Everett Dirksen
| Everett Dirksen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Senate Minority Leader | |
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In office January 3, 1959 – September 7, 1969 |
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| Deputy |
Thomas Kuchel Hugh D. Scott, Jr. (whips) |
| Preceded by | William F. Knowland |
| Succeeded by | Hugh D. Scott, Jr. |
| Senate Minority Whip | |
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In office January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1959 |
|
| Leader | William F. Knowland |
| Preceded by | Leverett Saltonstall |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Kuchel |
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United States Senator from Illinois |
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In office January 3, 1951 – September 7, 1969 |
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| Preceded by | Scott W. Lucas |
| Succeeded by | Ralph Tyler Smith |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 16th district | |
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In office March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1949 |
|
| Preceded by | William E. Hull |
| Succeeded by | Leo E. Allen |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Everett McKinley Dirksen January 4, 1896 Pekin, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | September 7, 1969 (aged 73) Walter Reed General Hospital Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Glendale Memorial Gardens Pekin, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Louella Carver Dirksen |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota Law School |
| Religion | Christian Reformed |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1918–1919 |
| Rank | Second lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Everett McKinley Dirksen (January 4, 1896 – September 7, 1969) was an American politician of the Republican Party. He represented Illinois in the House of Representatives (1933–1949) and the Senate (1951–1969).
As Senate Minority Leader for a decade, he played a highly visible and key role in the politics of the 1960s, including helping write and pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and that of 1968, both landmarks of civil rights legislation. Dirksen, a conservative, was one of the Senate's strongest supporters of the Vietnam War and was also known as "The Wizard of Ooze" because of his flamboyant oratorical style.
Dirksen was born in Pekin, Illinois, a small city near Peoria. He was the son of German immigrants Johann Friedrich Dirksen and his wife Antje Conrady. Everett had a fraternal twin, Thomas Dirksen, and a brother named Benjamin Harrison, a nod to the Republican leanings of his father. The boys' father died when the twins were nine years old.
Dirksen grew up on a farm on Pekin's outskirts, in a section called "Beantown" because immigrants grew beans instead of flowers. After attending the local schools, he entered the University of Minnesota Law School but dropped out during World War I to enlist in the US Army. He served as a second lieutenant in a field artillery battery. He was a member of the Reformed Church in America, founded in the 18th century by Dutch immigrants.
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