Sargent Shriver
Sargent Shriver | |
---|---|
Jack Vaughn | |
President of the Chicago Board of Education | |
In office October 26, 1955 – October 10, 1960 | |
Preceded by | William B. Traynor |
Succeeded by | Thomas L. Marshall |
Personal details | |
Born | Robert Sargent Shriver Jr. November 9, 1915 Westminster, Maryland, U.S. |
Died | January 18, 2011 Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. | (aged 95)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | |
Children | |
Relatives | World War II Victory Medal[1] |
Robert Sargent Shriver Jr. (November 9, 1915 – January 18, 2011) was an American diplomat, politician, and activist. As the husband of
Born in Westminster, Maryland, Shriver attended Yale University, then Yale Law School, graduating in 1941.[2] An opponent of U.S. entry into World War II, he helped establish the America First Committee but volunteered for the United States Navy before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. During the war, he served in the South Pacific, participating in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. After being discharged from the navy, he worked as an assistant editor for Newsweek and met Eunice Kennedy, marrying her in 1953.
He worked on the 1960 presidential campaign of his brother-in-law,
After leaving office, he resumed the practice of law, becoming a partner with Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson. He also served as president of the Special Olympics and was briefly a part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2003 and died in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2011.[2]
Early life and education
Robert Sargent Shriver Jr. was born in
He spent his high school years at
Military career
An early opponent of American involvement in
Family life
Shriver's relationship with the Kennedys began when he was working as an assistant editor at Newsweek after his discharge from the Navy. He met Eunice Kennedy at a party in New York, and shortly afterwards, family patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. asked him to look at diary entries written by his eldest son, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., who had died in a plane crash while he was on a military mission during World War II. Shriver was later hired to manage the Merchandise Mart, part of Kennedy's business empire, in Chicago, Illinois.[11]
After a seven-year courtship, Shriver married
They had five children: Robert Sargent "Bobby" Shriver III (born April 28, 1954), Maria Owings Shriver (born November 6, 1955), Timothy Perry Shriver (born August 29, 1959), Mark Kennedy Shriver (born February 17, 1964), and Anthony Paul Kennedy Shriver (born July 20, 1965). The Shrivers were married for 56 years, and often worked together on projects.[13]
Shriver was admitted to practice law in the
A devout
Public service and political career
1950s
In May 1954, Shriver was appointed to the Chicago Board of Education by Chicago mayor Martin H. Kennelly.[17] On October 26, 1955, Shriver was chosen to serve as president of the Chicago Board of Education by a vote of the board.[17] Shriver would serve in the position of president for five years,[18][19] resigning from the position on October 10, 1960.[20] At the time he became president of the board, he was the second-youngest individual to hold that office, being only 39.[21] At the time, Chicago Public Schools was the second-largest school district in the United States.[21]
Shriver also served as director of the Catholic Interracial Council, a group created to advocate for
Shriver considered several runs for statewide office. His first consideration was for the Democratic nomination in the 1956 Illinois gubernatorial election. Shriver had been courted by many Chicago Democrats, including Mayor Richard J. Daley, but ultimately chose to stay out of the election.[23] The primary was won by Cook County Treasurer Herbert C. Paschen who would be forced to withdraw as the nominee after becoming embroiled in scandals surrounding his work as Treasurer. District Court Judge Richard B. Austin, was chosen as the replacement and went on to narrowly lose the election to incumbent Governor William Stratton.
1960s
In 1960, Shriver once again received serious courting by Democratic leaders in both Chicago and across the state to enter the Democratic primary for the
When John F. Kennedy ran for president, Shriver worked as a political and organization coordinator in the Wisconsin and West Virginia primaries. During Kennedy's presidential term, Shriver founded and served as the first director of the Peace Corps from March 22, 1961, to February 28, 1966.[3][26]
Shriver has been credited with convincing a hesitant Kennedy to contact
After
Shriver founded numerous social programs and organizations, including
Shriver was awarded the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award in 1967. It was named after a 1963 encyclical letter by Pope John XXIII that calls upon all people of good will to secure peace among all nations. Pacem in terris is Latin for 'Peace on Earth'.
