Stevenson, Adlai Ewing (1900-1965), was the Democratic nominee for president of the United States in 1952 and 1956. Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated him both times. Stevenson’s running mates were John J. Sparkman in 1952 and Estes Kefauver in 1956. Stevenson served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 1961 until his death.
Stevenson was a grandson of Vice President Adlai E. Stevenson. He was born in Los Angeles on Feb. 5, 1900. After graduating from Princeton University, he studied law at Harvard and Northwestern universities. He worked on his family newspaper, the Bloomington (Illinois) Daily Pantagraph, and practiced law in Chicago. In 1933 and 1934, Stevenson held his first public office, serving as special counsel to the Agricultural Adjustment Administration. Later, during World War II (1939-1945), Stevenson served as a special assistant to Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox and led a U.S. mission on occupation policies in Italy. After the war, he became an alternate delegate to the United Nations.
In 1948, Stevenson was elected governor of Illinois by the largest plurality in the state’s history. He was considered by many for his party’s 1952 presidential nomination, but he refused to campaign. Nevertheless, the party nominated him after a dramatic convention struggle. During his campaigns, he became noted for his wit, speaking ability, and the high literary quality of his speeches. In 1952, his book Major Campaign Speeches was published. He also wrote Call to Greatness (1954), What I Think (1956), Friends and Enemies (1959), Putting First Things First (1960), and Looking Outward: Years of Crisis at the United Nations (1963). Stevenson died on July 14, 1965. His son Adlai III represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate from 1970 to 1981.
