served from 1891-1984. Joe broke his record for youngest man ever elected to the office by a year (Russell was 34, while Joe was 33). Russell was also a man for Kennedy to look up to, because like Russell he also wanted to have a lasting impact and legacy despite a Republican controlled state legislature.
William E. Russell, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1891-1894
He also knew that he was the embodiment the assimilation and improved economic well-being of the Irish of the younger generation. Old Country ties were less emotional and the welfare programs of the political bosses were no longer needed…jobs were plentiful, and welfare had become a matter of right, not favor, since the dawn of the New Deal. In his first 100 days, Joe constantly met with republican state representatives and senators to remind them that shared much more in common in terms of policy preferences as they thought. It is in these smoky conversations, that Joe assembled his first legislative target of his career…the breaking of the bosses.
Governor Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. signing public housing creation legislation into law
From: Governor Kennedy: His Rise to Power by George Goodwin Jr.
*********
Inauguration Day, January 20th 1949
President-elect Tom Dewey and Vice President-elect Warren joined the Truman’s first family and Harriman’s second family for the traditional tea before leaving for the Inauguration ceremonies. It was a cold, overcast day as the four mounted the Inaugural stand where Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson would swear them both in. Vinson nodded to Dewey, who raised his right hand. “I, Thomas Edmund Dewey, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God."
Vice President Warren, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Truman, Vice President Harriman, President Wallace, President Hoover, Reverend Clergy, and fellow citizens
You, the people of this great nation, have given to me the highest honor you can bestow—your vote for President of the United States.
I thank you with all my heart for your friendship and your confidence. I am profoundly sensible of the responsibility that goes with the presidency. I pray God that I may deserve this opportunity to serve our country. In all humility,
I will do all that I can to represent your voice through the power of this sacred office.
I am happy to be able to say to you that I come to you unfettered by a single obligation or promise to any living person. I come free to join with you in selecting to serve our nation the finest men and women in the country, free to unite all parties and our country in meeting the grave challenge of our time.
United we can match this challenge with depth of understanding and largeness of spirit; with a unity which is above recrimination, above partisanship, and above self-interest. These are articles of faith from which the greatness of America has been fashioned. Our people are eager to know again the upsurging power of that faith. They are turning to us to put such a faith at the heart of our national life. That is what we are called upon to do, and that is what we will do.
There has been honest contention, spirited disagreement, and I believe considerable hot argument. But do not let anybody be misled by that. You have given here in this hall a moving and dramatic proof of how Americans, who honestly differ, close ranks and move forward, for the Nation's well-being, shoulder to shoulder. Let me assure once we leave this podium, there will be teamwork in the Government of the United States of America.
The responsibility and the opportunity that have come to our party are the greatest in the history of free government. For today our future —our peace, our prosperity, the very fate of freedom—hangs in a pre-carious balance.
Mere victory in an election was not our purpose, it is not our task. Our task is to fill our victory with such meaning for mankind everywhere, yearning for freedom, that they will take heart and move forward out of this desperate darkness of today into the light of freedom's promise.
Our people are turning away from the meaner things that divide us, and they have a yearning to move to higher ground, to find a common purpose in the finer things which unite us. In my administration, you can count on us to be the instrument of achieving that aspiration. We must be the means by which America's full powers are released and this uncertain future filled again with opportunity. That is our pledge. That will be, for the American people, the fruit of our victory.
If this unity is to be won and kept, it must have great dimensions. Its boundaries must be far above and beyond politics. Freedom can be saved —it can only be saved—if free men everywhere make this unity their common cause.
Unity in such a cause must be the chief cornerstone of peace. A peace won at the expense of liberty is a peace too dearly bought. Such a peace would not endure. Above all other purposes, we must labor by every peaceful means to build a world order founded upon justice and righteousness. That kind of world will have peace. That kind of peace will be worth having. That is the crowning responsibility that our people have laid upon us in this solemn hour. That is the crowning task to which we here dedicate ourselves.
The unity we seek is more than material. It is more than a matter of things and measures. It is most of all spiritual. Our problem is not outside ourselves.
Our problem is within ourselves. We have found the means to blow this world of ours apart, physically. We have not yet found the spiritual means to put together the world's broken pieces, to bind up its wounds, to make a good society, a community of men of good will that fits our dreams. We have devised noble plans for a new world. Without a new spirit, our noblest plans will come to nought. We pray that, in the days ahead, a full measure of that spirit may be ours.
My term in office will see the completion of the first half of the twentieth century. So far it has been a century of amazing progress and of terrible tragedy. We have seen the world transformed. We have seen man-kind's age-long struggle against nature crowned by extraordinary success.
Yet our triumphs have been darkened by bitter defeats in the equally ancient struggle of men to live together in peace, security and under-standing. For this age of progress, this twentieth century, has been dominated by two terrible world wars and, between the wars, the worst economic depression in the history of mankind.
We must learn to do better. The period that is drawing to a close has been one of scientific achievement. The era that is opening before us must be a period of human and spiritual achievement.
We propose, as a government, to continue to carry forward the great technological gains of our age. We shall harness the unimaginable possibilities of atomic energy, to bring men and women a larger, fuller life. But there is something more important than all this. With all the energy, intelligence and determination which mortal heart and mind can summon to the task, we must solve the problem of establishing a just and lasting peace in the world, and of securing to our own and other like-minded people the blessings of freedom and of individual opportunity.
To me, to be an American in this hour is to dedicate one's life to the freedom of men. As long as the world is half free and half slave, we must peacefully labor to help men everywhere to achieve liberty. And that fundamentally will be the cause that we will champion for the next four years, Thank you all, Peace be with you…and God Bless the United States of America
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Associated Press, 1949
Dewey Cabinet finalized
Secretary of the Treasury: Nelson Rockefeller
Secretary of State: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Secretary of Defense: John Foster Dulles
Attorney General: Herbert Brownell
Postmaster General: Arthur Summerfield*
Secretary of Interior: Douglas McKay*
Secretary of Commerce: Robert Bradford
Secretary of Labor: James Mitchell
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President Dewey, for the most part in terms of Domestic Policy, decided to pick cabinet members that would keep with his moderate-to-liberal leanings. Although he had publicly espoused that he would roll back the tides of the Roosevelt-Wallace-Truman era grand social programs. In office he would keep a majority of the policies enacted under the Democratic Triumvirate. Dewey did want Americans back on a Balanced Budget and had newly appointed Secretary of the Treasury Nelson Rockefeller assemble a team of economic advisors who would know best how to put Americans’ back on the path of fiscal responsibility without hindering, it’s rapid post-war expansion.
While he was “Ye olde Platitude” during the campaign, as President, Tom Dewey wanted to bring his reputation for being a relentless and aggressive prosecutor to the realm of foreign policy. Although he was originally in the school of the more internationalists who wanted to use the UN as a new venue to help counter the soviet threat. However, he found that his former foreign affairs advisor, John Foster Dulles, was much more willing to take the aggressive approach against the communists like he wanted. Although he personally disliked the usage of nuclear weapons, As Secretary of Defense, Dulles understood that building up America’s ability to wage outright nuclear war was the only deterrent to try to stop the voracious Soviets from wiping out their allies.
For the position of Secretary of State, Dewey nominated Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. of Massachusetts, largely because of his belief in the United Nations as the only true way to prevent WWIII. Lodge tried to bridge the gap between the Truman Doctrine and the more aggressive policies of Dulles, in hopes that the US could stand against the Soviet Union more strongly without the new risk of nuclear war. His first challenge came in Korea, which the United States now considered an important defense for Japan, and of US strength in the Pacific as a whole. Though he would not support Rhee’s calls for an invasion of the north, he did push Dulles and Dewey to make contingencies for the defense of Korea.
When Kim Il-Sung went to ask Stalin for permission to invade the ROK, he replied that with the more aggressive US policy, he would not approve. The People’s Republic of China, however, worried that the US might try and overthrow the DPRK and put a capitalist nation on their border, said they would support such an act, but wanted to wait until the DPRK was better prepared. Mao also believed a victory in Korea might dissuade the plans for attack Mao believed Dewey had in store for China. Time was a double edged sword, though. The US, having put more of a focus on Korea after the border skirmishes, became aware of the attempt and moved troops to South Korea in the winter of 1949-1950. B-29s, both nuclear and conventionally armed, were readied for action. The US was unsure whether or not the Soviets would intervene, and were preparing for the worst. The 7th Fleet was also deployed to the region. When asked why there was such a buildup of forces during ‘peacetime’, Dewey and Lodge cited ‘repeated acts of aggression’ by the DPRK against the ROK, and the need to ‘prevent expansion of communism’ by the PRC.
Fearing their window for an attack was closing as the US mobilized more forces; the DPRK launched their assault on May 2nd of 1950. They captured Seoul, and drove further southward until stopped by MacArthur’s forces on a line slightly north of Taejon. By then, Lodge had secured not only a UN mandate for American actions in Korea, but for an international force to intervene. But realistically, it would be the US providing the vast majority of the forces in Korea, not the international community.
As the US (formally, the UN forces) launched their counteroffensive in the summer, the Chinese and Russians began to throw more of their weight into the situation. As UN forces passed the original borders in September, Chinese ‘volunteer’ forces began to advance into the DPRK, along with the new Mig-15 fighters, likely provided with Soviet assistance later in October. The US advance halted as air superiority disappeared, until the arrival of the F-86 Sabre. There seemed to be a stalemate through most of the winter, and MacArthur warned privately that nuclear weapons might be needed to ensure victory.
