Thomas Kuchel

Thomas Kuchel (left) with President Lyndon B. Johnson (1968)

Thomas Henry Kuchel (born August 15, 1910 in Anaheim , California , †  November 21, 1994 in Beverly Hills , California) was an American Republican Party politician who represented the state of California in the US Senate from 1953 to 1969 .

Early years and political advancement

Thomas Kuchel studied law at the Law School of the University of Southern California and passed his exam in 1932 with a summa cum laude degree. In 1935 he received his doctorate from the same university. jur. and was sworn in in court that same year. He then opened a law firm in Anaheim and ran it until 1946. During his time as a lawyer, he was also a Republican member of the Californian parliament from 1936 to 1939 and then sat on the State Senate from 1940 to 1945 .

US Senator

In 1946 Kuchel was California State Controller , responsible for the budget of the state, and remained so until 1953. On 2 January this year he was selected by Governor Earl Warren appointed US Senator for California, to the vacant seat of Richard Nixon replenish who had been elected US Vice President . In the by-election on November 2, 1954, he was also officially elected Senator by the people and managed to be confirmed in the 1956 and 1962 elections. During his tenure in the Senate, Kuchel supported racial policies; he was instrumental in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , which abolished segregation in the United States. However, Kuchel fell out with former leader of the Republican faction in the Senate, William F. Knowland , over the question of which candidate would run for the next presidential election for the Republicans. While Kuchel preferred the liberal Nelson Rockefeller , Knowland stood up for the conservative Barry Goldwater . This dispute marked the end of Kuchel's political career. In the primaries for the 1968 Senate election, party members determined that he was no longer allowed to run. Instead, California Education Minister Max Rafferty was sent into the race for the Senate seat; However, he could not prevail against the Democratic candidate Alan Cranston , who became Kuchel's successor on January 3, 1969. Since then, this mandate has been firmly in the hands of the Democratic Party.

Private

Kuchel reopened his law firm, first operating it in Washington, DC , and later again in California. After retiring in 1981, he moved his retirement home to Beverly Hills, where he died on November 21, 1994. Thomas Kuchel had been married to Betty Kuchel, nee Mellenthin, since 1942; they had a daughter.

Web links

Commons : Thomas Kuchel  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Thomas Kuchel in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)