Sargent Shriver

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Robert Sargent Shriver
21st United States Ambassador to France
In office 1968 – 1970
President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Charles E. Bohlen
Succeeded by	Arthur K. Watson
Born	November 9, 1915 (1915-11-09) (age 91) Westminster, Maryland
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1953 - present)
Relations	Robert Sargent Shriver and Hilda Shriver
Children	Maria Owings Shriver Timothy Perry Shriver Mark Kennedy Shriver Robert Sargent Shriver III Anthony Paul Kennedy Shriver
Alma mater	Yale University
Profession	Diplomat, Politician
Religion	Roman Catholic

Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr., known as Sargent, (born November 9, 1915) is an American Democratic politician and activist. He is best known as an in-law of the Kennedy family, the driving force behind the creation of the Peace Corps, and the Democratic Party's 1972 vice presidential candidate.

Shriver's ebullient personality and creative energy made him one of the most effective leaders of John F. Kennedy's New Frontier and Lyndon Johnson's Great Society in the 1960s. He inspired, directed, or founded numerous social programs and organizations, including Head Start, VISTA, Job Corps, Community Action, Upward Bound, Foster Grandparents, Special Olympics, the National Center on Poverty Law, Legal Services, and, as mentioned, the Peace Corps. Shriver also ran the War on Poverty during Johnson's tenure as president.

Shriver served as U.S. ambassador to France from 1968 to 1970, becoming a quasi-celebrity among the French for bringing what Time magazine called "a rare and welcome panache" to the normally staid world of international diplomacy.

[edit] Early years

Shriver was born in Westminster, Maryland, spent his high school years at Georgetown Preparatory School, the prestigious all-boys Jesuit school in North Bethesda, Maryland. After graduating from Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut, which he attended on a full scholarship, Shriver spent the summer in Germany as part of the Experiment in International Living, returning in the fall of 1934 to begin college at Yale University. He received his bachelor's degree in 1938 from Yale University, where he was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and Scroll and Key, a prestigious secret society. He also served as Chairman of the Yale Daily News. Shriver went on to attend Yale Law School, where he earned the L.L.B. in 1941.

An early opponent of American involvement in World War II, Shriver was a founding member of America First, an organization that tried to keep America out of the war. Still, Shriver volunteered for the U.S. Navy, claiming he had a duty to serve his country even if he disagreed with its policies. He spent five years in active duty and became a full lieutenant. Shriver ultimately came to believe in the justness of American involvement in the war and retracted his early opposition.

Shriver's involvement with the Kennedy family began when family patriarch Joseph Kennedy, Sr. hired him to manage the Merchandise Mart — part of Kennedy's vast business empire — in Chicago, Illinois.

After a seven-year courtship, Shriver married Eunice Kennedy, a sister of John F. Kennedy, on May 23, 1953. They had five children:

[edit] Running for office

In 1970, Shriver flirted with the possibility of running for Governor of Illinois or, more seriously, Maryland. He later admitted that his nascent campaign in Maryland was badly managed, and he soon decided to leave politics to practice law.

Shriver returned to the political world in 1972, when George McGovern chose him as his Vice Presidential running mate after McGovern's first pick — Thomas Eagleton — turned out to have had a history of mental health problems. The McGovern-Shriver ticket was badly beaten by the Republican candidates Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew.

Shriver sought the Democratic nomination for President in 1976. He was an energetic campaigner, but he could not escape the shadow of the Kennedy family and be seen as his own man. After a series of disappointing primary performances, he dropped out of the race.

[edit] Timeline

According to Shriver's biography:

• Conducted, with his [future] wife Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the National Conference on Prevention and Control of Juvenile Delinquency in Washington

• Served as president of the Chicago Board of Education

• 1960: Worked as a political and organization coordinator in the Wisconsin and West Virginia primaries for Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy

• Served as the organizer and first Director of the Peace Corps, where he developed volunteer activities in more than 50 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America

• Served as the first Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity under U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson

• Created VISTA, Head Start, Community Action, Foster Grandparents, Job Corps, Legal Services, Indian and Migrant Opportunities and Neighborhood Health Services

• Served as Special Assistant to President Johnson

• Served as U.S. Ambassador to France

• 1970: Served as Chairman of Congressional Leadership for the Future, traveling to 29 U.S. states to gain support for 89 Democratic candidates for the House and Senate

• 1970: Named a Partner in the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson, specializing in international law and foreign affairs

• 1972: Nominated by the Democratic Party as a candidate for Vice President with Senator George McGovern in the presidential effort against incumbents Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew

• 1975: Embarked on a nationwide Lecture tour "Co-Existence and Common Existence" of the USSR at the invitation of the Soviet government

• 1978: Inaugurated the Kennedy Institute of Ethics "Trialogue" to foster discussions between leaders of Christian, Jewish and Muslim Religions

• 1981: Appointed to the Rockefeller University Council, an organization devoted exclusively to research and graduate education in the biomedical and related sciences

• 1984: Elected President of Special Olympics by the Board of Directors; as President, he directed the operation and international development of sports programs around the world

• 1986: Retired as Partner of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson; named of Counsel to FFHS&J

• 1990: Appointed Chairman of the Board of Special Olympics

• 1993: Received the Franklin D. Roosevelt Freedom From Want Award

• 1994: Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor, from President Clinton on August 8

[edit] Miscellaneous

• Shriver now has Alzheimer's disease. His daughter Maria Shriver has published a children's book, What's Happening to Grandpa?, to help explain Alzheimer's to children. The book also gives kids suggestions on how to help and to show love to an elderly person with the disease. In July, 2007 Shriver's son-in-law California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, speaking out in favor of stem-cell research, announced that Shriver's Alzheimer's disease had advanced to the point that he no longer recognizes many of those close to him.[1]

• Shriver is a devout Catholic who was known as one of the most observant members of the Kennedy family.

• Shriver is a descendant of David Shriver, who signed the Maryland Constitution and Bill of Rights at Maryland's Constitutional Convention of 1776.

With the death of Thomas Eagleton on March 4, 2007, Shriver became the earliest living vice presidential nominee of either major party. Since the death of Gerald Ford on Dec. 26, 2006, Shriver is the oldest living person to have run on either major party ticket.

[edit] References

• Clinton, Bill (2004). My Life. New York: Knopf. ISBN. 
• Stossel, Scott (2004). Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books. ISBN. 

[edit] External links

• Sargent Shriver at the Internet Movie Database
• Peace Corps biography
• Ancestor David Shriver
• Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law