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{{Short description|American politician (1896–1969)}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Everett Dirksen
| image = File:Senator Everett Dirksen (cropped).webp
| caption = Dirksen in 1962
| office = [[Party leaders of the United States Senate|Senate Minority Leader]]
| deputy = [[Thomas Kuchel]]<br />[[Hugh Scott]]
| term_start = January 3, 1959
| term_end = September 7, 1969
| predecessor = [[William F. Knowland]]
| successor = Hugh Scott
| leader1 = William F. Knowland
| office1 = [[Party leaders of the United States Senate|Senate Minority Whip]]
| term_start1 = January 3, 1957
| term_end1 = January 3, 1959
| predecessor1 = [[Leverett Saltonstall]]
| successor1 = Thomas Kuchel
| state3 = [[Illinois]]
| district3 = {{ushr|IL|16|16th}}
| term_start3 = March 4, 1933
| term_end3 = January 3, 1949
| predecessor3 = [[William E. Hull]]
| successor3 = [[Leo E. Allen]]
| jr/sr2 = United States Senator
| state2 = [[Illinois]]
| term_start2 = January 3, 1951
| term_end2 = September 7, 1969
| predecessor2 = [[Scott W. Lucas]]
| successor2 = [[Ralph Tyler Smith]]
| birth_name = Everett McKinley Dirksen
| birth_date = {{birth date|1896|1|4}}
| birth_place = [[Pekin, Illinois]], U.S.
| death_date = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|1969|9|7|1896|1|4}}}}
| death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| spouse = {{marriage|Louella Carver|December 24, 1927}}
| children = 1
| education = [[University of Minnesota]]
| branch = [[United States Army]]
| serviceyears = 1918–1919
| rank = [[Second lieutenant#United States|Second Lieutenant]]
| battles = [[World War I]]
}}
{{Conservatism US}}
'''Everett McKinley Dirksen''' (January 4, 1896 – September 7, 1969) was an American politician. A [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], he represented [[Illinois]] in the [[United States House of Representatives]] and the [[United States Senate]]. As [[Party leaders of the United States Senate|Senate Minority Leader]] from 1959 until his death in 1969, he played a highly visible and key role in the politics of the 1960s. He helped write and pass the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] and the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968]], both landmark pieces of legislation during the [[civil rights movement]]. He was also one of the Senate's strongest supporters of the [[Vietnam War]]. A talented orator with a florid style and a notably rich [[bass (voice type)|bass]] voice, he delivered flamboyant speeches that caused his detractors to refer to him as "The Wizard of Ooze".

Born in [[Pekin, Illinois]], Dirksen served as an artillery officer during [[World War I]] and opened a bakery after the war. After serving on the Pekin City Council, he won election to the House of Representatives in 1932. In the House, he was considered a moderate and supported much of the [[New Deal]]; he became more conservative and isolationist over time, but reversed himself to support US involvement in [[World War II]]. He won election to the Senate in 1950, unseating Senate Majority Leader [[Scott W. Lucas]]. In the Senate, he favored [[conservatism in the United States|conservative]] economic policies and supported the [[Internationalism (politics)|internationalism]] of President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. Dirksen succeeded [[William F. Knowland]] as Senate Minority Leader after the latter declined to seek re-election in 1958.

As the Senate Minority Leader, Dirksen emerged as a prominent national figure of the Republican Party during the 1960s. He developed a good working relationship with Senate Majority Leader [[Mike Mansfield]] and supported President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]'s handling of the Vietnam War. He helped break the [[Southern filibuster]] of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. While still serving as Senate Minority Leader, Dirksen died in 1969.

The [[Dirksen Senate Office Building]] at the Capitol Building in Washington, and the [[Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse|Dirksen United States Courthouse]] in central Chicago are named for him.

==Early life==
Everett McKinley Dirksen was born on January 4, 1896, in [[Pekin, Illinois]], a small city near [[Peoria, Illinois|Peoria]].{{sfn|''The Education of a Senator''|page=xii}} His parents were German immigrants from [[East Frisia]] near the Dutch border. His father Johann Friedrich Dirksen was born in Jennelt and his mother Antje (née Conrady) was born in [[Loquard]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fonsino |first=Frank J. |date=1983 |title=Everett McKinley Dirksen: The Roots of an American Statesman |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40191703 |journal=Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society |volume=76 |issue=1 |pages=17–34 |jstor=40191703 |issn=0019-2287}}</ref> Today, both villages are part of the municipality of [[Krummhörn]].{{sfn|''The Education of a Senator''|page=xii}}

The Dirksens were strong [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]]. Everett's parents gave him the middle name "McKinley" after [[William McKinley]], then a leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president.{{sfn|''The Education of a Senator''|page=xii}} His fraternal twin, Thomas Reed Dirksen, was named for Speaker of the House [[Thomas Brackett Reed]], also a candidate for the nomination at the time. Another brother, Benjamin, was named for President [[Benjamin Harrison]].{{sfn|''The Education of a Senator''|pages=xii, 3}} Everett had two older half-brothers, Thomas and Henry, from his mother's first marriage to Beren Ailts (died 1890).{{sfn|''Illinois Historical Journal''|page=11}}

