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Sargent Shriver
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Robert Sargent Shriver | |
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| In office 1968 – 1970 |
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| President | Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon |
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| Preceded by | Charles E. Bohlen |
| Succeeded by | Arthur K. Watson |
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| In office 1961 – 1966 |
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| President | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | (None) |
| Succeeded by | Jack Vaughn |
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| Born | November 9, 1915  Westminster, Maryland |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1953 - present) |
| Relations | Robert Sargent Shriver and Hilda Shriver |
| Children | Maria Owings Shriver Timothy Perry Shriver Mark Kennedy Shriver Robert Sargent Shriver III Anthony Paul Kennedy Shriver |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Profession | Politician |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr. (born November 9, 1915) is an American Democratic politician and activist. Known as "Sargent," Shriver is best-known as part of the Kennedy family, the driving force behind the creation of the Peace Corps, and the Democratic Party's 1972 vice presidential candidate.
Shriver's ebullient personality and creative energy made him one of the most effective leaders of President John F. Kennedy's New Frontier and Lyndon Johnson's Great Society in the 1960s. He inspired, directed, or founded numerous social programs and organizations, including Head Start, VISTA, Job Corps, Community Action, Upward Bound, Foster Grandparents, Special Olympics, the National Center on Poverty Law, Legal Services, and, as mentioned, the Peace Corps. Shriver also ran the War on Poverty during Johnson's tenure as president. He was such an effective leader, that Job Corps and Adams and Associates dedicated a Center to his name in 1999. This Job Corps Center (Shriver Job Corps) is located in Devens, Massachusetts.
Shriver served as U.S. ambassador to France from 1968 to 1970, becoming a quasi-celebrity among the French for bringing what Time magazine called "a rare and welcome panache" to the normally staid world of international diplomacy.
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Shriver was born in Westminster, Maryland, spent his high school years at the Canterbury School, the prestigious school in New Milford, Connecticut. After graduating from the Canterbury School, which he attended on a full scholarship, Shriver spent the summer in Germany as part of the Experiment in International Living, returning in the fall of 1934 to begin college at Yale University. He received his bachelor's degree in 1938 from Yale University, where he was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and Scroll and Key Society. He was Chairman of the Yale Daily News. Shriver went on to attend Yale Law School, where he earned the LL.B. in 1941.
An early opponent of American involvement in World War II, Shriver was a founding member of America First, an organization that tried to keep America out of the war. Still, Shriver volunteered for the U.S. Navy, claiming he had a duty to serve his country even if he disagreed with its policies. He spent five years in active duty and became a full lieutenant. Shriver ultimately came to believe in the justness of American involvement in the war and retracted his early opposition.
Shriver's involvement with the Kennedy family began when family patriarch Joseph Kennedy, Sr. hired him to manage the Merchandise Mart — part of Kennedy's vast business empire — in Chicago, Illinois.
After a seven-year courtship, Shriver married Eunice Kennedy, a sister of John F. Kennedy, on May 23, 1953. They had five children:
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Sargent Shriver III | April 28, 1954 | Yale Law School graduate and former part-owner of Baltimore Orioles | |
| Maria Owings Shriver | November 6, 1955 | Television anchorwoman and political journalist and First Lady of California, wife of Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (while remaining a Democrat herself) | |
| Timothy Perry Shriver | August 29, 1959 | Chairman of Special Olympics | |
| Mark Kennedy Shriver | February 17, 1964 | Democratic politician who served as a member of the House of Delegates in the Maryland legislature for eight years. In 2002 made an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Congress | |
| Anthony Paul Kennedy Shriver | July 20, 1965 | Activist for the mentally retarded and chairman of Best Buddies International, a friendship program for people with intellectual disabilities. |
In 1970, Shriver flirted with the possibility of running for Governor of Illinois or, more seriously, Maryland. He later admitted that his nascent campaign in Maryland was badly managed, and he soon decided to leave politics to practice law.
Shriver returned to the political world in 1972, when George McGovern chose him as his Vice Presidential running mate after McGovern's first pick — Thomas Eagleton — turned out to have had a history of mental health problems. The McGovern-Shriver ticket was badly beaten by the Republican candidates Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew.