In 1964 Shriver was considered one of the primary finalists on Johnson's shortlist to be vice president. After weighing the benefits of Shriver as the second spot on the ticket, Johnson ultimately chose Hubert Humphrey. Shriver again considered running for Governor of Illinois in the 1964 Illinois gubernatorial election.[23] However, he demurred after being asked by President Johnson to stay on and continue leading the creation of many of the aforementioned War on Poverty programs that would become part of the Great Society.[23]
In 1968, Shriver was once again seriously courted by Illinois Democrats for both the
Shriver served as
Vice Presidential candidacy
During the
Presidential candidacy
Shriver unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in
Life after politics
Shriver was a partner of the Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson law firm in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in international law and foreign affairs, beginning in 1971.[14] He retired as partner in 1986 and was then named of counsel to the firm.[citation needed]
In 1981, Shriver was appointed to the Rockefeller University Council, an organization devoted exclusively to research and graduate education in the biomedical and related sciences.
In 1984, he was elected president of Special Olympics by the board of directors; as president, he directed the operation and international development of sports programs around the world. Six years later, in 1990, he was appointed chairman of the board of Special Olympics.
He was an investor in the Baltimore Orioles along with his eldest son Bobby Shriver, Eli Jacobs, and Larry Lucchino from 1989[38] to 1993.
Illness and death
Shriver was diagnosed with
On August 11, 2009, Shriver's wife of 56 years, Eunice, died at the age of 88.[18] He attended her wake and funeral in Centerville and Hyannis, Massachusetts.[42] Two weeks later, on August 29, 2009, he also attended the funeral of her brother Ted Kennedy in Boston, Massachusetts.[43]
Shriver died on January 18, 2011, in Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, at age 95.[3][11][44] Shriver's family released a statement calling him "a man of giant love, energy, enthusiasm, and commitment" who "lived to make the world a more joyful, faithful, and compassionate place."[44] President Barack Obama also released a statement, calling Shriver "one of the brightest lights of the greatest generation".[44] Aaron S. Williams, the director of the Peace Corps, said in a statement, "The entire Peace Corps community is deeply saddened by the passing of Sargent Shriver." He further noted that Shriver "served as our founder, friend, and guiding light for the past 50 years" and that "his legacy of idealism will live on in the work of current and future Peace Corps volunteers."[45] He is buried alongside his wife Eunice at St. Francis Xavier Cemetery in Centerville, Massachusetts.
Legacy
In 1968, he was awarded the
In 1993, Shriver received the Franklin D. Roosevelt Freedom From Want Award. On August 8, 1994, Shriver received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor, from President Bill Clinton.
In December 1993, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County created the Shriver Center in honor of Shriver and his wife. The center serves as the university's civic engagement, and applied learning organization. The Shriver Center also is home to the Shriver Peaceworker Program and the Shriver Living Learning Community.[47]
The Job Corps dedicated a center to his name in 1998 – the "Shriver Job Corps Center" – located in Devens, Massachusetts.[48] The National Clearinghouse for Legal Services (renamed the National Center on Poverty Law in 1995) was renamed the Shriver Center in 2002 and each year awards a Sargent Shriver Award for Equal Justice.[49]
Sargent Shriver Elementary School, located in Silver Spring, Maryland, is named after him.[50][51]
In January 2008, a documentary film about Shriver aired on PBS, titled American Idealist: The Story of Sargent Shriver.[3]
The Kennedy Shriver Aquatic Center in Bethesda, Maryland, is named after him and Eunice Kennedy Shriver.[52]
Following his death, Daniel Larison wrote:
Shriver was an admirable, principled, and conscientious man who respected the dignity and sanctity of human life, and he also happened to be a contemporary and in-law of Kennedy. Not only did Shriver represent a "link" with JFK, but he represented a particular culture of white ethnic Catholic Democratic politics that has been gradually disappearing for the last fifty years. A pro-life Catholic, Shriver had been a founding member of the America First Committee, and more famously he was also on the 1972 antiwar ticket with George McGovern. In short, he represented much of what was good in the Democratic Party of his time.[53]