Johann and Antje Dirksen spoke a [[Low German]] dialect at home and taught German to their children.{{sfn|''The Education of a Senator''|page=xii}} Johann Dirksen farmed and worked at the Pekin Wagon Works as a design painter. He had a debilitating stroke when Everett was five years old and he died when Everett was nine.{{sfn|''The Education of a Senator''|pages=xii, 5, 9}}

Dirksen grew up on a farm managed by his mother in a neighborhood called Bonchefiddle (″Böhnchenviertel″, Low German for "[[beans]] [[Quarter (urban subdivision)|quarter]]") on the outskirts of Pekin. The neighborhood was known as Bonchefiddle because frugal immigrants grew beans in their front yards instead of decorative flowers.{{sfn|''Extensions of Remarks''|page=25664}} He attended local schools and graduated from [[Pekin Community High School District 303|Pekin High School]] in 1913 as the class [[salutatorian]]. While in school, he helped support the family by working at a Pekin corn refining factory.{{sfn|''Everett Dirksen and His Presidents''|page=11}}{{sfn|''An Uncertain Tradition''|page=154}}

Dirksen attended the [[University of Minnesota]],{{sfn|''An Uncertain Tradition''|page=154}}{{sfn|''The Education of a Senator''|page=15}} where he was a [[pre-law]] student from 1914 to 1917.{{sfn|"Dirksen Dead in Capital at 73"}} He paid his tuition by working in the classified advertising department at the ''[[Star Tribune|Minneapolis Tribune]]'', as a door-to-door magazine and book salesman, as an attorney's assistant, and as a clerk in a railroad freight office.{{sfn|''The Education of a Senator''|pages=xii, 16, 19}}  While attending the university, Dirksen participated in the [[Reserve Officers' Training Corps#Student Army Training Corps (SATC)|Student Army Training Corps]] and attained the rank of major in the school's corps of cadets.{{sfn|''The Education of a Senator''|pages=21, 23, 25}} He also gained his first political experience by giving local and on-campus speeches in support of Republican presidential nominee [[Charles Evans Hughes]] during the [[1916 United States presidential election|1916 campaign]].{{sfn|''An Uncertain Tradition''|page=154}}

==Military service==
At the start of [[World War I]], the Dirksens came under local scrutiny for their German heritage. Dirksen's mother refused to take down a living room photo of [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser Wilhelm II]] as demanded by a self-appointed Pekin "loyalty commission" on the grounds that "it's a free country." Benjamin Dirksen was medically unfit for military service and Thomas was married. It fell to Everett to demonstrate the family's patriotism by serving in uniform.{{sfn|''The Education of a Senator''|page=22}} He dropped out of college to enlist in the [[United States Army]].{{sfn|''The Education of a Senator''|pages=22, 23}}

On January 4, 1917, his twenty-first birthday, Dirksen joined the United States Army.{{sfn|''The Education of a Senator''|page=23}} Three months later, the [[American entry into World War I|United States entered World War I]]. He completed his initial training in field artillery at [[Camp Custer]], [[Michigan]], performed duty with his unit at [[Fort Jackson (South Carolina)|Camp Jackson]], [[South Carolina]], and attained the rank of sergeant.{{sfn|''The Education of a Senator''|pages=23, 27}} He was deployed to France in 1918 and attended artillery school and [[Officer Candidate School (United States Army)|officer training]] at [[Saumur]].{{sfn|''Dirksen: Portrait of a Public Man''|page=30}} He was commissioned as a [[Second lieutenant#United States|second lieutenant]] and assigned to the 328th Field Artillery Regiment, a unit of the [[85th Infantry Division (United States)|85th Division]].{{sfn|''Dirksen: Portrait of a Public Man''|page=30}}{{sfn|''Illinois Blue Book'' (1945)|page=121}}  Dirksen was trained as an aerial observer and conducted [[target acquisition]] and [[Bomb damage assessment|assessment of field artillery bombardments]] in the [[Saint-Mihiel]] sector as a member of the 328th Field Artillery's 13th and 19th [[History of military ballooning#World War I|Balloon Companies]].{{sfn|''Illinois Blue Book'' (1945)|page=121}}{{sfn|''Current Biography''|page=228}} He later performed the same duty for the 69th Balloon Company, a unit of the [[IV Corps (United States)|IV Corps]].{{sfn|''Current Biography''|page=228}} He subsequently served in the intelligence staff section (G-2) of the IV Corps headquarters.{{sfn|''Current Biography''|page=228}} Dirksen performed [[Allied occupation of the Rhineland|post-war occupation]] duty with IV Corps in Germany until mid-1919.{{sfn|''Current Biography''|page=228}} Dirksen declined an opportunity to remain with the Army of Occupation (extended due to his fluent German), received his discharge, and returned to Pekin.{{sfn|''The Honorable Mr. Marigold''|page=40}}

==Post-war==
After the war, Dirksen invested money in an electric washing machine business, but it failed, after which he joined his brothers in running the Dirksen Brothers Bakery. He also wrote a number of unpublished short stories, as well as plays with former classmate Hubert Ropp. Dirksen was active in the [[American Legion]], and his appearances on its behalf gave him the opportunity to hone his public speaking skills.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jeffrey |first1=Robert Campbell |last2=Peterson |first2=Owen |date=1975 |title=Speech: A Text With Adapted Readings |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8YdFu_RJwjMC&q=%22postwar%22 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Harper & Row |page=83|isbn=9780060432775 }}</ref>

