 Senator Dirksen was born in Pekin, Illinois, on January 4, 1896. He graduated from Pekin High School in 1913. He was enrolled at the University of Minnesota. Everett was enlisted in the U.S. army. He was commissioned overseas as second lieutenant 328th field artillery. In 1919 he returned to Pekin. He participated in Pekin’s sentimental play “A thousand Years Ago”, where he met his wife Louella Carver. Everett Dirksen was elected Commissioner of Finance, city of Pekin in 1926. A year after he was elected commissioner he married Louella Carver. The following year his wife became pregnant and gave birth to his daughter Danice Joy. In 1930 he was defeated in his first campaign for U.S. House of Representatives. In 1932 He was then elected into the U.S. house. In 1933 he entered the U.S. house for the first of eight consecutive terms. He was endorsed by more than 40 members of the national Republican ticket. Everett Dirksen toured 21 nations including war torn Europe. In 1948 he declined to run for reelection because of an eye ailment. In 1950 he defeated senate leader Majority Scott Lucas, who was a democrat from Havana in Dirksen’s first campaign for the U.S. Senate. In 1951 his daughter married Howard H. Baker, Jr. future senator for Tennesse. Two years later his grandson, Darek Baker, was born. One year after that his granddaughter Cynthia “Crissy” Baker was born. Three years later he was chosen Senate Minority Whip. In 1957 he was elected minority leader of the U.S. Senate, a post he held until his death. Everett Dirksen began introducing legislation to make the marigold the national floral emblem in 1960. He began his weekly Republican Leadership Press conferences in 1962 which were first known as the “Ev and Charlie Show” and then the Eve and Charlie show”. Which referred to Charles Hallaeck and Gerald Ford respectively the house Minority Leaders. In 1963 he helped secure the passage of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. He also helped secure the passage of the Civil Rights act of 1964. He saved the Taft Hartley “Right to Work” bill. In 1967 he Introduced an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to permit prayer in public schools. He won the Grammy Award for Best Documentary Recording “Gallant Men”. He became Chairman of the Republican National Convention Platform Committee. In 1969 he died in Washington DC, September 7, following lung surgery. He was buried in Pekin, Illinois. The wife of Everett Mckinley Dirksen died in 1979 she was also buried in Pekin, Illinois. Senator Dirksen helped do many goods things in this community. He has made life easier for everyone in the city of Pekin. The Dirksen center is named after him. Source: The Dirksen Site
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