A composite photo of events in the Korean War
From: The Dewey Years by Bloc Head
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In his first two years as Governor, Joe knew that other than Jack’s assessments that all the powers that was relegated to his office, was the ability to write out sewer contracts, and that it was nothing compared to the patronage received for Boston Mayors However, mainly through his own personal charisma, and his father’s unbelievable financial reach Joe was able to produce a remarkably successful first term for a an exceptionally young Democratic Governor, dealing with a Republican-dominated state legislature. His adoration from Ethnic voters, whom many feel that Joe is generally conceded to be one of the smartest politicians ever to sit on Beacon Hill, is a devilishly-handsome bachelor with a hearty Irish smile. In his first term, he has loaded the state payroll with his supporters/family friends and has thereby created Massachusetts' most formidable personal machine. Kennedy can and does point with pride to a $400 million highway program and construction of schools, hospitals and public housing.
The Governor was able to avoid a major controversy and potential charges of Nepotism within the first few months of his term. President Dewey’s selection of Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. for Secretary of State vacated the class one senate seat. Now, Massachusetts law stipulates that the Governor can appoint someone to fill the senate seat until the next election can be called. Many sources inside the administration, whom wish to stay anonymous, knew that Joe was adamant at appointing his younger brother John F. Kennedy to the seat. The younger Kennedy or “Jack” as he is called by family and friends; served in President Truman’s administration as Secretary of the Navy for two years, after he was elevated in May of ’47 to fill James Forestall’s office when Forestall became Secretary of Defense. With his consummate knowledge of Foreign Affairs, there was no question that Jack wasn’t qualified for the office, yet even still the act of appointing one’s brother would be far too politically damaging for a man who campaigned on as the new generation of Irish-American politicians against the corrupt practice of the old Boston pols.
So, Governor Kennedy nominated the 68 year old, former Democratic Governor Joseph B. Ely to fill the vacated seat and revealed the special election would take place on the same day as the 1950 Midterm elections. After being sworn in, Senator Ely announced what many had already suspected that, he would not be running to serve the final two years of Lodge’s unfinished term. Unsurprisingly, weeks after the announcement, former Secretary John F. Kennedy announced his candidacy for the seat. The Kennedy machine proved no match for his primary opponents, allowing Jack to score 60% of the vote against former Lt. Governor Horace T. Cahill on November 7th Victory. With one son embarking on his second term as Governor and one son embarking to serve out a term in the Senate, old papa Joe Kennedy goal of either he or his sons reaching the White House seems suddenly within reach.
Senator-Elect John F. "Jack" Kennedy thanking supporters in Boston, Massachusetts on election night
From: Schchlesinger, Arthur M. "The Boy Governor." Time 14 Feb. 1951: 25-27. Time Archive. Web
The New York Times
November 2nd, 1950
President Dewey Assassinated;
Warren Sworn In as Successor
November 2nd, 1950
President Dewey Assassinated;
Warren Sworn In as Successor
Griselio Torresola came from a family that believed in the Puerto Rican independence cause, while Oscar Collazo had been participating in the movement since childhood. They met in New York City and became good friends. On October 28, 1950, they received the news that the jayuya uprising led by the nationalist Blanca Canales in Puerto Rico, had failed. Torresola's sister had been wounded and his brother Elio was arrested. Collazo and Torresola then decided to assassinate President Truman with the intention of bringing world attention to the independence cause of Puerto Rico. Torresola, as a skilled gunman, taught Collazo how to load and handle a gun. Both men familiarized themselves with the area around the Blair house.
During the first term of the presidency of Tom Dewey, the White House was found to have serious structural faults and was completely gutted and renovated. While the White House was undergoing renovation, the President resided at Blair House.
Torresola walked up Pennsylvania Ave from the west side while his partner, Oscar Collazo, walked up to a Capital police officer on the steps of the Blair house. Approaching Birdzell from behind, Collazo pulled out a Walter p3 handgun, pointed it at the officer's back, and pulled the trigger; but since he had failed to cock it, nothing happened. After pounding on his pistol and fumbling around with it, Collazo managed to fire the weapon just as Birdzell was turning to face him, striking the officer in his right knee. Nearby, Secret Service Agent Floyd Boring and White House Police officer Joseph Davidson heard the shot and opened fire on Collazo with their service revolvers. Collazo returned fire, and soon found himself outgunned as the wounded Birdzell managed to draw his weapon and join the shootout. Soon after, Collazo was struck by two .38 caliber rounds in the head and right arm, while other officers rushed to join the fight.
Meanwhile, Torresola approached a guard booth at the west corner of the Blair House, and noted an officer; Private Leslie Coffelt was sitting inside chatting with President Dewey, who had just woken up from a nap. Torresola, in a double handed shooting stance, quickly pivoted from left to right around the opening of the booth. Both Dewey and Coffelt were taken completely by surprise, as tourists often stopped at the box to ask for information. Torresola fired four shots from his 9 mm German Lugar semi-automatic pistol at close range at the President. Three of the shots struck Dewey in the chest and abdomen, and the fourth went through his thick, double breasted suit and a two shots hit Coffelt in the shoulder and the knee. Dewey slumped down in his chair, mortally wounded, while Coffelt tried to find his wounds.
Torresola then turned his attention to plainclothes White House policeman Joseph Downs. Downs, who had just paused to chat with Coffelt, proceeded down the walkway to the basement door at the west end of the Blair-Lee house when he heard shots being fired. Downs noticed Torresola, but was shot once in the hip before he could draw his weapon. Downs turned back towards the house, and was shot twice more by Torresola, once in the back and once in the neck. Downs staggered to the basement door, opened it, slid in, and then slammed the door behind him, denying Torresola entry into the Blair House.
Torresola then turned his attention to the shoot-out between his partner, Collazo, and several other law enforcement officers. Torresola noted wounded policeman Donald Birdzell aiming at Collazo from the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue. Torresola aimed and shot Birdzell in the left knee from a distance of approximately 40 feet. Now shot in both knees, Birdzell was no longer able to stand and was effectively incapacitated. (He would later recover.) Soon after, the severely wounded Collazo was hit in the chest by a ricochet shot from Davidson and was incapacitated too.
Torresola realized he was out of ammunition. He stood to the immediate left of the Blair House steps while he reloaded. At the same time, the flesh-wounded Coffelt staggered out of his guard booth, leaned against it, and aimed his revolver at Torresola, who was approximately 30 feet away. Coffelt fired, hitting Torresola two inches above the ear on a slight upward angle, killing him instantly. Dewey was rushed to GW Hospital, where doctors frantically tried to find the extent of the internal damage. After working for four hours, President Thomas E. Dewey never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at the age of 48. Vice President Earl Warren, who had been on the stump for Congressional candidates in Washington State, was flown back immediately, and late that night was officially sworn in by Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson as the nation’s 36th President of the United States.
President Thomas E. Dewey (R-NY): January 20th 1949-November 1st 1950
From: The Dewey Years by Bloc Head
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President Earl Warren had only been in office for a week, and the nations still in the throes of grief at the shocking assassination of their young President, when the results from the 1950 Congressional elections rolled in. Riots in Puerto Rican neighborhoods in New York City, Boston and others erupted as angry American’s sought to enact the same violence which killed the President on any Puerto Rican the could find. President Warren was forced to call in the National Guard to block of Puerto Rican-majority districts as a result, and publicly declared “That violence cannot and shall not be the way of this nation.” After his call to unity, many of the riots died down enough for politico’s to weigh the results.
In the house, the sympathy vote for the late President Dewey proved strong enough to allow the Republican Party to gain a narrow 235 to 199 seat majority over the Democrats, with Joseph Martin determined to become the Speaker of the House once more. In the senate, the Democrats lost a net worth of seven seats, narrowly handing back the majority back to the Republican Party. This new wave of the GOP, included Richard M. Nixon in California, Prescott S. Bush in Connecticut, Everett Dirksen in Illinois, and Leonard W. Hall in New York. However, not all was lost on the Democrats, as the second son of former Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy and younger brother of incumbent Governor Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. of Massachusetts, former Secretary of the Navy John F. Kennedy won the special election to serve out the rest of Secretary of State Henry C. Lodge’s vacated senate seat.
Earl Warren (R-CA), The 36th President of the United States of America
From: United We Stand: A biography of Earl Warren by Ed Cray
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The 1950 Massachusetts Gubernatorial election for Joe’s reelection was nothing short of a cakewalk. His much publicized achievements on construction of new highways, schools and public housing allowed the Governor to maintain a high approval rating of 65% percent and due to his enormous popularity weren’t challenged by a member of his party for the nomination. The Bay State Republican Party understood that 1950 would not be the year that they could take back Beacon Hill. So they nominated the ultimate WASP, in former Lt. Governor and 4th Cousin of the nation’s 30th President…Arthur W. Coolidge.
From our records on Coolidge, the spry 69-year old knew that there was virtually no chance of him pulling an upset against Kennedy. In one of the more lighthearted campaigns against Joe Jr., Coolidge reacted to taunts about his age by challenging his Democratic rival to a 100-yd. race. "And furthermore," said Coolidge, "I'll give him a handicap of a foot for each year of difference in our ages." At the ripe old age of 35, the former Navy Ari Man, who trained on running on the beach at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, heartily agreed to the event. In a crisp fall day in October, the gubernatorial nominees meet at Harvard Stadium filled with Press agents and eager spectators. Joe started on the 34 yard line, and Coolidge at the Goal line as agreed and the race was off. Although Joe physical speed had slowed abit while in office, he had the lead on old’ Coolidge until he dropped down on the 75 yard line claiming that he pulled a charley horse. Coolidge kept running, and beat him in the race. Although many were spectators were surprised that a Kennedy would let anyone win, even in a foot race, Joe later said “It was the most fun I’ve had in a good long while.”
