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Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy (1925–1968) was a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Virginia School of Law. During the 1950s Kennedy's work, as counsel for two major Senate investigating committees, was paired with a deepening involvement in John F. Kennedy's political career. He directed his brother's 1960 presidential campaign and served as his most trusted advisor. Kennedy approved the most far-reaching civil rights plank ever adopted by the Democratic Party.
As Attorney General, Robert Kennedy built a strong Civil Rights Division, which included Burke Marshall and John Doar, and a greatly expanded staff of lawyers. The division aggressively pursued the prosecution of voting rights violations in the South and initiated suits to advance school desegregation. It was RFK who persuaded JFK to deliver his famous civil rights speech on June 11 and introduce civil rights legislation, crafted by the lawyers in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. |