1960s Timeline

Dec. 29, 1961 - Mrs. Edith Wilson (pictured in 1915), the former First Lady, died last night at the stately Washington townhouse that became her home when she and the World War I President left the White House more than 40 years ago. She was 89 years old. Mrs. Wilson, who had no children, married the President when he was serving his first term. She shared many of Wilson’s political and wartime trials and finally, acting as intermediary between him and his associates during h

Dec. 27, 1961 - The end of a long-standing legislative impasse between New York and New Jersey appeared imminent today. Governor-elect Richard J. Hughes (pictured with President Kennedy in October), meeting with the Democratic majority in the 1962 State Assembly, won its unqualified endorsement of legislation that would enable the Port of New York Authority to erect a World Trade Center in lower Manhattan and to purchase and operate the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad. The legi

Dec. 26, 1961 - General Dwight D. Eisenhower and his family visited Disneyland today, and the former President seemed almost as delighted as his four grandchildren. “Oh boy, Mamie, look at that!” Gen. Eisenhower exclaimed to his wife when he saw the amusement park’s version of a Mississippi riverboat. The general went on some rides himself. But he contented himself with watching when the children rode about in miniature cars with the help of their parents, Lieut. Col. John S.

Dec. 22, 1961 - Hunter College’s refusal to permit programs sponsored by William F. Buckley Jr. (pictured), editor of The National Review, in its auditorium was defended and attacked in New York Supreme Court today. Mr. Buckley and William A. Rusher, publisher of The National Review, have brought an action seeking to order the college to renew a contract for the use of the auditorium. For several years, The Review has sponsored speeches or symposiums in the Hunter College ass

Dec. 19, 1961 - The Army issued today a pocket-size, 12-page pamphlet entitled “Why Me?” to National Guard and Army Reservists who have been called to active duty. The pamphlet includes 15 “questions most frequently asked by Army National Guardsmen and Reservists.” In answer to the first question, “Why was the build-up necessary?” the pamphlet says: “Increasingly hostile behavior by the Sino-Soviet bloc made it necessary to build up U.S. military strength immediately to demon

Dec. 11, 1961 - Secretary of the Navy John B. Connally Jr. announced his resignation today. President Kennedy appointed another Texan, Fred Korth, to succeed him. Mr. Connally announced at a news conference in Fort Worth, Tex., that he would seek the governorship of Texas next year. Mr. Connally has been a political associate of Vice President Johnson for many years, but his political philosophy tends to be more conservative than Mr. Johnson’s. As a successful Texas oilman, h

Dec. 10, 1961 - Senator Strom Thurmond, Democrat of South Carolina, proclaimed Senator Barry Goldwater’s popularity in the South. “The Southern people believe in what Senator Goldwater is advocating,” he declared. He declined to say whether he would support a Presidential bid by the Arizona Republican, but asserted that his views were closer to Senator Goldwater’s than to President Kennedy’s. He also said that he would like to see a realignment of national parties that would

Dec. 2, 1961 - George Romney (pictured with his son Mitt), president of American Motors Corporation, announced today that “I am giving consideration to becoming a candidate for Governor of Michigan in the 1962 elections.” Mr. Romney has also been linked with speculation regarding the Presidential contest in 1964. Mr. Romney, 54, is a Republican delegate to and a vice president of Michigan’s constitutional convention. #history #HistoryNerd #historyinpictures #historylover #his

Dec. 2, 1961 - Richard M. Nixon declared today that “second-rate” Democrats must be voted out of office in California. The former Vice President, a candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination next June, pledged “a crusade for new leadership to see to it that California will not be first in crime, first in high taxes, and first in bungling bureaucracy.” “We need first-rate government,” he said. “The second-raters, from Gov. Brown down, must be retired from jobs which

Nov. 28, 1961 - Senator Strom Thurmond (pictured left in 1957), Democrat of South Carolina, denounced President Kennedy today for his recent criticism of Right-Wing extremists. “I don’t know what he means by extremists,” Senator Thurmond said. “I don’t know anybody far to the Right who has hurt this country. I do know some far to the Left who have hurt the country.” “I certainly do think Left-Wingers and Socialists have influence in the Kennedy Administration,” the Senator to

