Author | Lightnews

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 21h

A drumstick for Daddy!

Nine-year-old Diane Kefauver feeds her father some turkey at a Capitol lunch honoring the 45th anniversary of the Girl Scouts in 1957.

#skystoirans #history #polisky #turkey #girlscouts

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 1d

This shot shows the Enterprise flying over the Capitol on that 1940 trip that Kefauver was on.

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 1d

Good morning, Goodyear!

Then-Rep. Kefauver steps out of the Goodyear blimp Enterprise after going for a ride through the skies of DC in 1940. Goodyear supplied 154 blimps to the Navy during World War II.

#skystorians #history #polisky #goodyear #blimp

Electoral College Dropout, Part 4: The Dixiecrats’ Dress Rehearsal

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 2d

We’ve all heard about the South’s third-party effort in the 1948. But did you know that they plotted to subvert the Electoral College four years earlier?

Another episode of history that they didn't teach you in school.

#skystorians #history #polisky #fdr #south

estes-kefauver.com/2025/10/27/e...

We’ve all heard about the South’s third-party effort in the 1948. But did you know that they plotted to subvert the Electoral College four years earlier?

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 5d

In the first photo, a couple young local cowgirls greet the Kefauvers with a Democratic donkey. In this photo, Estes decides to take it for a ride. (Nancy wisely waits back in the distance.)

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 5d

Howdy, pardner! There's a new sheriff in town... and he's running for President!

Nancy and Estes Kefauver visit Golden, Colorado in June 1952. They pose with the famous welcome sign (erected in 1949, it read: "Howdy Folks! Welcome to Golden - Where the West Remains")

#skystorians #history #polisky

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 6d

"Later, he made a lot of short films, 'public service announcement'-type films, for the Department of Health and Human Services."

Thanks so much, Lain, for sharing these fantastic photos and a great story!

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 6d

"In this photo, you can see my father Rick (age 12 or 13) meeting Richard Nixon (who must have been Vice President at the time). I am fairly certain the office you see here is actually my grandfather’s film set."

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 6d

"When that campaign came to an end, Bill opened up his studio to new customers. Over the next few years, Bill’s mock-up office would be occupied by a number of other politicians, including Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy."

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 6d

"According to my understanding, he set up a studio — a mock-up of Kefauver’s office — to film him in a series of short films, for his 1956 campaign. I’m told this was taken at the time he was making films for Kefauver."

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 6d

From Lain: "Bill came from Atlanta, Georgia. He was a Roosevelt man, and a New Deal supporter. He was in the Navy, and he worked as a newspaper reporter, but he was mainly interested in getting involved in making movies. In 1955 or 1956 he came up to Washington to work on Kefauver’s campaign."

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 6d

Today's picture features Bill Hart (seated in the director's chair on the right), who produced some short films for Kefauver's 1956 Presidential campaign.

Bill's grandchild, Lain, shared these photos along with the story behind them.

#skystorians #history #polisky

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 7d

Yes, it’s an ashtray in the shape of a cast iron skillet. It’s the right size, and the “spouts” on the side offer a perfect place to rest your cigarette.

CHUCK BROWN & THE SOUL SEARCHERS, BUSTIN' LOOSE

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 7d

Chuck Brown approves this message!

m.youtube.com/watch?v=wwHi...

YouTube video by SMOTH1PRODUCTIONS

m.youtube.com

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 7d

Feel like bustin' loose!

As this 1956 cartoon from George White of the Tampa Morning Tribune shows, Adlai Stevenson managed to free the Democratic Party from the millstone of Harry Truman and his political cohorts. And as you can see, Kefauver approved!

#skystorians #history #polisky

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Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 8d

Indeed! What might have been…

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 8d

I approve of the sentiment on this button.

However, I must admit I enjoy the thought of Stevenson shuddering at seeing the word “bestes’” on there.

#skystorians #history #polisky

A 1956 campaign button that reads, “Adlai and Estes are the bestes’ - Vote Democratic”

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 9d

Sadly, even if Kefauver's amendment had passed, it wouldn't have fixed all that. But it represented a serious approach to governing that's all too rarely seen today.

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 9d

Kefauver asked his witnesses whether a mass shooting at the Capitol would qualify as a "disaster," allowing governors the power to appoint House members to fill vacancies.

Seeing the words "mass shooting" in a Senate hearing transcript from the Fifties was... jarring.

1954 United States Capitol shooting - Wikipedia

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 9d

I didn't have room for this anecdote in the post, but Kefauver held his hearing on the amendment in 1955, the year after a group of Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire in the Capitol, wounding five Representatives.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Un...

en.wikipedia.org

Legislation in an Emergency: Kefauver Tries to Prepare Government for the Atomic Age

Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 9d

The atomic bomb ushered in a frightening new world with unexpected risks. Kefauver tried to fix the Constitution to safeguard Congress in the event of a disaster. Why didn’t it work?

#skystorians #history #polisky #coldwar #constitution

estes-kefauver.com/2025/10/20/l...

The atomic bomb ushered in a frightening new world with unexpected risks. Kefauver tried to fix the Constitution to safeguard Congress in the event of a disaster. Why didn’t it work?

An Ode to Nancy, Kefauver’s Wife and “Secret Weapon”

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Estes Kefauver for President @kefauver4prez.bsky.social · 11d

By the way, if you missed my article from Nancy on Monday, it's here:
estes-kefauver.com/2025/10/13/a...

Nancy Kefauver was the ideal partner for Estes. She was a loving wife and mother, a brilliant household manager… but also a talented artist, a capable campaigner, and a certified charmer.