His political career began in 1926 when he was elected to the nonpartisan Pekin City Council. He placed first in a field of eight candidates vying for four seats. At the time, the top vote-getter also received appointment as the city's commissioner of accounts and finance. Dirksen held both posts from 1927 to 1931.<ref name=TimeCover1962>{{cite news |title=Nation: The Leader: Everett Dirksen |newspaper=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=September 14, 1962}}</ref>

==U.S. representative==
===Elections===
In 1930, Dirksen unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Representative [[William E. Hull]] in the Republican primary. He lost by 1,155 votes, 51.06% to 48.94%. In 1932, he challenged Hull again, and won with 52.5% of the vote.<ref name="Garraty 1999 621">{{cite book |last=Garraty |first=John Arthur |date=1999 |title=American National Biography |volume=6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UvApAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Early+in+his+House+career+Dirksen+gave+substantial+support+to+New+Deal+measures+while+positioning+himself+as+a+staunch+isolationist+in+foreign+policy+matters.%22 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=621|isbn=9780195206357 }}</ref>

He was re-elected seven times from 1934 to 1946. His closest challenge came in 1936, when Charles C. Dickman held him to 53.25% of the vote amid a national and statewide landslide for the Democratic Party.

===Tenure===
His support for many [[New Deal]] programs initially marked him as a moderate, pragmatic Republican, though over time he became increasingly conservative and isolationist.<ref name="Garraty 1999 621"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Kinnell |first=Susan K. |date=1988 |title=People in History |volume=A-M |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=as8UAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Dirksen+supported+much+New+Deal+legislation+and+was+a+staunch+isolationist%22 |location=Santa Barbara, CA |publisher=ABC-CLIO |page=153|isbn=9780874364941 }}</ref> During [[World War II]], he lobbied successfully for an expansion of congressional staff resources to eliminate the practice under which House and Senate committees borrowed executive branch personnel to accomplish legislative work. He reversed his isolationist stance to support the war effort, but also secured the passage of an amendment to the [[Lend Lease Act]] by introducing it while 65 of the House's Democrats were at a luncheon. It provided that the Senate and the House could, by a simple majority in a [[concurrent resolution]], revoke the war powers granted to the president.<ref>"Everett Dirksen". ''Current Biography 1941'', p.227; "260 to 165", ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', February 17, 1941</ref>

Dirksen studied law privately in Washington, D.C. after he was elected to Congress. He was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in 1936 and the bar of Illinois in 1937.

In December 1943, Dirksen announced that he would be a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1944. He stated that a coalition of midwestern Republican representatives had urged him to run and that his campaign was serious. However, press pundits had assumed that the candidacy was a vehicle to siphon support away from the campaign of [[Wendell Willkie]], whose reputation as a maverick and staunch internationalist had earned him the hatred of many Republican Party regulars, especially in the [[Midwest]].<ref>''Time'', December 13, 1943</ref> Dirksen's presidential campaign was apparently still alive on the eve of the 1944 convention, as ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' speculated that he was running for vice president.<ref>''Time'', June 26, 1944</ref> Dirksen received no votes for either office from delegates at the convention.

In 1947, Dirksen was diagnosed with [[chorioretinitis]] in his right eye. Despite a number of physicians recommending that the eye be removed, Dirksen chose treatment and rest; he recovered most of the sight in the afflicted eye. In 1948, he declined to run for re-election because of his ailment.<ref name=TimeCover1962 />

==U.S. senator==
[[File:Mansfield Dirksen.gif|thumb|Senators [[Mike Mansfield]] (left) and Dirksen conversing in 1967.]]
[[File:President Nixon conversing with Senator Dirksen and Vice President Agnew on the occasion of a luncheon with Senate... - NARA - 194603.tiff|thumb|Dirksen with President [[Richard Nixon]] and Vice President [[Spiro Agnew]] on January 20, 1969.]]

Dirksen was a Republican Senator 1951–1969.<ref>Schapsmeier and  Schapsmeier. '' Dirksen of Illinois'' (1985).</ref>
===Elections===
[[1950 United States Senate election in Illinois|In 1950]], Dirksen unseated Senate Majority Leader [[Scott W. Lucas]]. In the campaign, the support of Wisconsin Senator [[Joseph McCarthy]] helped Dirksen gain a narrow victory.

[[1956 United States Senate election in Illinois|In 1956]], Dirksen was re-elected over Democrat Richard Stengel, 54.1% to 45.7%.

[[1962 United States Senate election in Illinois|In 1962]], Dirksen was re-elected to a third term over Democrat [[Sidney R. Yates]], 52.9% to 47.1%.

[[1968 United States Senate election in Illinois|In 1968]], Dirksen was re-elected to his fourth and final term over Democrat [[William G. Clark]], 53.0% to 46.6%.