Electoral history
1972 United States presidential election
- Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew (R) (inc.) – 47,168,710 (60.7%) and 520 electoral votes (49 states carried)
- George McGovern/Sargent Shriver (D) – 29,173,222 (37.5%) and 17 electoral votes (1 state and D.C. carried)
- Theodora Nathan (Libertarian) – 3,674 (0.00%) and 1 electoral vote (Republican faithless elector)
- John G. Schmitz/Thomas J. Anderson (AI) – 1,100,868 (1.4%) and 0 electoral votes
- Linda Jenness/Andrew Pulley (Socialist Workers) – 83,380 (0.1%)
- Benjamin Spock/Julius Hobson (People's) – 78,759 (0.1%)
1976 Democratic presidential primaries[54]
- Jimmy Carter – 6,235,609 (39.27%)
- Jerry Brown – 2,449,374 (15.43%)
- George Wallace – 1,955,388 (12.31%)
- Mo Udall – 1,611,754 (10.15%)
- Henry M. Jackson – 1,134,375 (7.14%)
- Frank Church – 830,818 (5.23%)
- Robert Byrd – 340,309 (2.14%)
- Sargent Shriver – 304,399 (1.92%)
- Unpledged – 283,437 (1.79%)
- Ellen McCormack – 238,027 (1.50%)
- Fred R. Harris – 234,568 (1.48%)
- Milton Shapp – 88,254 (0.56%)
- Birch Bayh – 86,438 (0.54%)
- Hubert Humphrey – 61,992 (0.39%)
- Ted Kennedy – 19,805 (0.13%)
- Lloyd Bentsen – 4,046 (0.03%)
- Terry Sanford – 404 (0.00%)
Portrayals in film
- The film Too Young the Hero (1988), about the life of Calvin Graham, features a scene during World War II in which Graham (played by Ricky Schroder) meets Shriver (played by Carl Mueller).
- Al Conti portrays Shriver in the 1983 miniseries Kennedy.
- He is played by David De Beck in the 2018 film Chappaquiddick.
See also
References
- ^ Herbert, Bob (April 23, 2004). "A Muscular Idealism". The New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Reed, Christopher (January 19, 2011). "Sargent Shriver obituary: Brother-in-law of JFK who strove on behalf of America's poor". The Guardian. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e McFadden, Robert D. (January 18, 2011). "R. Sargent Shriver, Peace Corps Leader, Dies at 95". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
- ^ Remarks at the Swearing In of Sargent Shriver as Director, Office of Economic Opportunity. The American Presidency Project. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- ISBN 1-566-39782-0.
- ^ "Maryland Constitutional Convention, 1776". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "The New Nominee No Longer Half a Kennedy". Time. August 14, 1972. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2008.
- ^ "R. Sargent Shriver built roots at New Milford's Canterbury School". News-Times. February 22, 2011.
- ISBN 0-275-97512-6.
- ^ Schoifet, Mark (January 19, 2011). "Sargent Shriver, Kennedy In-Law, Founder of U.S. Peace Corps, Dies at 95". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
- ^ a b Patricia Sullivan; Emma Brown (January 18, 2011). "Sargent Shriver dies at 95; founded Peace Corps". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- ^ "R(obert) Sargent Shriver: Papers (#214) – John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum". Jfklibrary.org. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
- ISBN 9780805095326.
- ^ a b "Sargent Shriver". Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
- ^ "Sargent Shriver and the politics of life". National Catholic Reporter. August 30, 2002.
- ^ "Pro-Life Liberal Sargent Shriver Dies". Catholic Online. January 19, 2011. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011.
- ^ a b "SARGENT S. SHRIVER, 39, HEADS SCHOOL BOARD". Newspapers.com. October 27, 1955. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ a b Mehren, Elizabeth (January 18, 2011). "R. Sargent Shriver dies at 95; 'unmatched' public servant and Kennedy in-law". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
- ^ "When Sargent Shriver Ran for Vice-President". Time. August 14, 1972. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ Franke, Jeanne (October 23, 1960). "New School Board President Details Goal for Chicago Education". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "Young Man Heads Chicago School Board". Newspapers.com. The Winona Daily News. The Associated Press. October 27, 1955. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ Whitesides, John (January 19, 2011). "Sargent Shriver, former VP nominee, dies". Reuters. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Stossel, 2004.