The White-haired former Lt. Governor could take solace in his gracious win against Joe in their 100-yard dash because in the election, he was dust in the win. Joe Jr. delivered a resounding victory, winning on a 70% to 30% margin over Coolidge. However, unlike in ’46 or ’48…Joe understood this as a personal victory won on his own real achievements and not entirely on his father’s connections. Even being a popular two-term governor, of a densely populated yet geographically small state like Massachusetts, he still wasn’t talked about by the majority of the media sources as a true potential Presidential candidate. Joe knew that there was two things that he needed to do to complete the equation…Carry Massachusetts for the Democratic Ticket in 1952 and secondly to find him a beautiful wife to start a family.
Arthur W. Coolidge, 1950 Republican Nominee for Governor against Joe Kennedy Jr.
From: AN [REDACTED] LIFE: Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. 1915-[REDACTED] by Robert Dallek
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It was New Years, a few minutes past twelve in 1952 at the Le Pavillion where we were enjoying the festivities with the Governor. She was wearing a tight black dress of some shimmering material which seemed to be several sizes too small for her, a white fox stole, whole outfit looked as if it might have been purchased from a thrift shop. Not that it mattered-the tall, elegant blonde seemed somehow beyond taste good and bad. At this point in her life, she was still a fledgling actress looking for a breakout role in Hollywood. Fourteen Hours, a 20th Century Fox film released in March was her debut but not critically acclaimed and later that year stared opposite Gary Cooper in High Noon, in which she played the demure and Victorian Amy Kane.
I took the opportunity to move closer to Joe, whose expression resembled that of a man getting his first glimpse of the Grand Canyon or Mount Everest…some natural wonder of awesome proportions and reputation
“Jesus Christ! Who’s the fox?” Joe whispered
“The blonde, I’m not sure…I think she did a couple of pictures last year but she’s definitely new to this town.” I whispered back, after before I could even finish the Governor was off.
Joe closed the distance, determined to reach the girl before I did, took her hand, squeezed it briefly rather than shaking it, and gave her his now infamous half-grin. She smiled back “And who are you I might ask?” in her articulate, almost foreign-accented voice. “I’m Joe Kennedy Jr.…the Governor of Massachusetts.” Joe replied back. She had a charming habit of ending every sentence as if it were a question “I can’t believe you’re a governor…I thought that they were all old, fat and balding.”
She hadn’t removed her hand from his, and I could see that Feldman’s face was a mixture of regret and dismay…he must have been wishing he’d never invited Joe here, or that he didn’t bring the blonde with him. “Are you sure you’re a governor?” she asked giggling. “You look just like a boy.”
She could hardly have said anything more certain to charm him. He looked her over from top to toe, appreciatively, lingering on the full wonder of all that slender, incredible beauty. “Well,” he said at last, “you look just like a girl…what’s your name dear?” She smiled right back to him, after taking a draft from her cigarette.
“It’s Grace…Grace Kelly.”
From: The Immortals, A story about Joe and Grace by Michael Korda
A bit sad about Dewey but it seems that Warren will continue his policies. Now it seems Jack will stay in the Senate, or might become a GHWB-like foreign policy guru as SecState in a future (non-Kennedy) Democratic administration. Joe Jr. and Grace Kelly- something tells me it will either work beautifully or derail spectacularly. She's not promiscuous, but Joe sure as hell is- even more than Jack if that's possible. Of course, it could just be a momentary flame. But usually male Kennedys find loves fairly quickly, as the 3 brothers proved.
Now RFK should be out of HLS, married Ethel and had 2 kids already if OTL is continuing in that respect. Otherwise he could marry Pat Skakel, Ethel's older sister, as I told you elsewhere. Ted should be in the Army- perhaps he volunteered for Korea as per OTL until Jack and Bobby talked him out of it. What are they both doing as careers?
How's Jack's own love life coming along? He won't have met Jackie yet, but maybe he meets someone else (generic maybe?) ITTL.
Now RFK should be out of HLS, married Ethel and had 2 kids already if OTL is continuing in that respect. Otherwise he could marry Pat Skakel, Ethel's older sister, as I told you elsewhere. Ted should be in the Army- perhaps he volunteered for Korea as per OTL until Jack and Bobby talked him out of it. What are they both doing as careers?
How's Jack's own love life coming along? He won't have met Jackie yet, but maybe he meets someone else (generic maybe?) ITTL.
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Grace Kelly? THAT'S AMAZING! I LOVE IT! 
I hope they get married and stay together. A First Lady Grace Kelly would be amazing.
Poor Dewey. President Earl Warren should be interesting. If Warren plays his cards right, he could win easily in 1952 and 1956, leaving 1960 ripe for Joe Jr. I wonder who he chooses as his VEEP for 1952. He could court Eisenhower, if polling shows the election as being close (although I'm not sure Ike would accept). SecTreas Rocky or SecState Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. would be good picks as well. Anyway, I can't wait to see Warren in office. Maybe he'll implement stronger civil rights legislation. BTW has Joe Kennedy Jr. stated his positions on civil rights yet? He might vie for the South when he runs, if Earl Warren pisses off the South while in office.
As always, an awesome update. Keep it coming!
I hope they get married and stay together. A First Lady Grace Kelly would be amazing. Poor Dewey.
President Earl Warren should be interesting. If Warren plays his cards right, he could win easily in 1952 and 1956, leaving 1960 ripe for Joe Jr. I wonder who he chooses as his VEEP for 1952. He could court Eisenhower, if polling shows the election as being close (although I'm not sure Ike would accept). SecTreas Rocky or SecState Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. would be good picks as well. Anyway, I can't wait to see Warren in office. Maybe he'll implement stronger civil rights legislation. BTW has Joe Kennedy Jr. stated his positions on civil rights yet? He might vie for the South when he runs, if Earl Warren pisses off the South while in office. As always, an awesome update. Keep it coming!
Why should he? No reason to reveal his moderately pro-CR stance yet. IOTL Jack voted with the Dixiecrats to excise Title IV (trials by judge) from the 1957 CRA out of political expediency. Had it not been for Bobby's lightning reflexes with Dr. King and Nixon's slow response in October 1960, Jack would've lost the black urban vote and the 1960 election along with it.
...My God, this is pure awesomeness...
Keep it up Historico!
Thanks DA for your support, I may try get one more installment out during this holiday weekened. But no promises lol, because I haven a month to study for my LSAT, it will probably be the last one till mid october.
I have to read up on my RFK bio(I have the Evan Thomas one) but definatley expect a passage about Bobby and Ted in the next update. The last bit on Joe meeting Grace was suppose to happen in 1951, but after a little research, '51 was reall here breakout year, and she'd be a little older so...It was kind of a little teaser on more to come
As for Grace getting married to Joe it's a question of when rather than if. As for getting rid of Jackie, Ethel and Joan, nah I loved the chemistry between those women, and itll be interesting to see how Grace does being thrown into the aggressive, political world of the Kennedys.
Well, the chemistry was usually quite Chinese-interesting. Ethel fit in perfectly with the Kennedy sisters, not so much for the other two. Most famously with Ethel and Jackie, but also Joan was never comfortable. It reminds me of a time everyone was swimming, and Joan came in a full length bathing suit while all the women were in cutoffs. Ethel screamed "Joan, we're not in church here!"
Re Bobby/Ted: PM me and I'll fill you on what you need without the need for source consultation.
Re Grace: I hope she's *prepared* for Joe's promiscuity.
Re Bobby/Ted: PM me and I'll fill you on what you need without the need for source consultation.
Re Grace: I hope she's *prepared* for Joe's promiscuity.
Grace Kelly? THAT'S AMAZING! I LOVE IT!
Poor Dewey.
As always, an awesome update. Keep it coming!
Warren's definatley going to be a more domestically focused President rather than Dewey, and Civil Rights is going to be one of his defining issues, but also he's going to be more supportive of Domestic spending programs like Public Works, and Infrastructure building programs. Also remember that the 22nd Amendment did pass ITTL as did OTL(Joe just didn't vote for it) and should be ratified on schedule in 1951.
Since the Amendment did effect the sitting President at the time of its passage, Truman would still be the only president elgible to run for a "third term" even in my TL. So Warren unfortunatley will only be able to run in 1952...leaving '56...wide open
The issue of of White and Black relations in Massachusetts, specifically Boston will be addressed in the next update or two. But you're definatley write about the impact that northern political calculation on the issue can have.
That's going to be a doozy. Ted was called a "disgrace to the Irish" for being anti-bussing in the 1970s. "We cannot have one rule for Birmingham, Alabama and another rule for Boston, Massachusetts." The tires of his car were slashed and he had to escape with his SS detail on the subway.
Nixon-Goldwater '56.
Nixon-Goldwater '56.
If Joe decides to run against Nixon in '56, that'd be interesting. Another POD here is that there is a chance for further development of the JFK-Nixon friendship in the Senate, potentially extending to Joe as well. Hint, hint.