===Tenure===
In 1952, Dirksen supported the presidential candidacy of fellow Senator [[Robert A. Taft]] of Ohio, the longtime leader of the Republican party's conservative wing. At the national party convention, Dirksen gave a speech attacking New York Governor [[Thomas E. Dewey]], a liberal Republican and the leading supporter of General [[Dwight Eisenhower]]. During his speech, Dirksen pointed at Dewey on the convention floor and shouted, "Don't take us down the path to defeat again", a reference to Dewey's presidential defeats in 1944 and 1948.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-republicans-1972 |title=The Republicans' 1972 |author=George Packer |date=January 30, 2012 |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=March 26, 2016}}</ref> His speech was met by cheers from conservative delegates and loud boos from pro-Eisenhower delegates. After Eisenhower won the nomination, Dirksen  supported him, as he had said he would in his convention speech.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-republicans-1972 |title=The Republicans' 1972 |author=George Packer |date=January 30, 2012 |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=March 26, 2016}}</ref>

In 1959, he was elected [[United States Senate Minority Leader|Senate Minority Leader]], defeating [[John Sherman Cooper]], a more liberal senator from [[Kentucky]], 20–14. Dirksen successfully united the various factions of the Republican Party by granting younger Republicans more representation in the Senate leadership and better committee appointments. He held the position of Senate Minority Leader until his death.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

Along with House Minority Leaders [[Charles Halleck]] and [[Gerald Ford]], Dirksen was the official voice of the Republican Party during most of the 1960s. He discussed politics on television news programs. On several occasions, political cartoonist [[Herblock]] depicted Dirksen and Halleck as vaudeville song-and-dance men, wearing identical elaborate costumes and performing an act called ''The Ev and Charlie Show''.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

The ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' once reported that Dirksen had changed his mind 62 times on foreign policy matters, 31 times on military affairs, and 70 times on agricultural policies.<ref name=TimeCover1962 />

===Vietnam War===
As senator, Dirksen reversed his early isolationism to support the internationalism of Republican President Eisenhower and Democratic President [[John F. Kennedy]]. He was a leading "hawk" on the issue of the [[Vietnam War]], a position he held well before President Johnson decided to escalate the war.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

Dirksen said in February 1964:
<blockquote>First I agree that obviously we cannot retreat from our position in Vietnam. I have been out there three times, once as something of an emissary for then President Eisenhower. I took a good look at it. It is a difficult situation, to say the least. But we are in to the tune of some $350 million. I think the last figure I have seen indicates that we have over 15,500 military out there, ostensibly as advisers and that sort of thing. We are not supposed to have combatant troops, even though we were not signatories to the treaty that was signed at Geneva when finally they got that whole business out of the fire. But we are going to have to muddle through for a while and see what we do. Even though it costs us $1.5 million a day.<ref name="Dietz1986">{{cite book |last=Dietz |first=Terry |title=Republicans and Vietnam, 1961–1968 |date=1986 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0-313-24892-4}}</ref>{{rp|59}}
</blockquote>

As Johnson followed the recommendations and escalated the war, Dirksen gave him strong support in public and inside the Republican caucus. Some Republicans advised him that it would be to the party's advantage to oppose Johnson. Ford commented, "I strongly felt that although I agreed with the goals of the Johnson administration in Vietnam, I vigorously criticized their prosecution of the war. Now, Dirksen never took that same hard-line position that I took."<ref name="Dietz1986" />{{rp|149}}

[[File:everett dirksen painting.jpg|thumb|250px|Dirksen played a key role in passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.]]

===Civil rights legislation===
Dirksen voted in favor of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1957|Civil Rights Acts of 1957]],<ref>{{cite journal|title=Senate – August 7, 1957|journal=[[Congressional Record]]|volume=103|issue=10|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|page=13900|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1957-pt10/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1957-pt10-9-1.pdf|access-date=February 18, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Senate – August 29, 1957|journal=[[Congressional Record]]|volume=103|issue=12|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|page=16478|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1957-pt12/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1957-pt12-6-1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008164318/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1957-pt12/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1957-pt12-6-1.pdf |archive-date=October 8, 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=February 18, 2022}}</ref> [[Civil Rights Act of 1960|1960]],<ref>{{cite journal|title=Senate – April 8, 1960|journal=[[Congressional Record]]|volume=106|issue=6|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|pages=7810–7811|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1960-pt6/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1960-pt6-8-1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131013534/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1960-pt6/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1960-pt6-8-1.pdf |archive-date=January 31, 2022 |url-status=live|access-date=February 18, 2022}}</ref> [[Civil Rights Act of 1964|1964]],<ref>{{cite journal|title=Senate – June 19, 1964|journal=[[Congressional Record]]|volume=110|issue=11|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|page=14511|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1964-pt11/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1964-pt11-3-2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131024033/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1964-pt11/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1964-pt11-3-2.pdf |archive-date=January 31, 2022 |url-status=live|access-date=February 18, 2022}}</ref> and [[Civil Rights Act of 1968|1968]],<ref>{{cite journal|title=Senate – March 11, 1968|journal=[[Congressional Record]]|volume=114|issue=5|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|page=5992|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1968-pt5/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1968-pt5-4-2.pdf|access-date=February 18, 2022}}</ref> as well as the [[Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution]],<ref>{{cite journal|title=Senate – March 27, 1962|journal=[[Congressional Record]]|volume=108|issue=4|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|page=5105|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1962-pt4/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1962-pt4-9-1.pdf|access-date=February 18, 2022}}</ref> the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]],<ref>{{cite journal|title=Senate – May 26, 1965|journal=[[Congressional Record]]|volume=111|issue=2|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|page=11752|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1965-pt9/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1965-pt9-2-2.pdf|access-date=February 18, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Senate – August 4, 1965|journal=[[Congressional Record]]|volume=111|issue=14|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|page=19378|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1965-pt14/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1965-pt14-6-1.pdf|access-date=February 18, 2022}}</ref> and the [[Thurgood Marshall Supreme Court nomination|confirmation]] of [[Thurgood Marshall]] to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Senate – August 30, 1967|journal=[[Congressional Record]]|volume=113|issue=18|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|page=24656|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1967-pt18/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1967-pt18-7-2.pdf|access-date=February 5, 2022}}</ref>