- ^ Hayes, Charles (January 7, 1960). "Rough-and-Tumble Election". Newspapers.com. Arlington Heights Herald. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/us/politics/19shriver.html
- ^ "About the Peace Corps : Past Directors". Archived from the original on December 26, 2003. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ^ Mehren, Elizabeth (January 18, 2011). "R. Sargent Shriver, 1915-2011". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "How Kennedy Won the Black Vote : A Call to Coretta King Brought Groundswell of Support". Los Angeles Times. December 15, 1988. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ Levingston, Steven (June 20, 2017). "JFK, MLK and the Phone Call That Changed History". Time. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "W. B. Mullins, 52, A Founding Official Of the Peace Corps". The New York Times. May 16, 1990. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ^ Vinovskis, M. A. (2008) Birth of Head Start: Preschool education policies in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. pp. 42-43
- ^ "Head Start History: 1965–Present" (PDF). Pennsylvania Head Start Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 15, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ "Diplomacy: The Liveliest Ambassador". Time. November 1, 1968. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
- ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/if-sargent-shriver-had-run-for-governor-of-maryland-/2011/01/22/ABLyxuD_story.html
- ^ Clymer, Adam (January 18, 2011). "Sargent Shriver's America". The Daily Beast. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
In fact, McGovern said this week, he probably would have chosen instead of the ill-starred Eagleton at the Miami Beach convention, but Shriver was traveling in Russia and could not be reached by phone to be offered the nomination.
- ^ Koster, R. M. (February 1976). "The Democratic Super Bowl". Harper's. Vol. 252, no. 1509. Harper's Foundation. pp. 14–17. Retrieved November 18, 2018.(subscription required)
- ^ "JFK Presidential Library Opens Sargent Shriver Collection". John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. February 1, 2005. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
- ^ Hyman, Mark S. "Orioles are sold: $70 million; Buyers say team will stay," The Baltimore Sun, December 7, 1988
- ISBN 978-0-316-00101-4.
- ^ Benzie, Robert; Ferguson, Rob (May 31, 2007). "Terminator gunning to save lives; California governor, McGuinty sign stem-cell research deal in bid to 'cure a lot' of illnesses". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
- ^ HBO Documentary, The Alzheimer's Project, 2009, Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am? with Maria Shriver.
- ^ "Special Olympians, family celebrate Eunice Kennedy Shriver". Associated Press via turnto10.com. August 13, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ^ Potempa, Philip (September 1, 2009). "OFFBEAT: Sen. Ted Kennedy's funeral unites family with words of inspiration". Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ^ a b c McGuire, Bill (January 18, 2011). "Sargent Shriver Dies: Peace Corps Founder, VP Candidate". ABC News. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
- ^ "Peace Corps Mourns the Loss of Founder and Visionary Father, Sargent Shriver". News Releases & Statements. Peace Corps. January 18, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
- ^ "Recipients | The Laetare Medal". University of Notre Dame. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
- ^ "History - Shriver Center - UMBC".
- ^ Schada, Emilie (Fall 2005). "Shriver, Robert Sargent (Informational Paper)". Learning to Give. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
- ^ "Our Founder, Sargent Shriver". SHRIVER CENTER: Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. Archived from the original on May 16, 2006. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
- ^ "New school year, new elementary school". Gazette.net. September 13, 2006. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
- ^ "Who is Sargent Shriver?". Montgomeryschoolsmd.org. January 24, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
- ^ "Kennedy Shriver Aquatic Center - Department of Recreation - Montgomery County, Maryland".
- ^ Larison, Daniel Shriver and Lieberman, The American Conservative
- ^ "US President – D Primaries Race – Feb 01, 1976". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
Further reading
- ISBN 978-1-58834-127-3.
- ISBN 978-0805095302.