Tucson Time Machine: Photos of political figures' visits in the '60s
These photos were recently featured in the Star's Tucson Time Machine newsletter, which highlights Tucson's history through snapshots of people, places, and events.
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Happy Thursday, Tucson! This week's Tucson Time Machine newsletter features historical photos of Tucson during the 1960s.
This first photo from April 9, 1960, shows then Sen. John F. Kennedy arriving in Tucson while campaigning for the U.S. presidency.
Kennedy was was greeted by about 150 people holding "Viva Kennedy" signs and given a sombrero and "an undersized cowboy hat," according to the Tucson Citizen.
Prior to his visit to Tucson in 1960, JFK stopped by the Catalina Methodist Church on Feb. 24, 1958, for a Sunday Evening Forum.
When asked if a man his age could be president, Kennedy, at the time age 42, responded, "I don't know about a 42-year-old man, but I think a 43-year-old man can," the Tucson Citizen reported in 1958.
JFK later became the youngest elected U.S. President when he was inaugurated in 1961 at the age of 43.
He was also the fourth president to be assassinated in U.S. history when he was shot and killed during a motorcade in Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 22, 1963.
Photo credit: Jack Sheaffer, Arizona Daily Star.
In this photo taken on Sept. 15, 1960, Lyndon B. Johnson reaches for a hand during a campaign stop at the University of Arizona.
Johnson was John F. Kennedy's running mate in the 1960 presidential election.
It was a "folksy visit," according to the Tucson Citizen, "a shirt-sleeved, handshaking and child-hugging rush through Tucson."
Photo credit: Bernie Sedley / Tucson Citizen.
Here's former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, at the Jewish Community Center in Tucson on Jan. 27, 1961.
She came to Tucson to support the Combined Jewish Appeal campaign.
Before her Tucson visit in 1961, Roosevelt made a couple of stops here as the First Lady, including in 1933.
During the 1933 visit, Roosevelt stayed with her friend Isabella Greenway who "had been a bridesmaid at the Roosevelt wedding and was founder of the Arizona Inn. She would also serve as a congresswoman," according to the Arizona Daily Star.
Photo credit: Dan Tortorell / Tucson Citizen.
This photo from June 24, 1964, shows Sen. Barry Goldwater at the podium for "Breakfast with Barry" with 1,200 guests at the Pioneer Hotel in downtown Tucson.
Goldwater was running for president against incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson (who ended up winning the 1964 presidential election in a landslide with 486 electoral votes and 61% of the popular vote).
The event was a pricey $5-a-plate affair. That's around $45 today. Most people dressed in short sleeves due to a 103-degree scorcher the day prior, according to the Tucson Citizen.
Goldwater spoke prophetically about the war in Vietnam. "I can't help feeling there will be disaster in Vietnam unless something is done soon," he said.
Goldwater visited Nogales after this event, which is a rare stop for presidential candidates.
Photo credit: Dan Tortorell / Tucson Citizen.
Here's then Alabama Gov. George Wallace addressing an audience at the University of Arizona on January 9, 1964.
Months before, he had already announced his intention to be the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party in the 1964 election.
A year before this Tucson event, Wallace famously declared during his oath of office as governor, "In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."
During his speech at the UA, he said the Civil Rights Bill would blot out personal liberty and establish total federal control over individual lives, according to the Tucson Citizen.
Photo credit: Jon Kamman / Tucson Citizen.
John F. Kennedy wasn't the only Kennedy relative to make a stop in Tucson.
Sen. Robert F. Kennedy made a stop in Tucson on March 29, 1968, during his presidential campaign tour. This photo shows Kennedy being greeted by many admirers at the Tucson International Airport.
After leaving the airport, he headed to the University of Arizona to make a speech. He was greeted by more admirers and critics at the UA. The Tucson Citizen estimates that 3,000 people packed into the UA auditorium to hear Kennedy speak.
During his speech at the UA, Kennedy touched on his pledge to make a "new effort" to end the Vietnam War and said that "we can do more" to "end the war in Vietnam and the violence in American cities," the Tucson Citizen reported in 1968.
Kennedy was assassinated three months later in a hotel kitchen in Los Angeles.
What other political figures do you remember visiting Tucson? Let us know at timemachine@tucson.com.
Photo credit: Tucson Citizen.
