Tom Emery | JFK still strikes a chord among Americans

For many Americans, Camelot ended all too soon.

Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy, the first chief executive born in the 20th century and the last to die by assassination

As we endure one of the most polarizing political eras in American history, the assassination of Kennedy still strikes a chord among Americans. Most over their mid-60s remember exactly where they were, and what they were doing, when they heard the news from Dealey Plaza on that Friday afternoon in 1963.

In the years before his death, Kennedy, then a U.S. senator, made campaign stops in several cities in Illinois. They included an appearance in Joliet on Oct. 25, 1960, before a large and raucous crowd in front of the courthouse.

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Kennedy had previously toured 10 Illinois cities in a three-day swing in October 1959. A year later, Kennedy was again in Illinois on Oct. 3, 1960, for a harried stretch of 11 Illinois cities in a single day.

Clearly, he recognized the importance of the high population of Illinois and its 27 electoral votes as he campaigned against the sitting vice president, Richard Nixon.

Two weeks before the 1960 election, Kennedy was back in the Land of Lincoln for another whirlwind statewide tour. On Oct. 24, he visited Moline, Rock Island, Peoria, Champaign-Urbana and Rockford.

Kennedy was in the Chicago area on Tuesday, Oct. 25 ,as his procession wound through Joliet and Plainfield. Other stops that day included Libertyville, Barrington, Carpentersville, Elgin, St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, Mooseheart, Aurora, Elmhurst and Des Plaines. In all, the winding route consumed 12 hours.

A steady, drizzling rain did not detract from the enthusiasm of the crowds along the route, which measured 10,000 to 15,000 in Elgin and up to 18,000 in Aurora. At Plainfield, Kennedy arrived nearly an hour late, but the crowd of 2,000 didn’t seem to care.

“If you’re contented, vote for Mr. Nixon,” Kennedy told the crowd. “If you’re concerned, vote for me.”

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Riding in an open convertible, Kennedy then headed for Joliet, where an estimated crowd of 25,000 – the largest of the day – eagerly awaited his downtown appearance despite a drizzling rain. Many of those onlookers were crammed along North Chicago Street.

The Chicago Tribune reported that the crowd at Joliet “was by far the most enthusiastic to greet Kennedy all day, despite the fact that it was the supper hour and most had waited in the rain for an hour or more.” Kennedy did not arrive in Joliet until after dark.

At the courthouse, Kennedy had to climb over two automobiles to reach a platform that was packed with supporters. Some accounts report that his convertible overheated, and photos show him jumping from the stalled automobile.

The press corps member from the Louisville Journal-Courier wrote that “the Joliet crush ... got so intense that the master of ceremonies” on the platform “begged people to stop shoving so that little children ... would not be trampled.”

Taking the stage, Kennedy declared “I’m glad to be back in Democratic country” to a mass of cheers.

Most of the day’s route had taken Kennedy through some of the Republican strongholds of northern Illinois. In many places, audience members held up Nixon signs while heckling Kennedy.

With humor evident, Kennedy told the Joliet crowd that “we’ve been places today where they just have Republicans and independents – where they don’t have any Democrats.”

“If you want to sit still, Mr. Nixon is your man,” said Kennedy as the crowd responded with a loud cheer. Smiling, Kennedy then said, “Actually, I don’t mean that – don’t vote for him under any terms.”

Throughout the day, the Kennedy procession was tailed by a Republican “truth squad” led by Senators Kenneth Keating of New York and John J. Williams of Delaware. The senators ripped Kennedy at press conferences along the route, blasting the Democratic hopeful for his budget proposals, Cuban policies, and other “untruths.”

The squad reached Joliet minutes before Kennedy and headed for a press conference at the same hotel where Kennedy was scheduled to have dinner. The Tribune reported that “while Kennedy dined downstairs, the ‘truth squad’ whacked at him verbally at a press conference upstairs.”

Illinois Democrats were thrilled with Kennedy’s Chicago-area reception. The Associated Press wrote that “everywhere he went in the region, the crowds were large and boisterous, with a heavy accent on youth – young matrons and men brushing elbows with teenagers and others too young to vote.”

One elated Democrat said the crowds at Joliet, Aurora, and surrounding areas were “not even describable. The voters now know that we have a better candidate [than Nixon] in Jack Kennedy.”

Joliet was one of 237 cities nationwide that Kennedy visited in 1960 between late August and the November election.

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Though Kennedy remains among the more popular of recent presidents, the 1960 election was remarkably close. His margin of victory was less than 119,000 votes nationwide, and he edged his Republican opponent Nixon 303-219 in the Electoral College.

Until the 2000 campaign, Nixon was one of only three losing presidential candidates to collect over 200 electoral votes.

The margin in Illinois was even closer, a mere 8,858 votes. Kennedy lost in 93 of Illinois’ 102 counties, including Will and all the surrounding counties.

A key to Illinois for JFK was Cook County, where he won by a whopping 318,000 votes – nearly three times the national margin. Critics have accused longtime Chicago mayor Richard Daley of various shenanigans to ensure a Kennedy win in both the city and the state.

However, Kennedy would have prevailed nationally even without Illinois, as he still would have held the majority in the Electoral College.

Kennedy returned to the state in 1962, including an appearance at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield that Oct. 19. There, the president promoted the candidacies of several Democrats, including incumbent Congressman Peter Mack of Carlinville, who was up for re-election against Jacksonville’s Paul Findley.

While in Springfield, Kennedy visited the Lincoln Tomb. Later that day, he spoke at a dinner of the Democratic Party of Chicago.

The president’s appearance was in the midst of the Cuban missile crisis, as he had met with the Soviet foreign minister and Soviet ambassador in the Oval Office the day before coming to Springfield. He would subsequently cancel the rest of a swing through the Midwest.

Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Ill. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.