Everett Dirksen

Everett McKinley Dirksen (January 4, 1896 – September 7, 1969) was an American politician. He represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives (1933–1949) and U.S. Senate (1951–1969).

Everett Dirksen
United States Senator from Illinois
In office January 3, 1951 – September 7, 1969
Preceded by	Scott W. Lucas
Succeeded by	Ralph Tyler Smith
Senate Minority Leader
In office January 3, 1959 – September 7, 1969
Deputy	Thomas Kuchel Hugh D. Scott, Jr. (whips)
Preceded by	William F. Knowland
Succeeded by	Hugh D. Scott, Jr.
Senate Minority Whip
In office January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1959
Leader	William F. Knowland
Preceded by	Leverett Saltonstall
Succeeded by	Thomas Kuchel
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 16th district
In office March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1949
Preceded by	William E. Hull
Succeeded by	Leo E. Allen
Personal details
Born	Everett McKinley Dirksen (1896-01-04)January 4, 1896 Pekin, Illinois
Died	September 7, 1969(1969-09-07) (aged 73) Walter Reed General Hospital Washington, D.C.
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Louella Carver Dirksen
Alma mater	University of Minnesota Law School
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1918-1919
Rank	Second Lieutenant
Battles/wars	World War I

As Senate Minority Leader for ten years, he was very important in the politics during the 1960s. Some things he did was to help passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Open Housing Act of 1968, both landmarks of civil rights legislation.

He was also one of the Senate's strongest supporters of the Vietnam War and was known as "The Wizard of Ooze" for his oratorical style. Dirksen was a freemason.

Dirksen died on September 7, 1969 in Washington, D.C. from cardiopulmonary arrest caused by lung cancer-related bronchopneumonia, aged 73.

Other websites

Media related to Everett Dirksen at Wikimedia Commons
Quotations related to Everett Dirksen at Wikiquote

• Stan Mendenhall, "Everett Dirksen and the 1964 Civil Rights Act." Archived 2006-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
• Abstract of Byron C. Hulsey, Everett Dirksen and His Presidents: how a Senate giant shaped American politics U. Kansas, 2000. Archived 2003-08-16 at the Wayback Machine
• The Dirksen Congressional Research Center
• IMDB profile
• "Everett Dirksen". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
• Dirksen Primary School, Pekin, IL Archived 2009-06-17 at the Wayback Machine
• Dirksen Junior High School, Joliet, IL Archived 2004-12-12 at the Wayback Machine
• Complete transcript and audio of Everett Dirksen's RNC Nomination of Barry Goldwater
• Oral History Interviews with Everett Dirksen, from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library Archived 2010-06-11 at the Wayback Machine