In 1964, amid a 54-day filibuster by Southern senators of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Dirksen, Republican [[Thomas Kuchel]] and Democrats [[Hubert Humphrey]] and [[Mike Mansfield]] introduced a compromise amendment. It weakened the House version on the government's power to regulate the conduct of private business, but it was not so weak it would cause the House to reconsider the legislation.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} The Department of Justice said the Mansfield-Dirksen Amendment would not prevent effective enforcement. However, Senator [[Richard Russell Jr.]] of Georgia refused to allow a vote on the amendment. Finally, Republican Senator [[Thruston Morton]] proposed an amendment that guaranteed jury trials in all criminal contempt cases except voting rights. It was approved on June 9, and Humphrey made a deal with three Republicans to substitute it for the Mansfield-Dirksen Amendment in exchange for their supporting [[cloture]] on the [[filibuster]]. Thus, after 57 days of filibuster, the substitute bill passed in the Senate, and the House–Senate conference committee agreed to adopt the Senate version of the bill.<ref>Library of Congress exhibition, The Civil Rights Act of 1964</ref>

At that cloture vote, Dirksen said: "[[Victor Hugo]] wrote in his diary substantially this sentiment: 'Stronger than all the armies is an idea whose time has come.' The time has come for equality of opportunity in sharing of government, in education, and in employment. It must not be stayed or denied."<ref name=dirksencenter>{{cite web|title=Everett McKinley Dirksen's Finest Hour: June 10, 1964|url=http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_basics_histmats_civilrights64_cloturespeech.htm|website=Dirksen Congressional Center|access-date=May 11, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024144501/http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_basics_histmats_civilrights64_cloturespeech.htm|archive-date=October 24, 2015}}</ref>

On March 22, 1966, Dirksen introduced a constitutional amendment to permit [[public school (government funded)|public school]] administrators providing for organized prayer by students; the introduction was in response to ''[[Engel v. Vitale]]'', which struck down the practice. Considered by opponents to violate the principle of [[separation of church and state]], the amendment was defeated in the Senate and gained only 49 affirmative votes, far short of the 67 votes a constitutional amendment needs for passage.

Dirksen was a firm opponent of the doctrine of [[one man, one vote]] on the grounds that large cities (such as Chicago in Dirksen's home state of Illinois) could render rural residents of a state powerless in their state governments without some form of [[concurrent majority]]. After the [[Warren Court]] imposed one-man-one-vote on all state legislative houses in the 1964 case ''[[Reynolds v. Sims]]'', he led an ultimately unsuccessful effort to convene an [[Article V convention]] for an amendment to the Constitution that would allow for legislative districts of unequal population.<ref>[https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_reynolds.html PBS article on ''Reynolds v. Sims'']</ref>

===Oratory===
The saying, "[[q:Everett Dirksen#Misattributed|A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon, you're talking real money]]" has been attributed to Dirksen, but there is no direct record of Dirksen saying the remark.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040816153245/http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_emd_billionhere.htm "A Billion Here, A Billion There..."], The Dirksen Center. (archived from [http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_emd_billionhere.htm the original] on August 16, 2004)</ref> Dirksen is also quoted as having said, "The mind is no match with the heart in persuasion; constitutionality is no match with compassion."

[[File:everettdirksen1.jpg|thumb|250px|Statue of Senator Dirksen on the grounds of the [[Illinois State Capitol]] in [[Springfield, Illinois|Springfield]], Illinois. A duplicate is located in Mineral Springs Park in his hometown of [[Pekin, Illinois|Pekin]], Illinois.]]

Dirksen recorded four spoken-word albums. In 1967 a recording of his own poem "Gallant Men" reached No. 16 on the [[Billboard 200]] and won a [[Grammy Awards of 1968#Spoken|Grammy Award for Best Documentary Recording]] in 1968.  On January 7, 1967, Dirksen became the oldest person to reach the [[Hot 100]]'s top 40, at 71 years, 3 days old, when the single reached No. 33; two weeks later it reached No. 29.<ref>[[American Top 40]], November 18, 1972</ref> In [[RPM (magazine)|Canada]] the recording reached No. 76, February 4, 1967.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.10037.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - February 4, 1967}}</ref> The distinction passed from Dirksen to [[Moms Mabley]] with her recording of "[[Abraham, Martin and John]]" peaking at No. 35 on July 19, 1969, when she was 75 years 4 months old;<ref>[[American Top 40]], April 5, 1986, although host [[Casey Kasem]] thought instead that Moms Mabley was only 72 years (and 4 months) old</ref> then, more than 54 years after that, to [[Brenda Lee]] with her recording of "[[Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree]]" from 1958 topping the Hot 100 on 9 (and 16) December 2023 when she was 78 years 363 days old.

