Stevenson, Adlai (1900–1965)

Adlai Stevenson was a Democratic politician from Illinois, best known for his unsuccessful presidential campaigns against Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956 and for his role in the Cuban Missile Crisis as ambassador to the United Nations.

Stevenson attended law school at Northwestern University and worked as an attorney in Chicago. For 15 years, Stevenson's career alternated between private-sector attorney and midlevel bureaucrat in the Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Navy, and the Department of State.

In 1948, Stevenson unseated the incumbent governor of Illinois, Republican Dwight Green. As governor, Stevenson reformed the criminal justice system, improved highways, and toughened antigambling statutes. He served a single term, before being drafted by then-President Harry Truman to run for president in 1952.

Running against the Republican Party ticket of Dwight ...