Joe Jr. wasn't so keen on his kids marrying Hollywood glitterati IOTL ("if there's anything worse than an actor, it's a British actor" in reference to the alcoholic douchebag Peter Lawford) but I think he'll make an exception here. Few know this, but in late '47-early '48 Bobby briefly dated a British showgirl before Joe Sr. and transatlantic distance shut that down.
A bloody good update. Grace Kelly - perfect! She looked pretty damn good all her life. Dewey, than Warren nice nice. Very detailed assassination scene...
Let's see how Korea goes.
Let's see how Korea goes.
comparison
So ITTL Dewey is the J.F.K of our world. A young, active, and semi-popular president cut down before being able to enact any major policy changes.
Tell me if I'm right or wrong, but that's my view on the matter.
Will there be a "warren" commission of sorts ITTL to determine all of the background of Dewey's assassination? A Vinson Commission?
With the president killed in puerto Rico, I'm thinking statehood for them will be pretty much derailed for quite a long time?
So ITTL Dewey is the J.F.K of our world. A young, active, and semi-popular president cut down before being able to enact any major policy changes.
Tell me if I'm right or wrong, but that's my view on the matter.
Will there be a "warren" commission of sorts ITTL to determine all of the background of Dewey's assassination? A Vinson Commission?
With the president killed in puerto Rico, I'm thinking statehood for them will be pretty much derailed for quite a long time?
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Amazing Grace: The 1952 US Presidential and Gubernatorial elections; 1951-1953
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Associated Press, 1951
22nd Amendment ratified
In a triumphant day for all Americans, on February 27th 1951, the 22nd Amendment was finally ratified by the necessary three-fourths of the nation’s 48 states. The Amendment holds a Person from serving as President twice. President Warren has declared it as “A remarkable achievement, as I think more than any other, will prevent any future would be dictator from holding this office perpetually.” The 36th President, knows that due to the terms of the Amendment, if he sought a term in his own right in 1952, he would be ineligible to run for a “second” term in ’56 due to him serving over two years of the late President Dewey’s unfinished term.
Rosenberg’s convicted of High Treason
On March 29th, the world watched as the trial of century finally reached a verdict in the case of Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg. Judge Irving Kaufman said that he not only held them responsible for espionage but for American deaths in the Korean War. All arrows are pointing to a death sentence for the married couple. President Warren is not available for a comment at this time.
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It was during Joe Jr. second term on Beacon Hill and Jack’s first couple of years in the senate, where the future careers of their younger brothers was just taking shape. Bobby had risen to the expectation at HLS, graduating top of his class in May of 1951. With his grades, remarkably stronger than either Joe’s or Jack’s, Bobby was elected President of the distinguished Harvard Law Review during his 3L. Yet one of the biggest passions of his heart was serving as one of the founders of the Harvard Defenders clinical programs. Started in 1949, the original Harvard Defenders, Bobby included, goals was to volunteer to provide pro-bono representation to low-income defendants in criminal show-cause hearings and assist callers with other legal issues through their extensive referral network. It was with his experience with the Defenders, which solidified Bobby’s interests in criminal law and helping those less fortunate than his family.
Throughout his years at HLS, Bobby dated Ethel Skakel of Connecticut, who was only two years his junior. Bobby would become the first of his brothers to become married, on June 17, 1950 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenwich. Ethel's wedding dress and bridal party gowns were created by noted New York City fashion designer Mamie Conti. As newlyweds, Ethel and Bobby moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts where they lived while Bobby finished his last year at Harvard Law Their first child, Kathleen was born on July 4, 1951. After Bobby graduated with his law degree, the family settled in the D.C greater area and Bobby won a coveted spot as a Law Clerk for close family friend, Justice William O’ Douglas for the ’51-’52 term. During their year together, Douglas although Bobby’s boss, became a mentor while Bobby was trying to map out a life separate from the paths of his brothers. It was during his clerkship that led Bobby to take the job working in the gang unit of the criminal decision of the US Department of Justice in the fall of 1952. Yet his family time in Washington would be court short, when he was appointed to the Eastern District of New York as a Federal Prosecutor in the role of Assistant US Attorney
Associate Justice William O' Douglas with his Law Clerk Robert F. Kennedy
From Robert Kennedy: His life by Evan Thomas
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Associated Press, 1952
God Save the Queen
It can now be reported that on February 6th, 1952, that King George VI of the United Kingdom at the age of 56 has died. His eldest daughter Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, shall become Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Puerto Rico granted Commonwealth Status
The Constitution of Puerto Rico was approved by a Constitutional Convention on February 6, 1952, ratified by the U.S. Congress, approved by President Truman on July 3 of that year, and proclaimed by Gov. Muñoz Marín on July 25, 1952, on the anniversary of the July 25, 1898 landing of U.S. troops in the Puerto Rican Campaign of the Spanish-American War, until then an annual Puerto Rico holiday. Puerto Rico adopted the name of Estado Libre Asociado (literally translated as "Free Associated State"), officially translated into English as Commonwealth, for its body politic. The United States Congress legislates over many fundamental aspects of Puerto Rican life, including citizenship, currency, postal service, foreign affairs, military defense, communications, labor relations, the environment, commerce, finance, health and welfare, and many others
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America by the time of the 1952 Elections was much different than she was in 1948. Although economically speaking, things had proven never better for the United States. As GDP had increased dramatically under the Dewey-Warren years, business free from the burden of excessive unionization, were taking more risks into the bear market and many Middle Class Americans were beginning to settle in suburban areas outside of the harsh decline of the central cities. As class concerns became less important, the signs that the country was becoming as a whole more Republican were definitely becoming more apparent to Democratic Party officials.
With the issue of the depression and its aftermath’s a mere memory for most American voters, Democrats were force to run on the most controversial issues of the day. Although in the wake of Dewey’s assassination, President Warren poll numbers were off the charts, by the time of the GOP Convention, Warren had been in office for nearly two years on his own accord. The bloody and indecisive Korean War was dragging into its third year, Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communist crusade was stirring public fears of an encroaching “Red Menace,” and the President’s constant rhetorical promises to Black voters for a comprehensive Civil Rights act in his second term greatly angered southern whites.
With that being said, with all of the Warren and the Republican’s faults, many democrats felt that chances of a win were fairly unlikely. In spite of this unfavorable political climate, three candidates emerged in hopes to become the nation’s 37th President. The Frontrunner for the nomination was former Vice President W. Averell Harriman of New York. Next to Senator Edward J. Stettinius Jr. of Virginia, Harriman was considered the nation’s ultimate Elder Statesman and probably the only candidate who could challenge Warren in his perceived ineptitude in relation to foreign affairs. He had largely spent the last four year outside of the Truman White House, shoring up his support amongst the party bosses, securing the New York delegation for the convention and making public visits to battleground states to become more well-known with voters.
Harriman, however did not campaign seriously through the Democratic primaries leaving an opening for populist Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver, who had chaired a nationally televised investigation of organized crime in 1951and was known as a crusader against crime and corruption. The Gallup poll of February 15 showed Harriman's weakness: nationally Harriman was the choice of only 36% of Democrats, compared with 21% for Kefauver. Among independent voters, however, Harriman had only 18% while Kefauver led with 36%. In the New Hampshire primary, Kefauver upset Harriman, winning 19,800 votes to Truman's 15,927 and capturing all eight delegates. Kefauver graciously said that he did not consider his victory "a repudiation of the former Truman Administration’s policies, but a desire...for new ideas and personalities."
Although the former Vice President did not actively campaign in the state, or any for that matter…Harriman’s was afraid that Kefauver’s successes in the primaries, may be able to come in with enough momentum to overtake him in the convention. Those fears were base in fact as Kefauver won most of the primaries. Other primary winners were Senator Hubert Humphrey, who won his home state of Minnesota and West Virginia, while Senator Richard Russell of Georgia won the Florida primary and However, most states still chose their delegates to the Democratic Convention via state conventions, which meant that the party bosses – especially the mayors and governors of large Northern and Midwestern states and cities – were able to choose the Democratic nominee. These bosses (including former President Truman) strongly disliked Kefauver; his investigations of organized crime had revealed connections between Mafia figures and many of the big-city Democratic political organizations. The party bosses thus viewed Kefauver as a maverick who could not be trusted, and they refused to support him for the nomination.
The 1952 Democratic National Convention was held in New York City; Since the convention was being held in his home state, former Vice President Harriman – who still proclaimed that he was not a presidential candidate – was asked to give the welcoming address to the delegates. He proceeded to give a witty and stirring address that led his supporters to begin a renewed round of efforts to nominate him, despite his “protests”. After meeting with Senator Herbert H. Lehman, the highest ranking Democratic Party official in the Empire State, Harriman finally agreed to formally enter his name as a candidate for the nomination. The party bosses from other large Northern and Pacific states quickly joined in support. Kefauver led on the first ballot, but had far fewer votes than necessary to win. Harriman gradually gained strength until he was nominated on the third ballot.
After the delegates nominated Harriman, the convention then turned to selecting a vice president. The main candidates for this position were Kefauver, Russell, Barkley, Senator John Sparkman, Senator Claude Smathers and Senator Mike Monroney. After narrowing it down to Senator Sparkman and Senator Smathers, former President Truman and a small group of political insiders chose Smathers, a conservative, segregationist from Florida, whose age at 39 seemed to balance out questions about Harriman’s own age at 62, for the nomination. The convention complied and nominated Smathers as Harriman's running mate. Harriman then delivered an eloquent acceptance speech in which he famously pledged to "talk sense to the American people."