Recordings of Dirksen's speeches were edited into a mock interview included on the record ''[["Welcome to the LBJ Ranch!"]]'' Dirksen was pleased with his inclusion on the parody record and bought many copies to give out as Christmas gifts.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60928076/the-record/ |title=Sad Holiday for Bennetts |last=Freeman |first=Alex |date=January 5, 1966 |newspaper=The Record |location=Hackensack, New Jersey |page=51|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{open access}}</ref>

Dirksen made television guest appearances on game and variety shows, such as ''[[What's My Line]]'', ''[[The Hollywood Palace]]'' and ''[[The Red Skelton Show]]''. Dirksen made a [[cameo appearance]] in the 1969 film ''[[The Monitors (film)|The Monitors]]'', a low-budget science-fiction movie in which invading extraterrestrials assert political dominion over the human race. He also appeared in several other movies.

==Personal life==
Dirksen's widow, Louella, died of cancer on July 16, 1979.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pearson |first=Richard |date=July 17, 1979 |title=Colorful Louella Dirksen, Campaigned for Senator Husband |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1979/07/17/colorful-louella-dirksen-campaigned-for-senator-husband/d016e968-6b9f-43a2-b013-17dcda306fe6/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |location=Washington, DC}}</ref> Their daughter Joy, the first wife of Senator [[Howard Baker]] of Tennessee, died of cancer on April 24, 1993.<ref>{{cite news |agency=United Press International |date=April 25, 1993 |title=Joy Baker dead at 64 |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/04/25/Joy-Baker-dead-at-64/6787735710400/ |work=UPI Archives |location=Boca Raton FL}}</ref>

Dirksen was a member of the Second Reformed Church, which, although a [[Dutch Reformed Church]], was primarily German (the [[Reformed Church in America]]{{sfn|''The Education of a Senator''|page=xii}} was founded in the 18th century by Dutch immigrants).<ref>Donald J. Bruggink and Kim N. Baker, ''By Grace Alone: Stories of the Reformed Church in America'' (2004) p. 162</ref>

Dirksen was a [[Freemason]] and was a member of Pekin Lodge No. 29. In 1954, he was grand orator of the Grand Lodge of Illinois. He was honored with the [[33rd degree]] in 1954.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nymasons.org/about-freemasonry/famous-masons-i.html | publisher=MWGLNY | title=Famous Masons | date=January 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110010123/http://www.nymasons.org/about-freemasonry/famous-masons-i.html | archive-date=November 10, 2013 }}</ref>

==Death==
[[File:Memorial service for Senator Everett Dirksen - NARA - 194656.tif|thumb|right|280px|President [[Richard Nixon]] paying his last tributes to Senator Dirksen in 1969.]]
Dirksen was a heavy smoker.{{sfn|"Dirksen Dead in Capital at 73"}} In August 1969, chest X-rays disclosed an asymptomatic peripherally located mass in the upper lobe of the right lung. Dirksen entered [[Walter Reed Army Hospital]] for surgery, which was undertaken on September&nbsp;2. A right upper [[lobectomy]] removed what proved to be lung cancer ([[adenocarcinoma]]). Dirksen initially did well, but progressive complications developed into [[bronchopneumonia]]. He suffered a cardiopulmonary arrest and died on September 7, 1969, at age&nbsp;73.{{sfn|"Dirksen Dead in Capital at 73"}}

Dirksen [[lying in state#United States|lay in state]] at the [[United States Capitol rotunda]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aoc.gov/nations-stage/lying-state-honor |title= Lying in State or in Honor |publisher=US Architect of the Capitol (AOC) |access-date=September 1, 2018}}</ref> followed by burial at Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin.{{sfn|''Everett McKinley Dirksen, Late a Senator from Illinois''|page=xi}}

==Legacy and honors==
Dirksen was known for his fondness for the [[Tagetes|common marigold]]. When political discussions became tense, he would lighten the atmosphere by taking up his perennial campaign to have the marigold named the national flower, but it never succeeded. In 1972, his hometown of Pekin started holding an annual [[Pekin, Illinois#Pekin Marigold Festival|Marigold Festival]] in his memory. It now identifies itself as the "Marigold Capital of the World".

Dirksen was the recipient of honorary degrees ([[Legum Doctor|LL.D.]]) from [[Hope College]], [[Bradley University]], [[DePaul University]], [[Lincoln Memorial University]], [[Hanover College]], [[Lewis University]], and [[Illinois College]].{{sfn|''Senate Reports''|page=105}}{{sfn|''Official Congressional Directory''|page=48}}{{sfn|''Illinois Blue Book'' (1970)|page=46}}

