Stetson, Pipe and Boots - Colorado's Cattleman Governor by R.L. Preston

Author:R.L. Preston [Preston, Rodney]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781412239622
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
Published: 2007-02-22T00:00:00+00:00

Eisenhower flew to Kansas City, MO to meet with Thornton on June 3, 1952 on his way to his hometown Abilene, KS to deliver his first televised political speech. Thornton, described as a big, outgoing man who customarily wore cowboy boots and a ten-gallon hat, greeted the General with a booming “Howya, pardner” and a hearty slap across the back. Eisenhower’s characteristic dignity was obviously breeched. A reporter on the scene noted, “there was a tense moment as the General’s eyes blazed and his back stiffened. Then, with great control, he gradually unfroze into a smile and reached out his hand to say, ‘Howya, Dan.’617

Governor Thornton and

President Eisenhower, 1956.

Denver Public Library, Western History Collection.

Thornton received an interesting letter from Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., great-great grandson of son of Cornelius Vanderbilt, dated June 4, 1952 following Eisenhower’s first political speech on national television from rain-soaked Abilene, KS.618 Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr. was a well-known writer, newspaper publisher and movie producer. He said that Dan was going to have to do some things quickly to rectify some problems that he saw in Eisenhower. He said he spoke too fast without sufficient emphasis on the points he was trying to make and that his speech was too academic. He felt Thomas Dewey wasn’t elected because he was too “high-hat” with John Q. Public. He recommended that Eisenhower needed to either put powder in his dentures or have a pair of dentures made special for speaking or there would always be a hiss in his delivery. He said that Eisenhower had to do more human things and present a common touch like kissing kids and doing autographs, but not cheesecake exhibitions. He said, “FDR had it every time he opened his mouth and damn-it, Truman has it too. Taft is utterly devoid of it and so is MacArthur. Both televise terribly.” He said Thornton was a great enough politician to be elected governor and must know all of the tricks and pitfalls and therefore he needed to get his publicity machine on the ball and watch “your guy.” He also had some advice for Dan. He said that, “We saw you all the time. You looked mighty pretty but it is quite evident you were the claque. This should never be so evident. The TV public should never see the leader of the band. Whoever does that job should be out of range of the cameras.” Cornelius ended his letter by saying, “God bless you in your endeavor and please, Dan, tell Ike to invoke the deity as much as possible in addition to all of these things.” The speech was, taken as a whole, a dismal performance. Eisenhower read, without emotion and indistinctly, from a prepared text in a rainstorm. However, Ike reassured the Republican Old Guard that he was against inflation, excessive taxation, centralized government, dishonesty and corruption.619 Apparently Thornton’s enthusiasm for Eisenhower during Ike’s speech, by shouting and applauding madly in range of the cameras, irked some “Eastern” writers and the Rocky Mountain

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