Shriver sought the Democratic nomination for President in 1976. He was an energetic campaigner, but he could not escape the shadow of the Kennedy family and be seen as his own man. After a series of disappointing primary performances, he dropped out of the race.
According to Shriver's biography:
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- Conducted, with his [future] wife Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the National Conference on Prevention and Control of Juvenile Delinquency in Washington
- Served as president of the Chicago Board of Education
- 1960:
- Worked as a political and organization coordinator in the Wisconsin and West Virginia primaries for Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy
- Served as the organizer and first Director of the Peace Corps, where he developed volunteer activities in more than 50 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America
- Served as the first Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity under U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
- Created VISTA, Head Start, Community Action, Foster Grandparents, Job Corps, Legal Services, Indian and Migrant Opportunities and Neighborhood Health Services
- Served as Special Assistant to President Johnson
- Served as U.S. Ambassador to France
- 1970:
- Served as Chairman of Congressional Leadership for the Future, traveling to 29 U.S. states to gain support for 89 Democratic candidates for the House and Senate
- Named a Partner in the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson, specializing in international law and foreign affairs
- 1972:
- Nominated by the Democratic Party as a candidate for Vice President with Senator George McGovern in the presidential effort against incumbents Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew
- 1975:
- Embarked on a nationwide Lecture tour "Co-Existence and Common Existence" of the USSR at the invitation of the Soviet government
- 1978:
- Inaugurated the Kennedy Institute of Ethics "Trialogue" to foster discussions between leaders of Christian, Jewish and Muslim Religions
- 1981:
- Appointed to the Rockefeller University Council, an organization devoted exclusively to research and graduate education in the biomedical and related sciences
- 1984:
- 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
- 1986:
- Retired as Partner of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson; named of Counsel to FFHS&J
- 1990:
- Appointed Chairman of the Board of Special Olympics
- 1993:
- Received the Franklin D. Roosevelt Freedom From Want Award
- 1994:
- Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor, from President Clinton on August 8
- Shriver has been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years. His daughter, Maria, has published a children's book, What's Happening to Grandpa?, to help explain Alzheimer's to children. The book also gives kids suggestions on how to help and to show love to an elderly person with the disease. In July 2007 Shriver's son-in-law, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, speaking out in favor of stem-cell research, announced that Shriver's Alzheimer's disease had advanced to the point that he no longer recognizes many of those close to him.[1]
- Shriver is a devout Catholic who attends daily mass and carries a rosary with well-worn wooden beads.[1]
- Shriver is a descendant of David Shriver, who signed the Maryland Constitution and Bill of Rights at Maryland's Constitutional Convention of 1776.
With the death of Thomas Eagleton on March 4, 2007, Shriver became the earliest living vice presidential nominee of either major party. Since the death of President Gerald Ford on December 26, 2006, Shriver is the oldest living person to have run on either major party ticket.
- Clinton, Bill (2004). My Life. New York: Knopf. ISBN.
- Stossel, Scott (2004). Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books. ISBN.
- Sargent Shriver at the Internet Movie Database
- Sargent Shriver Peace Institute
- Peace Corps biography
- Ancestor David Shriver
- Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
| Preceded by none |
Director of the Peace Corps 1961–1966 |
Succeeded by Jack Vaughn |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles E. Bohlen |
U.S. Ambassador to France 1968–1970 |
Succeeded by Arthur K. Watson |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Edmund Muskie (previous race), Thomas Eagleton (previous candidate)(1) |
Democratic Party Vice Presidential candidate 1972 (lost) |
Succeeded by Walter Mondale |
| Notes & References | ||
| 1. Eagleton was the original Vice Presidential nominee in 1972 but withdrew from the race and was replaced by Shriver. Muskie was the Vice Presidential nominee in 1968. | ||
Categories: 1915 births | American military personnel of World War II | American Roman Catholics | Americans with Huguenot ancestry | Arnold Schwarzenegger | Democratic Party (United States) politicians | Democratic Party (United States) vice presidential nominees | Disability rights activists | Irish-American politicians | Irish-Americans in the military | Kennedy family | Living people | Peace Corps directors | People from Carroll County, Maryland | People from Connecticut | Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients | Scroll and Key | Special Olympics | United States ambassadors to France | United States Navy officers | Yale Law School alumni | Yale University alumni