===Namesakes===
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* In 1972, one of the Senate's buildings was renamed the [[Dirksen Senate Office Building]] in his honor.
* The [[Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse|federal courthouse/building]] of the [[United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois]] and [[United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit]] in Chicago is also named after him.
* A parkway in [[Springfield, Illinois|Springfield]], Illinois (bypass for the historic [[U.S. Route 66|Route 66]] through the capital's center) is named in his honor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ilsos.gov/facilityfinder/facilityfinder?command=getFacilityDetails&facilityId=137|title=Springfield Dirksen Parkway Secretary of State Facility|website=www.ilsos.gov}}</ref>
* Dirksen Drive, a road in [[DeBary, Florida]], is named after him. He was a winter resident in DeBary in his later years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/logos/doodles/2019/zaing1w8wm2ztv99-6451943911194624.3-2xa.gif|title=Google|via=www.google.com}}</ref>
* Dirksen's statue, originally located adjacent to the [[Illinois State Capitol]] and is now in Mineral Springs Park in his hometown of Pekin, Illinois, includes two objects [[icon]]ically identified with the senator: an [[oil can]] and a bunch of marigolds.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}
* Everett Dirksen was inducted as a laureate of [[The Lincoln Academy of Illinois]] and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the state's highest honor) by the governor of Illinois in 1966 in the area of government.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thelincolnacademyofillinois.org/4632-2/#toggle-id-50|title=Laureates by Year – The Lincoln Academy of Illinois|website=The Lincoln Academy of Illinois|language=en-US|access-date=March 7, 2016|archive-date=September 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923204516/http://thelincolnacademyofillinois.org/4632-2/#toggle-id-50|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* The Everett McKinley Dirksen Elementary School on 8601 West Foster Avenue in Chicago is a magnet school named in his memory along with other public schools in other Illinois townships.
* Dirksen was mentioned in [[Jeff Greenfield]]'s [[alternate history]] book ''If Kennedy Lived'' in which in 1964, President [[John F. Kennedy]], having survived his [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination in Dallas]] the previous year, gathered Senate minority leader Dirksen and others in discussion of selling grain to the [[Soviet Union]].
* The [[United States Postal Service]] issued a commemorative stamp in 1981 honoring Dirksen.<ref>[http://usstampgallery.com/view.php?id=eb7d962ee05b55754e0d3fad066b71b5cfc6e4ab&Everett_M_Dirksen Everett M. Dirksen] U.S. Stamp Gallery.</ref>
* The Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress has been awarded annually since 1980 by the [[National Press Foundation]] (NPF) <ref>{{cite web | url=https://nationalpress.org/awards/everett-mckinley-dirksen-awards-for-distinguished-reporting-of-congress/ | title=Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress | publisher=[[National Press Foundation]] (NPF) | access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref>
* By act of the [[Illinois General Assembly]], the portion of [[Interstate 74]] within Illinois is known as the Dirksen Memorial Highway.<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1747&ChapAct=605%26nbsp%3BILCS%26nbsp%3B15%2F&ChapterID=45&ChapterName=ROADS+AND+BRIDGES&ActName=Dirksen+Memorial+Highway+Act%2E | title=Dirksen Memorial Highway Act | access-date=May 30, 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [[List of members of the American Legion]]
* [[List of members of the United States Congress who died in office (1950–1999)]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Sources==
===Books===
*{{cite book |last=Dirksen |first=Everett McKinley |date=1998 |title=The Education of a Senator |url=https://archive.org/details/educationofsenat0000dirk |url-access=registration |location=Urbana, IL |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-02414-6 |ref={{sfnRef|''The Education of a Senator''}}}}
*{{cite book |last1=Dirksen |first1=Louella |last2=Browning |first2=Norma Lee |date=1972 |title=The Honorable Mr. Marigold: My Life with Everett Dirksen |url=https://archive.org/details/honorablemrmarig00dirk |url-access=registration |quote=Army of Occupation. |location=New York, NY |publisher=Doubleday |ref={{sfnRef|''The Honorable Mr. Marigold''}}}}
*{{cite book |last=Hulsey |first=Byron C. |date=2000 |title=Everett Dirksen and His Presidents: How a Senate Giant Shaped American Politics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i5Z3AAAAMAAJ&q=salutatorian |location=Lawrence, KS |publisher=University of Kansas Press |isbn=978-0-7006-1036-5 |ref={{sfnRef|''Everett Dirksen and His Presidents''}}}}
*{{cite book |last=Illinois Secretary of State |date=1945 |title=Illinois Blue Book (1945) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=13ILAQAAIAAJ&q=%22328th+field+artillery%22 |location=State of Illinois |publisher=Springfield, IL |ref={{sfnRef|''Illinois Blue Book'' (1945)}}}}
*{{cite book |last=Illinois Secretary of State |date=1970 |title=Illinois Blue Book (1970) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ya8qAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Hanover+College%2C+Hanover%2C+Indiana%3B+and+Illinois+College%2C+Jacksonville.%22 |location=State of Illinois |publisher=Springfield, IL |ref={{sfnRef|''Illinois Blue Book'' (1970)}}}}
*{{cite book |last=Illinois State Historical Society |date=1983 |title=Illinois Historical Journal |volume=76 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kSkqC0_OspYC&q=%22After+Ailts%27s+death+in+1890%2C+Antje+had+to+forge+an+existence+for+herself+and+two+sons%2C+Thomas+and+Henry.%E2%80%9D |location=Springfield, IL |publisher=Illinois State Historical Society |ref={{sfnRef|''Illinois Historical Journal''}}}}
*{{cite book |last1=Kenney |first1=David |last2=Hartley |first2=Robert E. |date=2003 |title=An Uncertain Tradition: U.S. Senators from Illinois, 1818-2003 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tr0PpyV1lSoC&pg=PA154 |location=Carbondale, IL |publisher=Southern Illinois University Press |isbn=978-0-8093-2549-8 |ref={{sfnRef|''An Uncertain Tradition''}}}}
*{{cite book |last=MacNeil |first=Neil |date=1970 |title=Dirksen: Portrait of a Public Man |url=https://archive.org/details/dirksenportraito00macn |url-access=registration |quote=saumur. |location=New York, NY |publisher=World Publishing Company |ref={{sfnRef|''Dirksen: Portrait of a Public Man''}}}}
*{{cite book |last=U.S. Senate |date=September 16, 1969 |title=Extensions of Remarks |url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1969-pt19/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1969-pt19-4-3.pdf |location=Washington, DC |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |ref={{sfnRef|''Extensions of Remarks''}}}}
*{{cite book |date=1941 |title=Current Biography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YfApAQAAMAAJ&q=%2269th+balloon+company%22 |location=New York, NY |publisher=H. W. Wilson |ref={{sfnRef|''Current Biography''}}}}
*{{cite book |last=U.S. Congress |date=1969 |title=Official Congressional Directory |volume=92 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MMZFAQAAMAAJ&q=%22hanover+college%22 |location=U.S. Government Printing Office |publisher=Washington, DC |ref={{sfnRef|''Official Congressional Directory''}}}}
*{{cite book |last=U.S. Senate |date=1970 |title=Senate Reports |volume=1-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kXQ3AQAAIAAJ&q=%22everett%22+%22dirksen%22+%22doctor+of+laws%22+%22bradley%22 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=US Government Printing Office |isbn=9781345031591 |ref={{sfnRef|''Senate Reports''}}}}
*{{cite book |last=United States Senate |date=1970 |title=Everett McKinley Dirksen, Late a Senator from Illinois |url=https://archive.org/stream/memorialservices00wash_73#page/n5/mode/2up/ |location=Washington, DC |publisher=US Government Printing Office |ref={{sfnRef|''Everett McKinley Dirksen, Late a Senator from Illinois''}}}}

