Biography
Everett McKinley Dirksen stood out as one of America's most cherished political figures thanks to his resonant voice and genial presence. Over a 35-year Senate tenure that extended across six presidents, he applied his skills to advance both the nuclear test ban treaty and the civil rights act while captivating and educating the public at large. Americans still recall his spontaneous quip, "a billion here, a billion there, pretty soon, you're talking real money."
Dirksen, widely hailed as "the silver throated Socrates" and "the good old king of the Senate," recorded three spoken-word albums that featured his storytelling and distinctive outlook. The album Gallant Men, modeled after Profiles in Courage, earned a Grammy for best documentary recording of 1967.
Born and raised on a modest farm in Pekin, Illinois, 120 miles southwest of Chicago, he attended the University of Minnesota. During World War I he joined the United States Army and rose to the rank of second lieutenant in the 328th field artillery.
A lifelong Republican, Dirksen launched his political journey with election as Commissioner of Finance for the city of Pekins in 1926. The following year he won a seat on the Pekin City Council. Though he lost a 1929 bid for the House of Representatives, he captured the post three years later and held it until an eye ailment prompted his resignation in 1946. After recovering, he returned to public life and won election to the United States Senate in 1950. He advanced to Senate Minority Whip in 1953 and assumed the role of minority leader four years afterward. Dirksen continued serving in the Senate until his death during lung surgery on September 7, 1969. His 1960 campaign to designate the marigold as the national floral emblem prompted Richard Nixon to declare, "We shall always remember Everett Dirksen in the terms he used to describe his beloved marigolds: hardy, vivid and uniquely American."
Dirksen, widely hailed as "the silver throated Socrates" and "the good old king of the Senate," recorded three spoken-word albums that featured his storytelling and distinctive outlook. The album Gallant Men, modeled after Profiles in Courage, earned a Grammy for best documentary recording of 1967.
Born and raised on a modest farm in Pekin, Illinois, 120 miles southwest of Chicago, he attended the University of Minnesota. During World War I he joined the United States Army and rose to the rank of second lieutenant in the 328th field artillery.
A lifelong Republican, Dirksen launched his political journey with election as Commissioner of Finance for the city of Pekins in 1926. The following year he won a seat on the Pekin City Council. Though he lost a 1929 bid for the House of Representatives, he captured the post three years later and held it until an eye ailment prompted his resignation in 1946. After recovering, he returned to public life and won election to the United States Senate in 1950. He advanced to Senate Minority Whip in 1953 and assumed the role of minority leader four years afterward. Dirksen continued serving in the Senate until his death during lung surgery on September 7, 1969. His 1960 campaign to designate the marigold as the national floral emblem prompted Richard Nixon to declare, "We shall always remember Everett Dirksen in the terms he used to describe his beloved marigolds: hardy, vivid and uniquely American."
Albums