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Senate Majority Leader | |
| Predecessor | Ted Stevens |
| Successor | Alan Simpson |
| Majority Whip | Gary Hart |
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Senate Minority Leader | |
| Predecessor | Ted Stevens |
| Successor | Ted Stevens |
| Minority Whip | Mike Hatfield |
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Senator from Maryland | |
| Predecessor | James G. Beall |
| Successor | Alan Keyes |
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Congressman from Maryland's 8th Congressional District | |
| Predecessor | Gilbert Gude |
| Successor | Royce Hanson |
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Mayor of Baltimore | |
| Predecessor | Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. |
| Successor | Theodore McKeldin |
| Born | November 9, 1915 Westminster, Maryland, United States |
| Died | May 18, 2016 (age 100) Albany, New York, United States |
| Spouse | Eunice M.K. Shriver (m. 1946 until her death; 2016) |
| Father | Sargent Shriver Sr. |
| Mother | Hilda Shriver |
| Issue | 5; Bobby, Maria, Timothy, Mark and Anthony |
| Political Party | Progressive |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Profession | Politician, Activist and Socialite |
Robert Sargent Shriver Jr. (November 9, 1915 – May 18, 2016) was an American diplomat, Progressive politician, and activist. As the husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was part of the Kennedy family. He served as Senate Majority Leader from 1979 until 1983, Senator from Maryland from 1965 until 1995 and Representative from Maryland's 8th congressional district from 1961 until 1965. He is best remembered as the architect of the War on Poverty.
Early Life, Education and Military Service[]
Robert Sargent Shriver Jr. was born in Westminster, Maryland, the younger of two sons. Shriver's parents Robert Sargent Shriver Sr. and Hilda, who had also been born with the surname "Shriver", were second cousins. Shriver was a descendant of David Shriver, who signed the Maryland Constitution and Bill of Rights at Maryland's Constitutional Convention of 1776.
He spent his high school years at Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut, which he attended on a full scholarship. After graduating from The Browning School in 1934, Shriver spent the summer in Germany as part of The Experiment in International Living, returning in the fall of 1934 to enter Yale University where he befriended the Kennedy family. He enlisted in the U.S. Army aged 23 where he would spend 4 years before being honorably discharged as a Captain, he earned himself a Purple heart among other decorations for his service as an expeditionary force. during the Confederate Civil War.
Baltimore Politics[]
Shriver discussing foreign Policy (c. 1958)
Shriver was elected onto the Baltimore City Council, which had been dominated by Unionist up until the 1930s, for the 2nd district in 1943. He married Eunice Kennedy in 1946 and was re-elected to the council the following year. By the 1951 election the Progressives had 11 members on the council to the Unionists 4 so Shriver's father-in-law Secretary of State Joseph. P. Kennedy Sr, who looked to establish an American political dynasty, urged Shriver to run for Council President. Shriver opted to take the advice and was elected City Council President. Shriver was busy keeping himself in the spotlight as he fought Unionist Governor Theodore McKeldin on everything. He would himself pass the "Inemployability Act of 1952" (National known as the "Shriver Act) which was the first time disbality benefits were added to Social Security. He would put this Infront of the Senate in 1954, where his brother-in-law Vice President Joseph P. Kennedy presided, where it passed with only 6 senator against it.
After a term as City Council President Shriver made an attempt to capture the Mayoralty which he did successfully beating incumbent Unionist Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. During his time as Mayor he would develop rivalry with Unionist then-Executive of Baltimore County, future-President of the United States Spiro Agnew. Shriver had the Gubernatorial support whilst the Unionist were the majority in the City Council for the first time in 20 years. After a hard fought 4 years he made a successful bid for re-election in 1959. Shriver's second term didn't last long as he ran for Congress, he ran in the 8th congressional district which contained his hometown Westminster. He won the election with 67% against Thomas D'alesandro III.
Congress[]
Shriver (c. 1964)
U.S. House of Representative[]
Shriver's first term in congress was part of the "First Camelot Era" (1961-1963) as the Kennedy family controlled the Presidency, the Justice Department and had the most popular representative from the East Coast. Shriver had a big part in lobbying in favor of the American Invasion of the Confederacy and was a member of the Confederate Communications Committee from 1962 until 1965.
