Who remembers Robert F. Kennedy, whose brother, John F. Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States?
Frequently referred to simply as RFK or Bobby, Robert Kennedy served as Attorney General of the United States in his brother's administration. He was campaigning for President himself, when he was assassinated on June 6, 1968.
That Presidential campaign brought him to Indiana during the spring of 1968, as he campaigned here prior to the Indiana primary election.These photos were taken during a campaign stop in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
His manner was invariably self-deprecatory. And when he spoke, it was always tentatively, modestly and with deadpan jokes that turned on himself. In Fort Wayne, in the homestretch of the campaign, he asked a sidewalk rally whether the city was going to vote for him. Otherwise, he said he and Ethel and their ten children would have to go on welfare. "It'll be less expensive just to send us to the White House," he went on. "We'll arrange it so that all ten kids won't be there at once, and we won't need to expand the place. I'll send some of them away to school, and I'll make one of them Attorney General."
(Source: http://www.newsweek.com/how-bobby-kennedy-won-68-indiana-primary-207076)
(Source: http://www.newsweek.com/how-bobby-kennedy-won-68-indiana-primary-207076)
RFK Quotes:
- There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?
- One-fifth of the people are against everything all the time.
- Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live.
The photos in this post were taken 47 years ago, in 1968. I don't know where the original prints have gotten to, but I came across the negatives last week and scanned them into the computer. They clearly show their age, with the dust and scratches; but they are still rather special.
I love this post. It was so sad that the bothers were killed.
ReplyDeletehow very neat. an important man, family, part of history.
ReplyDeleteAt school we learned about assassination of John F. Kennedy (I remember the name Oswald as the alleged killer and that there were many conspiracy theories) but I didn't know that also his brother Robert was a presidential candidate and was assassinated five years later. I'd say that the photos must have some historical value with regard to the later assassination and the importance of the Kennedy family. Did you take them yourself?
ReplyDeleteI liked Bobby well.Sad times when he was killed, I think he would have made a good president.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Linda. And very cool to see these historic photos of yours. I remember the time of his assassination well.. it was a shocker - especially following so closely behind the assassination of Martin Luther King. I was shocked that this could just keep happening. And the Kennedy family has sure had far more than its share of tragic events. It seems to permeate all generations.
ReplyDeleteI can't say that I was aware of his personality though. I had no idea that his sense of humour was so prominent. But I have always loved the first quote that you referenced.
Margaret - Thanks for the kind words. It was a sad time in our nation's history.
ReplyDeleteTex - I was glad to come across these photos. You just never know when a picture you take might have some significance later that you never could have foreseen.
Petra - You amaze me. It surprises me that the Czech schools taught this part of our history, and even more that you remember it! The assassin's name was indeed Oswald, actually Lee Harvey Oswald. And the conspiracy theories are still rampant. I did take these photos. I was young (23 years old), single, and enamored with the Kennedys. I worked on Robert Kennedy's campaign in our area and was thrilled to get to see him in person. I'm not sure exactly when these photos were taken, other than in the spring of 1968; but it wasn't many weeks before his death.
Steve - It's sad, for sure. We'll never know what kind of a President he would have made, will we?
Hilary - He could be very disarming and charming. And I, too, love that particular quote.
I do not know much about American history. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteMunir - Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. It's appreciated.
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