Former Vice President W. Averell Harriman celebration in achieving the Democratic Party's nomination for President
From: Korea, Communism and Corruption: The 1952 US Presidential Election by John Meacham
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The Keynote: At the Monday evening session, Massachusetts' Governor Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (rhymes with remedy) made the keynote speech. It was, in its way, a classic—the kind of old-fashioned political speech, as simple as a morality play, in which the forces of good (led by Archangels Wilson, F.D.R., Wallace and Truman) meet the forces of darkness, and thwart their plot to form atomic monopolies and maltreat widows and orphans.
"Our opponents," cried Kennedy, "brought forth in another building in Chicago a shopworn declaration, conceived in malice and dedicated to the proposition that all the great achievements of the last 20 years should be swept away." As for the Republican nomination: "Was it a conflict over policies and philosophies? Was it an effort to replace the Old Guard with the new?" Not at all, said Kennedy. "Warren, said Kennedy, did his best work under Democratic Presidents, and otherwise is "entirely uninformed."
Kennedy sweepingly claimed Democratic credit for the defeat of the Kaiser, Hitler and (somewhat prematurely) Stalin, and blamed all the U.S.'s foreign policy troubles on 1) the Republicans, and 2) "Russian perfidy."
He painted an artistic word picture of the Depression, crammed with all the old phantoms: apple sellers stood disconsolately around street corners, the bonus marchers once more tried to storm Washington, mean-eyed sheriffs foreclosed mortgages across the land. In the background there was a steady rain of statistics showing that everybody, including business, was infinitely better off than in 1932. "Suppose," Kenney cried, "the dinosaurs of political thought came into power! . . . Suppose these rugged individualists abandoned the farmer to the ravages of uncontrolled free enterprise, and the toiler to the mercies of the sweatshop of former days. You don’t have to dream it anymore, because that’s been the story of the last four years"
Corruption? Governor Kennedy did not hesitate to mention corruption—briefly. Cried he, hurling the statistic of the year: "The Democratic Party pays tribute to the 99.84% of federal employees whose character is above suspicion.
"Let them form their battalions, captained by the lords of the press, the oil tycoons of Houston, and the moneychangers of Wall Street," he cried. "Let them ride to battle in their motors, forgetful of the day when there was no chicken and there was no pot ..." He wound up with a stirring imitation of Tory Winston Churchill's Dunkirk pledge: "We shall fight them in the cities and fight them in the towns. We shall fight in the counties and fight in the precincts. We shall never surrender . . . We have triumphed before. We shall triumph again."
Governor Kennedy getting a drink of water after his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 1952
From: We Shall Triumph Again, 1952 Time Archive article
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Thomas Mellon: The Moment we entered the convention hall, we knew that it wasn’t going to be all smooth sailing in Chicago. The President’s approval ratings were floating around 50%, enough to ensure him re-nomination but low enough to question his viability for the general. The guys like me working on the president’s behalf mainly worked the hall to make sure to keep the moderates and liberals like Stassen, Dirksen and Eisenhower in line and that the roll call for president remain in unanimous.
Jim McEvoy: We did our jobs, and Warren got his unanimous re-nomination against the backdrop of Dewey’s face plastered everywhere. Warren did feel like it was a tat bit overdone, but he himself did tear up when, Dewey’s nineteen year old boy introduced a film about his late father’s life. The crowd was so overtaken by emotion that Thomas Jr. received 22 minutes of uninterrupted applause, causing him to nearly break into tears.
Thomas Mellon: In a general election fight between the President and Harriman, we knew that both men were just as interesting to watch campaign as looking at paint drying. No, We not only needed someone to really fire up a crowd but more importantly someone the President could work with four years and potentially hand off his legacy to. Moderates and liberals clamored for Rocky for the veep slot. He had done a fantastic job as the President’s chief financial advisor at Secretary of Treasury and had enough support in his home state of New York, to potentially steal it from Harriman in the general. Rocky refused, saying that he had his eyes on a promotion to the state department come Warren’s second term. We then shifted our efforts to Eisenhower, but citied health concerns as his reasons for accepting the nod. So we settle on old Stassen, who gladly accepted seeing that it was his chance to win an election since ’38.
Jim McEvoy: What we did not count on was those two senators cobbling together, to take the slot away from us. McCarthy and Nixon, you have to give the bastards credit…Tailgunner was probably the only man within that convention to have enough popular support amongst the delegates to steal the nomination away from the president if he wanted to. But I think, he knew that he wasn’t cut out for the job. Taft knew from ’48 on, that the chances of him ever becoming President were know slim to none, and Warren’s ascension to the White House only proved that. Although he delivered a primetime speech, in favor of a more combative administration, he left the nomination of the vice president to more younger, and hungrier men.
Thomas Mellon: McCarthy, and Dick Nixon (who had his beady eyes squarely on ’56) who had proved to be a valiant fighter against communism here at home. Once they threw up that Neanderthal William Jenner for the nomination, we knew that Stassen didn’t stand a chance and Jenner was nominated as the President’s running mate on the first ballot. Although he was horrified at the pick, the President wanted the appearance of a united party and went along with it. And that’s how the Warren-Jenner ticket came to be.
GOP Vice Presidential Nominee William E. Jenner of Indiana, with Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin
Background: Massachusetts has gone Democratic in every presidential election since 1928, and seven of its last eleven gubernatorial elections have been won by Democrats. Since 1944, however, both Massachusetts Senators have been Republicans, and since 1948 eight of the state's 14 Congressmen have been Republican. In 1952, for the first time in years, registered Republicans (715,958) outnumbered registered Democrats (703,740) in Massachusetts. These statistics are deceptive, because another 700,000 Massachusetts voters not formally enrolled in either party vote far more heavily Democratic than Republican. Two-thirds of the state's potential voters are Roman Catholics, and more than half are foreign born or first-generation Americans. In the past, state Democratic leaders have worked hard, and sometimes successfully, to convince voters that the Democratic Party is the secular arm of the Catholic Church.
Massachusetts politicians, however, differentiate sharply between the racial groups making up the state's Catholic population. Most numerous are the Irish (750,000 or more), who are also the staunchest Democrats. Republicans have had the most success with the increasingly important Italians (300,000), but Democratic Governor Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. has been working hard to mend his Italian fences.
For Governor: Democrat Kennedy, 37, who is generally conceded to be one of the smartest politicians ever to sit on Beacon Hill, is athletic bachelor with a devilishly handsome smile. During his two terms as governor, he has loaded the state payroll with his supporters and has thereby created Massachusetts' most formidable personal machine. Kennedy can and does point with pride to a $400 million highway program and construction of schools, hospitals and public housing. Many Massachusetts TV owners who watched their boyish governor keynote the Democratic National Convention were amazed at his enormous charisma and aggressive rhetoric slamming the Republicans for the slashes in social spending. Bay Staters rallied behind the Governor when Kennedy vetoed an overgenerous pension bill for Massachusetts politicians. Such a strong move against some of the same political bosses that supported his congressional campaign back in ’46, verified for many voters that Kennedy was the agent of change and reform that he ran on.
Kennedy’s Republican opponent, Congressman Christian Herter, 57, has an excellent record as a leader of Republican internationalists in the House of Representatives. In his campaign Herter has put great emphasis on informal gatherings, and cannot hope to match the old-school political oratory which will be unleashed when Joe Jr.’s campaign gets fully under way. In an effort to keep Irish, Italian, Polish and French-Canadian voters away from Herter, Democrats have labeled Herter a "Yankee," which in the strict New England sense he is not; his paternal grandfather came from Germany and he was born in Paris, where his father was studying painting. Democrats are also whispering that Chris Herter is opposed to state-financed buses for parochial schools, which he is not; he opposes buses for such schools as Groton and Andover. The pension scandal gave Kennedy proof of his executive leadership against the parliamentarian Herter.
A month ago, with most state republicans excited about having a truly viable candidate, who might have the ability to overthrow the Kennedy’s, the polls showed a dead-heat between both candidates. But as Joe’s has returned actively to the campaign trail, he has begun to decisively break away with the lead.
Congressman, and Republican Gubernatorial Nominee Christian A. Herter stumping for votes in Massachusetts
From: National Affairs-Key State Massachusetts by Time Archive
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Earl Warren (R-CA)/William E. Jenner (R-IN): 283 Electoral Votes
W. Averell Harriman (D-NY)/George Smathers (D-FL): 248 Electoral Votes
Associated Press, 1952
Warren-Jenner beats Harriman-Smather; Republican’s hold Congress and state houses
In a roller coaster of an election; President Warren, with Vice President-elect Bill Jenner along this time around, can look forward to four more years in the White House. The third electoral squeaker in a row, Warren only beat the former Vice President on a 283 to 248 Electoral Vote margin and 51 to 49 margin in the popular vote. The Strong condition of the economy and support for civil rights enabled the President to sweep the industrial belt while winning 60% of the Negro vote. The President’s outspokenness on the issue, allowed for Harriman to hold the Solid South in its entirety, while 1952 Democratic National Convention Keynote Speaker…Governor Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was able to rally enough Irish Roman Catholic support for the Democratic Ticket to ensure the states of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York narrowly.
