Sidney Yates
| Sidney Richard Yates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Former U.S. Representative from Illinois's 9th Congressional District From: January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1999 | |||
| Predecessor | Edward R. Finnegan | ||
| Successor | Jan Schakowsky | ||
| Former U.S. Representative from Illinois's 9th Congressional District From: January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1963 | |||
| Predecessor | Robert Twyman | ||
| Successor | Edward R. Finnegan | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Democrat | ||
| Spouse(s) | Adeline Holleb | ||
| Religion | Judaism | ||
| Military Service | |||
| Allegiance | United States | ||
| Service/branch | United States Navy | ||
| Service Years | 1944–1946 | ||
| Rank | Lieutenant | ||
| Unit | Judge Advocate General's Corps | ||
| Battles/wars | World War II | ||
Sidney Richard Yates (August 27, 1909 – October 5, 2000) was a basketball player, attorney, and liberal Democrat from Illinois who represented the state's 9th district in the United States House of Representatives for just under five decades.
He did not seek re-election in 1962 to unsuccessfully run for U.S. Senate, and returned to his old seat in the following election cycle.
Contents
Political career
U.S. House, 1949–1963
Yates first successfully ran for the House in 1948, defeating Republican congressman Robert J. Twyman by eleven percentage points.[1] He was subsequently re-elected six times, though only winning by somewhat narrower margins in 1950 and '52.[2]
Senate bid, 1962
In the 1962 midterms, Yates gave up his House seat to run for United States Senate against incumbent conservative GOP leader Everett Dirksen at the urging of Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley.[3] He easily won the party nomination, defeating Lawrence "Lar" Daly with a sweep of every county.[4]
During the campaign, Yates griped of Dirksen casting himself as a presidential adviser after the incumbent senator met with President John F. Kennedy at the climax of the Cuban Missile Crisis.[3] In turn, Dirksen claimed that Kennedy told him:
| “ | What are you worrying about, Ev? You've got [the election] in the bag. | ” |
Although the quote may not have been substantiated, rumors were spreading that President Kennedy preferred a Dirksen victory.[3] This was because he was the Senate Republican leader, and his ouster could cause the powerful position being handed to Iowa GOP senator Bourke Hickenlooper,[3] who was much more conservative and particularly opposed the Kennedy Administration's policy on foreign aid.
Yates lost the general election to Dirksen by six points.[5] He handily carried St. Clair and Madison County, though only won Cook County by a margin of 2.6 percentage points.
U.S. House, 1965–1999
In 1964, Yates was once again elected to the House.[6]
In the 1980s, Yates led opposition towards President Ronald Reagan's proposal to cut the National Endowment for the Arts, defending the endowment of erotic "art" expressed through feces and urine.[3] He continued resisting GOP efforts to slash the endowment even into his final House months, calling it:[3]
| “ | ...the social fabric of the country. | ” |
Legacy
Yates has the Sidney R. Yates Federal Building named after him.[7]
References
- ↑ IL District 9 Race - Nov 02, 1948. Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ↑ Candidate - Sidney R. Yates. Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Stout, David (October 8, 2000). Sidney R. Yates Dies at 91; Congressman Supported Arts. The New York Times. Archived version available here. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ↑ IL Us Senate-D Primary Race - Apr 10, 1962. Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ↑ IL US Senate Race - Nov 06, 1962. Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ↑ IL District 9 Race - Nov 03, 1964. Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ↑ Sidney R. Yates Federal Building. U.S. General Services Administration. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