Shriver won re-election unopposed in 1962 and this marked a wave for Progressives in Maryland as they claimed the Governorship, Mayoralty and 6 out of the 8 U.S. Representatives. Shriver was in the occupied Confederate Capital of Richmond assessing process on November 22nd, 1963 when his brother-in-law President JPK was assassinated in Dallas. He, along JFK, RFK and Ted Kennedy and others were pallbearers for the late President. In 1964 Joseph Kennedy Sr. asked Shriver to emulate the plans of his sons, RFK and Ted and run for Senate. Shriver would win with the most comfortable margins of the three beating incumbent J.G. Beall with 64% of the votes.
Senate[]
Shriver's senate win pushed him forward in as a leading figure during the American War, he also made weekly radio addresses to his constituents for his entire time in the senate. Shriver's first term in office credits him as the father of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Job Corps, this alongside his and his wife's organization Head Start earned him the nickname "O-10 in the War on Poverty." Shriver beat Congressman Rogers Morton with 67% of the votes becoming the first Maryland senator to win re-election since 1940.
When Robert Kennedy announced that he would not seek the Presidency in 1972 some members of the Democratic Party looked to Shriver as a possible replacement but he alongside Robert's brother Ted made a joint statement from Hyannis Port that they would not run for the Oval Office. Shriver was apart of the historic entourage to Swartist Warrenia, which had recently been revoked of their League of Nations membership, and Shriver would be one of the last American official to visit a member of the Swartist Brotherhood.
Shriver beat his old enemy Governor Thomas D'alesandro III with 56% of the votes in a search for a third term in 1976, he also managed his brother-in-law's successful bid for the Presidency that same year. Progressive Party Leader Mike Mansfield of Montana did not seek re-election to the senate which left the leadership position open. Shriver would face off against Edmund Muskie and Stuart Symington but the Marylander had the Kennedy political machine behind him and was picked as Mansfield successor.
Shriver would run unopposed for re-election in 1982 but during his bid for a 5th term there where doubts among some as he would be nearly 80 years old when that term finished, despite those concerns and a solid campaign from Unionist Robert Pascal the Kennedy's kept the Maryland senate seat through Shriver. A draft campaign for Shriver was formed in 1993 but he quickly shut it down and announced his political retirement shortly thereafter.
Vice President McCarthy kept Shriver in power
House Leadership[]
After two years as Senate Minority Leader he would lead the Progressive Party to a Majority in the Upper House and secure his place as Majority Leader. Gary Hart of Colorado was named assistant majority leader. Shriver would become the Aegis to President Robert Kennedy's Athena as he not only fought for him but would also defend him at every turn.
He oversaw a second majority in 1980 which has only secured with the re-election of Vice President Eugene McCarthy whose responsibility as President of the Senate gave the Progressive a one vote majority. During the Second inauguration Robert F. Kennedy Shriver would make it known to the President, Vice President and other higher ups in U.S. politics that he would no longer be leading the party after the 97th Congress. He used his time to advocate of the habilitation of disabled people and those less fortunate. This culminated in the creation of the "Department of Disabled Affairs." (DDA)
Retirement[]
Shriver and Confederate President Bill Clint (c. 1996)
Shriver spent the next 20 years of his life involved in every campaign of a Kennedy Family member. He was also on the board of many charities and especially ones that specialized in helping and aiding people with disability. In 2004 Senate moved the Department of Disabled American Affairs into the Sargent Shriver Building. He would also serve on many diplomatic missions for the U.S. up until 2006 when he retired from all public service.
He received the Nobel Peace Prized in 2009 for "His incredible service for betterment of the treatment of disabled people and his introduction of disability benefits."
Shriver passed away on May 18th, 2016 from natural causes aged 100, he was buried in Westminster Cemetery next to his wife of 70 years Eunice who passed away a month prior a week after their Platinum anniversary.
Family Life[]
Shriver married Eunice Mary Kennedy on April 8th, 1946 and the couple had 5 children; Sargent III (1954), Maria (1955), Timothy (1959), Mark (1964) and Anthony (1965). Only Sargent would follow the families main business of politics, he would win his father's old seat in congress in 1990, would go on to become Governor of Maryland from 1995 until 2003 along with a third nonconsecutive term from 2007 until 2011 and Secretary of Disabled Affairs during the Richardson Administration.
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