===Newspapers===
*{{cite news |last=Kenworthy |first=E. W. |title=Dirksen Dead in Capital at 73 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/09/08/88861212.html?pageNumber=1 |work=[[The New York Times]]|date = September 8, 1969|page = 1|url-access = subscription |ref={{sfnRef|"Dirksen Dead in Capital at 73"}}}}

==Secondary sources==
* Hulsey, Byron C. ''Everett Dirksen and His Presidents: How a Senate Giant Shaped American Politics''. University Press of Kansas, 2000.
** PhD dissertation: "Everett Dirksen and the modern presidents: Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson" (The University of Texas at Austin; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1998. 9837998).
* {{cite journal |last=Bonfield |first=Arthur Earl  |title=The Dirksen Amendment and the Article V Convention Process |journal=Michigan Law Review |pages=949–1000 |publisher=Michigan Law Review Association, inc. |volume=66 |issue=5 |date=March 1968 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1287188  |jstor=1287188 |doi=10.2307/1287188  |s2cid=154226726 |ref=Bonfield1968|url-access=subscription }}
* {{cite journal |last=Kyvig |first=David E. |title=Everett Dirksen's Constitutional Crusades |journal=Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society |pages=68–85 |volume=95 |issue=1 |date=Spring 2002 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40193488  |jstor=40193488  |doi=  |ref=kyvig2002}}
* Rodriguez; Daniel B. and Barry R. Weingast. "The Positive Political Theory of Legislative History: New Perspectives on the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Its Interpretation". '' University of Pennsylvania Law Review''. Volume: 151. Issue: 4. 2003. pp 1417+.
* Schapsmeier Edward L., and Frederick H. Schapsmeier. ''Dirksen of Illinois''. University of Illinois Press, 1985. [https://archive.org/details/dirksenofillinoi00scha online]

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{wikisource}}

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060903121329/http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/1996/iht319648.html Stan Mendenhall, "Everett Dirksen and the 1964 Civil Rights Act"], Library, [[National Institutes of Health]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20030816011728/http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/huleve.html Abstract of Byron C. Hulsey, ''Everett Dirksen and His Presidents: How a Senate Giant Shaped American Politics''], U. Kansas Press, 2000
* [http://www.dirksencenter.org The Dirksen Congressional Research Center]
* {{IMDb name|228221}}
* {{discogs artist|Everett Dirksen}}
* {{congbio|D000360}}
* {{Internet Archive film clip|id=gov.archives.arc.95971|description="Longines Chronoscope with Sen. Everett M. Dirksen (May 7, 1952)"}}
* {{Find a Grave|2566|access-date=February 10, 2008}}
* [http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/everettdirksen1964rncgoldwater.htm Complete transcript and audio of Everett Dirksen's RNC Nomination of Barry Goldwater]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100611121622/http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/oralhistory.hom/DirksenE/DirksenE.asp Oral History Interviews with Everett Dirksen], [[Lyndon Baines Johnson Library]]
*{{C-SPAN|24708}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090617212859/http://www.pekin.net/pekin108/schools/dirksen/index.shtml Dirksen Primary School, Pekin, IL]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041212210842/http://joliet86.org/Chapter3.SchoolTour.Pages.asp?SchoolID=67 Dirksen Junior High School, Joliet, IL]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dirksen, Everett}}
[[Category:1896 births]]
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[[Category:20th-century Illinois politicians]]
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[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
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[[Category:New Right (United States)]]
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[[Category:20th-century United States senators]]
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