In Congress, Mr. Conservative is able to hold his title as Senate Majority Leader as the Republicans retained their slim majority. Important pickups and holds include Republican Barr Goldwater in Arizona, and a hold in Massachusetts for incumbent Senator John F. Kennedy, elected to serve out a full six-year term in his own right. President Warren will also receive a Republican House of Representatives to push through his legislative agenda for the next two years.
President Earl Warren thanking his supporters on Election Night
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Joe’s 1952 gubernatorial campaign had borne out of his extraordinary political attractiveness. Fighting it out in a particularly nasty campaign against a well-qualified Republican opponent, Joe had proved to be the champion for his voters policy consciousness that he had ran on going all the way back to 1940. Against Congressman Herter, Joe won the election 55 to 45 and with over a million and a half votes, he proved that he was a battle hardened man in the brutal sport of politics. He also was the biggest factor in Massachusetts pulling for the Harriman-Smathers ticket, despite President Warren’s enormous popularity in the state, helped give him the national standing in which he needed for a future presidential run. That along with Jack’s largely uncontested re-election in the senate seemed to support the predictions of Kennedy admirers that the country was witnessing “the flowering of another great political family, such as the Adamses, the Coolidge’s and the La Follettes.” “They confidently look forward to the day,” a friendly journalist wrote months before Kennedy’s 1952 victory, “when Joe will be in the White House, Jack as the Senator from Massachusetts, Bobby on the bench as a Supreme Court Justice and Teddy winning the National Football League Championship Game.”
Joe’s two years in the House and four years at Beacon Hill had schooled him in the major domestic, defense and economic policy issues. His education was essential preparation for a presidential campaign, and, more important, service in the White House. To be sure, his Gubernatorial career had produced a significant impact and helped eased the burden of a many a voters in his state, he largely felt that he did all that he could at the state level. Serving out another four years as Governor, could only strengthen his resolve to reach for executive powers that promised greater freedom to implement ideas that could not only reach his state, or the nation…but the entire world. In a [REDACTED] tape recording explaining why he was running for President, he stated that the life of a chief executive was much satisfying than that of a legislator. Senators and congressman could work on something for two years and have it turned aside by a president in one day and one stroke of the pen. Joe knew from experience that effective leadership came largely from the top. Being president provided opportunities that no small-state governor could ever hope to achieve. The time had come to achieve the final piece of the puzzle that he needed to become a viable candidate.
A triumphant night as both Governor Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. and Senator John F. Kennedy celebrate Reelection with their father
From: AN [REDACTED] LIFE: Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. 1915-[REDACTED] by Robert Dallek
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Grace had begun written correspondence with Joe after the met in January of 1952, while he resided in Boston and she moved back to New York City to strengthen her acting skills. In the summer of 1952, they decided to make their courtship public, and were often seen together at many parties, and state functions throughout the year. In the fall of 1952, however Grace Kelly was offered a part in the film Mogambo the chance to work with John Ford and Clark Gable while getting a free trip to Africa proved irresistible. With the help of Joe’s Harvard Law classmates, she was able to garner a contract with MGM that would allow her to continue her stage career. At the age of twenty-two, she signed with MGM, and more or less became part of the studio system. After filming in location in Culver City, Grace returned to Boston to celebrate Joe’s 38th Birthday. At the party, the couple publicly announced their engagement and set a date for marriage in November of 1953
Joe Sr. had no qualms about the engagement, seeing it as a net gain as a way to extend the family influence outside of Massachusetts. Grace’s father was of fresh, rich Irish stock as he made his family’s personal fortune by owning one of the largest construction companies on the east coast. John B. Kelly was also involved in local politics and maintained serious civil concerns. After a narrow defeat as the Democratic candidate for Mayor in 1935, he was head of Philadelphia’s Democratic Committee for several years. From 1938 on, he also served on the Fairmount’s park commission, which manages one of the largest parks in the world. So it was very easy for the two old men, to find a common bond through their entangled worlds of Business and Politics.
However, Joe’s mother Rose had serious issues regarding Grace’s age. Joe Jr. was a full fourteen years her senior and was pushing forty himself while Grace would only turn twenty-four within the final weeks of engagement. Although the Governor usually only seriously dated women older than him, Joe felt that marrying a single woman around his age, would probably have difficulty in producing children. His mother would say, “But Joe…she’s much too young…and young girls have the propensity to be rather silly-“and Joe would reply jokingly, “Mother if she’s big enough, she’s old enough.”
On November 22nd 1953, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, Massachusetts…the wedding of twenty-four year old Philadelphia-born film star Grace Kelley and Governor Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr. of Massachusetts finally took place. In the massive cathedral that morning, the beautiful, radiant bride wore a “fairy-tale” wedding gown that had been the subject of intense interest since the announcement of the couple’s engagement more than three months before. Designed by Helen Rose and made under top secret conditions by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Hollywood, the lace and silk bridal gown was featured on the front pages of newspapers nationwide. Joe’s best man at the wedding was longtime close friend and Connecticut businessman Aubrey “Whitey” Whitelaw while his three brothers serve as groomsmen. Almost 1,000 people filled the cathedral including many of their father’s respective connections from the Boston and Philadelphia social circles. Throughout the remaining decades of the 20th Century, it was remembered as the “wedding of the century”
Mrs. Grace Kelly-Kennedy in her bridal gown during the Marriage ceremony at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, MA
From: Grace Kelley: Icon of Style to America’s Queen by H. Kristina Haugland
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Associated Press, 1951
22nd Amendment ratified
In a triumphant day for all Americans, on February 27th 1951, the 22nd Amendment was finally ratified by the necessary three-fourths of the nation’s 48 states. The Amendment holds a Person from serving as President twice. President Warren has declared it as “A remarkable achievement, as I think more than any other, will prevent any future would be dictator from holding this office perpetually.” The 36th President, knows that due to the terms of the Amendment, if he sought a term in his own right in 1952, he would be ineligible to run for a “second” term in ’56 due to him serving over two years of the late President Dewey’s unfinished term.
Rosenberg’s convicted of High Treason
On March 29th, the world watched as the trial of century finally reached a verdict in the case of Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg. Judge Irving Kaufman said that he not only held them responsible for espionage but for American deaths in the Korean War. All arrows are pointing to a death sentence for the married couple. President Warren is not available for a comment at this time.
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It was during Joe Jr. second term on Beacon Hill and Jack’s first couple of years in the senate, where the future careers of their younger brothers was just taking shape. Bobby had risen to the expectation at HLS, graduating top of his class in May of 1951. With his grades, remarkably stronger than either Joe’s or Jack’s, Bobby was elected President of the distinguished Harvard Law Review during his 3L. Yet one of the biggest passions of his heart was serving as one of the founders of the Harvard Defenders clinical programs. Started in 1949, the original Harvard Defenders, Bobby included, goals was to volunteer to provide pro-bono representation to low-income defendants in criminal show-cause hearings and assist callers with other legal issues through their extensive referral network. It was with his experience with the Defenders, which solidified Bobby’s interests in criminal law and helping those less fortunate than his family.
Throughout his years at HLS, Bobby dated Ethel Skakel of Connecticut, who was only two years his junior. Bobby would become the first of his brothers to become married, on June 17, 1950 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenwich. Ethel's wedding dress and bridal party gowns were created by noted New York City fashion designer Mamie Conti. As newlyweds, Ethel and Bobby moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts where they lived while Bobby finished his last year at Harvard Law Their first child, Kathleen was born on July 4, 1951. After Bobby graduated with his law degree, the family settled in the D.C greater area and Bobby won a coveted spot as a Law Clerk for close family friend, Justice William O’ Douglas for the ’51-’52 term. During their year together, Douglas although Bobby’s boss, became a mentor while Bobby was trying to map out a life separate from the paths of his brothers. It was during his clerkship that led Bobby to take the job working in the gang unit of the criminal decision of the US Department of Justice in the fall of 1952. Yet his family time in Washington would be court short, when he was appointed to the Eastern District of New York as a Federal Prosecutor in the role of Assistant US Attorney
Associate Justice William O' Douglas with his Law Clerk Robert F. Kennedy
From Robert Kennedy: His life by Evan Thomas
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Associated Press, 1952
God Save the Queen
It can now be reported that on February 6th, 1952, that King George VI of the United Kingdom at the age of 56 has died. His eldest daughter Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, shall become Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Puerto Rico granted Commonwealth Status
The Constitution of Puerto Rico was approved by a Constitutional Convention on February 6, 1952, ratified by the U.S. Congress, approved by President Truman on July 3 of that year, and proclaimed by Gov. Muñoz Marín on July 25, 1952, on the anniversary of the July 25, 1898 landing of U.S. troops in the Puerto Rican Campaign of the Spanish-American War, until then an annual Puerto Rico holiday. Puerto Rico adopted the name of Estado Libre Asociado (literally translated as "Free Associated State"), officially translated into English as Commonwealth, for its body politic. The United States Congress legislates over many fundamental aspects of Puerto Rican life, including citizenship, currency, postal service, foreign affairs, military defense, communications, labor relations, the environment, commerce, finance, health and welfare, and many others
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America by the time of the 1952 Elections was much different than she was in 1948. Although economically speaking, things had proven never better for the United States. As GDP had increased dramatically under the Dewey-Warren years, business free from the burden of excessive unionization, were taking more risks into the bear market and many Middle Class Americans were beginning to settle in suburban areas outside of the harsh decline of the central cities. As class concerns became less important, the signs that the country was becoming as a whole more Republican were definitely becoming more apparent to Democratic Party officials.