Nov. 26, 1961 - United States Senator Styles Bridges (pictured center last year) of New Hampshire, one of the most influential Republicans in the nation, died at his home in Concord, N.H., today. He was 63 years old. Senator Bridges died in his sleep at 5 a.m. of complications arising from a severe coronary attack suffered Sept. 21. Senator Bridges was a leading Republican through the long years of Democratic domination. His political career was meteoric. He was elected Gover

Nov. 24, 1961 - Bone fragments and teeth exhumed from shallow graves on Saipan Island arrived in San Francisco by plane today for scientific examination to determine if they may be the remains of Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan (pictured). The fragments were taken from two graves by a radio newsman, Fred Goerner, a correspondent for CBS. He has been interested in the disappearance of the woman flier and her navigator during their attempt to fly around the world

Nov. 22, 1961 - Former Vice President John Nance Garner greeted old friends warmly as he marked his 93rd birthday quietly today. He greeted well-wishers in his combination living room-library with its two TV sets. He wore the green eye shade that has become a trademark of his later years. Mr. Garner was Vice President during the first two terms of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He retired from public life after breaking with Mr. Roosevelt over the third-term issue and other matters.

Nov. 11, 1961 - Speaker Sam Rayburn’s physician, Dr. Joe Risser (pictured), issued a bulletin this afternoon on the condition of his 79-year-old patient, who has cancer. It said: “Mr. Sam is critical now. The heart is weakening. The infrequent lucid moments are shorter. His breathing is quite labored. No pain is experienced. The prognosis is hours to days.” Mr. Rayburn was visited earlier in the day by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. After leaving Risser Hospital, an emotio

Nov. 14, 1961 - Richard M. Nixon (pictured with Premier Nikita Khrushchev in 1959) predicted today that the Soviet people’s “obsession for peace” and Premier Khrushchev’s intelligence would prevent war. Mr. Nixon spoke at a “Republican Spectacular” held in Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum. “Khrushchev will not start a war for many reasons,” Mr. Nixon said. “Despite his liquor drinking, he is always the master of his own temper. Unlike Hitler, the Russian leader is a cold, t

Nov. 10, 1961 - Former Presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower broke a long period of coolness today when they chatted amiably at the Truman Library in Independence, Mo. It was their first talk of any length since Mr. Truman briefed General Eisenhower at a Cabinet meeting in November, 1952, before turning the Presidency over to him. Since then, the two have frequently been at odds. Their decision to get together was made only a few days ago. The impetus was provid

Nov. 9, 1961 - Irvin C. Scarbeck, former secretary in the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, was sentenced to 30 years in prison today for having passed classified material to Polish Communists. The sentence was the maximum permissible under the law. Mr. Scarbeck, 41, will be eligible for parole in 10 years. He is twice married and the father of 4. Scarbeck began giving classified material to the Polish police after having been photographed by them in a compromising situation with Miss

Nov. 7, 1961 - New York City Mayor Robert F. Wagner won re-election for a third term today. Despite opposition from two major candidates, Mr. Wagner won a majority of the total vote. His victory margin was 397,980 votes. Attorney General Louis J. Lefkowitz, the Republican nominee, took 34.7 percent of the vote. This was a better showing than any Republican mayoral candidate had made in many years. #history #HistoryNerd #historyinpictures #historylover #historybuff #HistoryIn

Nov. 2, 1961 - Maj. Gen. Edwin A. Walker made known today his decision to resign from the Army. The general was formally admonished and removed from command of the 24th Infantry Division in Europe last April on charges that he had engaged in partisan political activity. An inspector general’s report said he attempted to influence the voting of his troops in the elections of 1960 through anti-Communist troop-indoctrination courses. “I must be free from the power of little men

Oct. 5, 1961 - House Speaker Sam Rayburn (pictured at last year's Democratic National Convention), 79 years old, is suffering from cancer. Hospital tests today showed that there was no hope of recovery. A tissue sample from Mr. Rayburn's groin contained a "metastatic malignancy." This meant that the cancer had developed somewhere else, probably the pancreas, and that the cells had spread the malignancy to other parts of the body. Asked how long Mr. Rayburn would live, Dr. Rob