With the issue of the depression and its aftermath’s a mere memory for most American voters, Democrats were force to run on the most controversial issues of the day. Although in the wake of Dewey’s assassination, President Warren poll numbers were off the charts, by the time of the GOP Convention, Warren had been in office for nearly two years on his own accord. The bloody and indecisive Korean War was dragging into its third year, Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communist crusade was stirring public fears of an encroaching “Red Menace,” and the President’s constant rhetorical promises to Black voters for a comprehensive Civil Rights act in his second term greatly angered southern whites.
With that being said, with all of the Warren and the Republican’s faults, many democrats felt that chances of a win were fairly unlikely. In spite of this unfavorable political climate, three candidates emerged in hopes to become the nation’s 37th President. The Frontrunner for the nomination was former Vice President W. Averell Harriman of New York. Next to Senator Edward J. Stettinius Jr. of Virginia, Harriman was considered the nation’s ultimate Elder Statesman and probably the only candidate who could challenge Warren in his perceived ineptitude in relation to foreign affairs. He had largely spent the last four year outside of the Truman White House, shoring up his support amongst the party bosses, securing the New York delegation for the convention and making public visits to battleground states to become more well-known with voters.
Harriman, however did not campaign seriously through the Democratic primaries leaving an opening for populist Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver, who had chaired a nationally televised investigation of organized crime in 1951and was known as a crusader against crime and corruption. The Gallup poll of February 15 showed Harriman's weakness: nationally Harriman was the choice of only 36% of Democrats, compared with 21% for Kefauver. Among independent voters, however, Harriman had only 18% while Kefauver led with 36%. In the New Hampshire primary, Kefauver upset Harriman, winning 19,800 votes to Truman's 15,927 and capturing all eight delegates. Kefauver graciously said that he did not consider his victory "a repudiation of the former Truman Administration’s policies, but a desire...for new ideas and personalities."
Although the former Vice President did not actively campaign in the state, or any for that matter…Harriman’s was afraid that Kefauver’s successes in the primaries, may be able to come in with enough momentum to overtake him in the convention. Those fears were base in fact as Kefauver won most of the primaries. Other primary winners were Senator Hubert Humphrey, who won his home state of Minnesota and West Virginia, while Senator Richard Russell of Georgia won the Florida primary and However, most states still chose their delegates to the Democratic Convention via state conventions, which meant that the party bosses – especially the mayors and governors of large Northern and Midwestern states and cities – were able to choose the Democratic nominee. These bosses (including former President Truman) strongly disliked Kefauver; his investigations of organized crime had revealed connections between Mafia figures and many of the big-city Democratic political organizations. The party bosses thus viewed Kefauver as a maverick who could not be trusted, and they refused to support him for the nomination.
The 1952 Democratic National Convention was held in New York City; Since the convention was being held in his home state, former Vice President Harriman – who still proclaimed that he was not a presidential candidate – was asked to give the welcoming address to the delegates. He proceeded to give a witty and stirring address that led his supporters to begin a renewed round of efforts to nominate him, despite his “protests”. After meeting with Senator Herbert H. Lehman, the highest ranking Democratic Party official in the Empire State, Harriman finally agreed to formally enter his name as a candidate for the nomination. The party bosses from other large Northern and Pacific states quickly joined in support. Kefauver led on the first ballot, but had far fewer votes than necessary to win. Harriman gradually gained strength until he was nominated on the third ballot.
After the delegates nominated Harriman, the convention then turned to selecting a vice president. The main candidates for this position were Kefauver, Russell, Barkley, Senator John Sparkman, Senator Claude Smathers and Senator Mike Monroney. After narrowing it down to Senator Sparkman and Senator Smathers, former President Truman and a small group of political insiders chose Smathers, a conservative, segregationist from Florida, whose age at 39 seemed to balance out questions about Harriman’s own age at 62, for the nomination. The convention complied and nominated Smathers as Harriman's running mate. Harriman then delivered an eloquent acceptance speech in which he famously pledged to "talk sense to the American people."
Former Vice President W. Averell Harriman celebration in achieving the Democratic Party's nomination for President
From: Korea, Communism and Corruption: The 1952 US Presidential Election by John Meacham
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The Keynote: At the Monday evening session, Massachusetts' Governor Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (rhymes with remedy) made the keynote speech. It was, in its way, a classic—the kind of old-fashioned political speech, as simple as a morality play, in which the forces of good (led by Archangels Wilson, F.D.R., Wallace and Truman) meet the forces of darkness, and thwart their plot to form atomic monopolies and maltreat widows and orphans.
"Our opponents," cried Kennedy, "brought forth in another building in Chicago a shopworn declaration, conceived in malice and dedicated to the proposition that all the great achievements of the last 20 years should be swept away." As for the Republican nomination: "Was it a conflict over policies and philosophies? Was it an effort to replace the Old Guard with the new?" Not at all, said Kennedy. "Warren, said Kennedy, did his best work under Democratic Presidents, and otherwise is "entirely uninformed."
Kennedy sweepingly claimed Democratic credit for the defeat of the Kaiser, Hitler and (somewhat prematurely) Stalin, and blamed all the U.S.'s foreign policy troubles on 1) the Republicans, and 2) "Russian perfidy."
He painted an artistic word picture of the Depression, crammed with all the old phantoms: apple sellers stood disconsolately around street corners, the bonus marchers once more tried to storm Washington, mean-eyed sheriffs foreclosed mortgages across the land. In the background there was a steady rain of statistics showing that everybody, including business, was infinitely better off than in 1932. "Suppose," Kenney cried, "the dinosaurs of political thought came into power! . . . Suppose these rugged individualists abandoned the farmer to the ravages of uncontrolled free enterprise, and the toiler to the mercies of the sweatshop of former days. You don’t have to dream it anymore, because that’s been the story of the last four years"
Corruption? Governor Kennedy did not hesitate to mention corruption—briefly. Cried he, hurling the statistic of the year: "The Democratic Party pays tribute to the 99.84% of federal employees whose character is above suspicion.
"Let them form their battalions, captained by the lords of the press, the oil tycoons of Houston, and the moneychangers of Wall Street," he cried. "Let them ride to battle in their motors, forgetful of the day when there was no chicken and there was no pot ..." He wound up with a stirring imitation of Tory Winston Churchill's Dunkirk pledge: "We shall fight them in the cities and fight them in the towns. We shall fight in the counties and fight in the precincts. We shall never surrender . . . We have triumphed before. We shall triumph again."
Governor Kennedy getting a drink of water after his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 1952
From: We Shall Triumph Again, 1952 Time Archive article
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Thomas Mellon: The Moment we entered the convention hall, we knew that it wasn’t going to be all smooth sailing in Chicago. The President’s approval ratings were floating around 50%, enough to ensure him re-nomination but low enough to question his viability for the general. The guys like me working on the president’s behalf mainly worked the hall to make sure to keep the moderates and liberals like Stassen, Dirksen and Eisenhower in line and that the roll call for president remain in unanimous.
Jim McEvoy: We did our jobs, and Warren got his unanimous re-nomination against the backdrop of Dewey’s face plastered everywhere. Warren did feel like it was a tat bit overdone, but he himself did tear up when, Dewey’s nineteen year old boy introduced a film about his late father’s life. The crowd was so overtaken by emotion that Thomas Jr. received 22 minutes of uninterrupted applause, causing him to nearly break into tears.
Thomas Mellon: In a general election fight between the President and Harriman, we knew that both men were just as interesting to watch campaign as looking at paint drying. No, We not only needed someone to really fire up a crowd but more importantly someone the President could work with four years and potentially hand off his legacy to. Moderates and liberals clamored for Rocky for the veep slot. He had done a fantastic job as the President’s chief financial advisor at Secretary of Treasury and had enough support in his home state of New York, to potentially steal it from Harriman in the general. Rocky refused, saying that he had his eyes on a promotion to the state department come Warren’s second term. We then shifted our efforts to Eisenhower, but citied health concerns as his reasons for accepting the nod. So we settle on old Stassen, who gladly accepted seeing that it was his chance to win an election since ’38.
Jim McEvoy: What we did not count on was those two senators cobbling together, to take the slot away from us. McCarthy and Nixon, you have to give the bastards credit…Tailgunner was probably the only man within that convention to have enough popular support amongst the delegates to steal the nomination away from the president if he wanted to. But I think, he knew that he wasn’t cut out for the job. Taft knew from ’48 on, that the chances of him ever becoming President were know slim to none, and Warren’s ascension to the White House only proved that. Although he delivered a primetime speech, in favor of a more combative administration, he left the nomination of the vice president to more younger, and hungrier men.
Thomas Mellon: McCarthy, and Dick Nixon (who had his beady eyes squarely on ’56) who had proved to be a valiant fighter against communism here at home. Once they threw up that Neanderthal William Jenner for the nomination, we knew that Stassen didn’t stand a chance and Jenner was nominated as the President’s running mate on the first ballot. Although he was horrified at the pick, the President wanted the appearance of a united party and went along with it. And that’s how the Warren-Jenner ticket came to be.
GOP Vice Presidential Nominee William E. Jenner of Indiana, with Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin
Transcript from American Experience’s series on The Presidents…Harry S. Truman, Dewey defeats Truman segment
*************Background: Massachusetts has gone Democratic in every presidential election since 1928, and seven of its last eleven gubernatorial elections have been won by Democrats. Since 1944, however, both Massachusetts Senators have been Republicans, and since 1948 eight of the state's 14 Congressmen have been Republican. In 1952, for the first time in years, registered Republicans (715,958) outnumbered registered Democrats (703,740) in Massachusetts. These statistics are deceptive, because another 700,000 Massachusetts voters not formally enrolled in either party vote far more heavily Democratic than Republican. Two-thirds of the state's potential voters are Roman Catholics, and more than half are foreign born or first-generation Americans. In the past, state Democratic leaders have worked hard, and sometimes successfully, to convince voters that the Democratic Party is the secular arm of the Catholic Church.
Massachusetts politicians, however, differentiate sharply between the racial groups making up the state's Catholic population. Most numerous are the Irish (750,000 or more), who are also the staunchest Democrats. Republicans have had the most success with the increasingly important Italians (300,000), but Democratic Governor Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. has been working hard to mend his Italian fences.
For Governor: Democrat Kennedy, 37, who is generally conceded to be one of the smartest politicians ever to sit on Beacon Hill, is athletic bachelor with a devilishly handsome smile. During his two terms as governor, he has loaded the state payroll with his supporters and has thereby created Massachusetts' most formidable personal machine. Kennedy can and does point with pride to a $400 million highway program and construction of schools, hospitals and public housing. Many Massachusetts TV owners who watched their boyish governor keynote the Democratic National Convention were amazed at his enormous charisma and aggressive rhetoric slamming the Republicans for the slashes in social spending. Bay Staters rallied behind the Governor when Kennedy vetoed an overgenerous pension bill for Massachusetts politicians. Such a strong move against some of the same political bosses that supported his congressional campaign back in ’46, verified for many voters that Kennedy was the agent of change and reform that he ran on.
Kennedy’s Republican opponent, Congressman Christian Herter, 57, has an excellent record as a leader of Republican internationalists in the House of Representatives. In his campaign Herter has put great emphasis on informal gatherings, and cannot hope to match the old-school political oratory which will be unleashed when Joe Jr.’s campaign gets fully under way. In an effort to keep Irish, Italian, Polish and French-Canadian voters away from Herter, Democrats have labeled Herter a "Yankee," which in the strict New England sense he is not; his paternal grandfather came from Germany and he was born in Paris, where his father was studying painting. Democrats are also whispering that Chris Herter is opposed to state-financed buses for parochial schools, which he is not; he opposes buses for such schools as Groton and Andover. The pension scandal gave Kennedy proof of his executive leadership against the parliamentarian Herter.
A month ago, with most state republicans excited about having a truly viable candidate, who might have the ability to overthrow the Kennedy’s, the polls showed a dead-heat between both candidates. But as Joe’s has returned actively to the campaign trail, he has begun to decisively break away with the lead.
Congressman, and Republican Gubernatorial Nominee Christian A. Herter stumping for votes in Massachusetts
From: National Affairs-Key State Massachusetts by Time Archive
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Earl Warren (R-CA)/William E. Jenner (R-IN): 283 Electoral Votes
W. Averell Harriman (D-NY)/George Smathers (D-FL): 248 Electoral Votes
Associated Press, 1952
Warren-Jenner beats Harriman-Smather; Republican’s hold Congress and state houses
In a roller coaster of an election; President Warren, with Vice President-elect Bill Jenner along this time around, can look forward to four more years in the White House. The third electoral squeaker in a row, Warren only beat the former Vice President on a 283 to 248 Electoral Vote margin and 51 to 49 margin in the popular vote. The Strong condition of the economy and support for civil rights enabled the President to sweep the industrial belt while winning 60% of the Negro vote. The President’s outspokenness on the issue, allowed for Harriman to hold the Solid South in its entirety, while 1952 Democratic National Convention Keynote Speaker…Governor Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was able to rally enough Irish Roman Catholic support for the Democratic Ticket to ensure the states of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York narrowly.
In Congress, Mr. Conservative is able to hold his title as Senate Majority Leader as the Republicans retained their slim majority. Important pickups and holds include Republican Barr Goldwater in Arizona, and a hold in Massachusetts for incumbent Senator John F. Kennedy, elected to serve out a full six-year term in his own right. President Warren will also receive a Republican House of Representatives to push through his legislative agenda for the next two years.
President Earl Warren thanking his supporters on Election Night
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Joe’s 1952 gubernatorial campaign had borne out of his extraordinary political attractiveness. Fighting it out in a particularly nasty campaign against a well-qualified Republican opponent, Joe had proved to be the champion for his voters policy consciousness that he had ran on going all the way back to 1940. Against Congressman Herter, Joe won the election 55 to 45 and with over a million and a half votes, he proved that he was a battle hardened man in the brutal sport of politics. He also was the biggest factor in Massachusetts pulling for the Harriman-Smathers ticket, despite President Warren’s enormous popularity in the state, helped give him the national standing in which he needed for a future presidential run. That along with Jack’s largely uncontested re-election in the senate seemed to support the predictions of Kennedy admirers that the country was witnessing “the flowering of another great political family, such as the Adamses, the Coolidge’s and the La Follettes.” “They confidently look forward to the day,” a friendly journalist wrote months before Kennedy’s 1952 victory, “when Joe will be in the White House, Jack as the Senator from Massachusetts, Bobby on the bench as a Supreme Court Justice and Teddy winning the National Football League Championship Game.”
Joe’s two years in the House and four years at Beacon Hill had schooled him in the major domestic, defense and economic policy issues. His education was essential preparation for a presidential campaign, and, more important, service in the White House. To be sure, his Gubernatorial career had produced a significant impact and helped eased the burden of a many a voters in his state, he largely felt that he did all that he could at the state level. Serving out another four years as Governor, could only strengthen his resolve to reach for executive powers that promised greater freedom to implement ideas that could not only reach his state, or the nation…but the entire world. In a [REDACTED] tape recording explaining why he was running for President, he stated that the life of a chief executive was much satisfying than that of a legislator. Senators and congressman could work on something for two years and have it turned aside by a president in one day and one stroke of the pen. Joe knew from experience that effective leadership came largely from the top. Being president provided opportunities that no small-state governor could ever hope to achieve. The time had come to achieve the final piece of the puzzle that he needed to become a viable candidate.
A triumphant night as both Governor Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. and Senator John F. Kennedy celebrate Reelection with their father
From: AN [REDACTED] LIFE: Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. 1915-[REDACTED] by Robert Dallek
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Grace had begun written correspondence with Joe after the met in January of 1952, while he resided in Boston and she moved back to New York City to strengthen her acting skills. In the summer of 1952, they decided to make their courtship public, and were often seen together at many parties, and state functions throughout the year. In the fall of 1952, however Grace Kelly was offered a part in the film Mogambo the chance to work with John Ford and Clark Gable while getting a free trip to Africa proved irresistible. With the help of Joe’s Harvard Law classmates, she was able to garner a contract with MGM that would allow her to continue her stage career. At the age of twenty-two, she signed with MGM, and more or less became part of the studio system. After filming in location in Culver City, Grace returned to Boston to celebrate Joe’s 38th Birthday. At the party, the couple publicly announced their engagement and set a date for marriage in November of 1953
Joe Sr. had no qualms about the engagement, seeing it as a net gain as a way to extend the family influence outside of Massachusetts. Grace’s father was of fresh, rich Irish stock as he made his family’s personal fortune by owning one of the largest construction companies on the east coast. John B. Kelly was also involved in local politics and maintained serious civil concerns. After a narrow defeat as the Democratic candidate for Mayor in 1935, he was head of Philadelphia’s Democratic Committee for several years. From 1938 on, he also served on the Fairmount’s park commission, which manages one of the largest parks in the world. So it was very easy for the two old men, to find a common bond through their entangled worlds of Business and Politics.
However, Joe’s mother Rose had serious issues regarding Grace’s age. Joe Jr. was a full fourteen years her senior and was pushing forty himself while Grace would only turn twenty-four within the final weeks of engagement. Although the Governor usually only seriously dated women older than him, Joe felt that marrying a single woman around his age, would probably have difficulty in producing children. His mother would say, “But Joe…she’s much too young…and young girls have the propensity to be rather silly-“and Joe would reply jokingly, “Mother if she’s big enough, she’s old enough.”
On November 22nd 1953, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, Massachusetts…the wedding of twenty-four year old Philadelphia-born film star Grace Kelley and Governor Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr. of Massachusetts finally took place. In the massive cathedral that morning, the beautiful, radiant bride wore a “fairy-tale” wedding gown that had been the subject of intense interest since the announcement of the couple’s engagement more than three months before. Designed by Helen Rose and made under top secret conditions by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Hollywood, the lace and silk bridal gown was featured on the front pages of newspapers nationwide. Joe’s best man at the wedding was longtime close friend and Connecticut businessman Aubrey “Whitey” Whitelaw while his three brothers serve as groomsmen. Almost 1,000 people filled the cathedral including many of their father’s respective connections from the Boston and Philadelphia social circles. Throughout the remaining decades of the 20th Century, it was remembered as the “wedding of the century”
Mrs. Grace Kelly-Kennedy in her bridal gown during the Marriage ceremony at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, MA
From: Grace Kelley: Icon of Style to America’s Queen by H. Kristina Haugland
Very interesting... keep it coming. Nixon/Goldwater v. JPK/LBJ '56? Also, the age gap isn't that unusual- Jack was 12 years older than Jackie.
Also, the age gap isn't that unusual- Jack was 12 years older than Jackie.