1960 United States presidential debates

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1960 United States presidential debates
Flag of the United States.svg
September 26, 1960
October 7, 1960
October 13, 1960
October 21, 1960
1976  
  Richard Nixon official portrait as Vice President (cropped).tiff Jfk2 (3x4).jpg
Nominee Richard Nixon John F. Kennedy
Party Republican Democratic
Home state California Massachusetts

The 1960 United States presidential debates were a series of debates held during the 1960 presidential election.

Contents

Four presidential debates were held between Republican nominee Richard Nixon and Democratic nominee John F. Kennedy. All four presidential debates were the first series of debates conducted for any US presidential election. [1] The next presidential debate did not occur until 1976, after which debates would become a regular feature of all presidential campaigns.

Background

In 1960, the Republican Party nominated the incumbent vice president Richard Nixon as their presidential nominee, with Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., the United States ambassador to the United Nations, as his running mate. [2] John F. Kennedy, a senator from Massachusetts, was nominated by the Democratic Party as their presidential nominee. [3] He chose the Senate Democratic leader Lyndon B. Johnson as his running mate. [3] Most polls after the party conventions showed the NixonLodge ticket having a six point lead over the KennedyJohnson ticket. [4]

Debate schedule

1960 United States presidential election debates
 No.Date and timeHostLocationModeratorParticipants
Key:
 P Participant  
Republican Democratic
Vice President
Richard Nixon
of California
Senator
John F. Kennedy
of Massachusetts

1
 
Monday, September 26, 1960
9:30 –10:30 p.m. EDT [5]
WBBM-TV studios Chicago, Illinois Howard K. Smith of CBS PP

2
 
Friday, October 7, 1960
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. EDT [6]
WRC-TV studios Washington, D.C. Frank McGee of NBC PP

3
 
Thursday, October 13, 1960
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. EDT [7]
ABC studios Los Angeles, California
(Nixon)
New York City, New York
(Kennedy)
Bill Shadel of ABC PP

4
 
Friday, October 21, 1960
10:00 – 11:00 p.m. EDT [8]
ABC studios New York City, New York Quincy Howe of ABC PP

September 26: First presidential debate (WBBM-TV studios, Chicago)

First presidential debate
First 1960 presidential debate.jpg
Date(s)September 26, 1960 (1960-09-26)
Duration60 minutes
Venue WBBM-TV studios
Location Chicago, Illinois
Participants Richard Nixon
John F. Kennedy
Moderator(s) Howard K. Smith of CBS
Transcript September 26, 1960 Debate transcript

The first presidential debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy took place on Monday, September 26, 1960, at the WBBM-TV studios in Chicago, Illinois. The debate was moderated by Howard K. Smith of CBS with Sander Vanocur, Charles Warren, Stuart Novins and Bob Fleming as panelists. Questions were restricted to internal or domestic American matters. The format decided was:

Nixon refused make-up for the first debate, subsequently his facial stubble showed prominently on black-and-white television screens. During the debate, Nixon started sweating under the studio lights. His light gray suit faded into the backdrop of the set and seemed to match his skin tone. Reacting to this, his mother immediately called him and asked whether he was sick. Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley in an interview said:

My God, they’ve embalmed him before he even died. [9]

Nixon blamed his poor performance on hitting his knee on a car door in Greensboro, North Carolina, after which he had to be hospitalized for a staph infection. [10]

October 7: Second presidential debate (WRC-TV studios, Washington D.C.)

Second presidential debate
Kennedy Nixon Debate (1960).jpg
Date(s)October 7, 1960 (1960-10-07)
Duration60 minutes
Venue WRC-TV studios
Location Washington, D.C.
Participants Richard Nixon
John F. Kennedy
Moderator(s) Frank McGee of NBC
Transcript October 7, 1960 Debate transcript

The second presidential debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy took place on Friday, October 7, 1960, at the WRC-TV studios in Washington, D.C.. The debate was moderated by Frank McGee of NBC with Paul Niven, Edward P. Morgan, Alvin Spivak and Harold R. Levy as panelists. Questions were related to internal American matters, foreign relations, economy, etc. The format decided was:

October 13: Third presidential debate (ABC studios, Los Angeles and New York City)

Third presidential debate
Date(s)October 13, 1960 (1960-10-13)
Duration60 minutes
Venue ABC studios in Los Angeles (Nixon)
ABC studios in New York City (Kennedy)
Location Los Angeles, California (Nixon)
New York City, New York (Kennedy)
Participants Richard Nixon
John F. Kennedy
Moderator(s) Bill Shadel of ABC
Transcript October 13, 1960 Debate transcript

The third presidential debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy took place on Thursday, October 13, 1960, were held virtually at the ABC studios in Los Angeles, California (for Nixon) and New York City, New York (for Kennedy). The debate was moderated by Bill Shadel of ABC with Frank McGee, Charles Van Fremd, Douglass Cater and Roscoe Drummond as panelists. To ensure fairness, the journalists (who were in Los Angeles) and Nixon were placed in separate studios. All participants addressed the camera directly, with Kennedy and Nixon both situated without aides in studios that Shadel described as "identical in every detail." A major topic of the debate was whether military force should be used to prevent Quemoy and Matsu, two island archipelagos off the Chinese coast, from falling under Communist control. [11] The format decided was:

This debate was considered a "monumental step for television".

October 21: Fourth presidential debate (ABC studios, New York City)

Fourth presidential debate
Kennedy Nixon debate New York 1960.jpg
Date(s)October 21, 1960 (1960-10-21)
Duration60 minutes
Venue ABC studios
Location New York City, New York
Participants Richard Nixon
John F. Kennedy
Moderator(s) Quincy Howe of ABC
Transcript October 21, 1960 Debate transcript

The fourth and final presidential debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy took place on Friday, October 21, 1960, at the ABC studios in New York City, New York. The debate was moderated by Quincy Howe of ABC with Frank Singiser, John Edwards, Walter Cronkite and John Chancellor as panelists. Questions were related to Foreign affairs. The format decided was:

See also

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References

  1. "A brief history of presidential candidate debates | Constitution Center". National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  2. Pietrusza 2008, pp. 221–228.
  3. 1 2 Donaldson 2007, pp. 76–80.
  4. Donaldson 2007, p. 93.
  5. "1960 debates". Commission on Presidential Debates. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  6. "1960 debates". Commission on Presidential Debates. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  7. "1960 debates". Commission on Presidential Debates. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  8. "1960 debates". Commission on Presidential Debates. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  9. Donaldson 2007, p. 128.
  10. Fernandez, Jennifer (February 21, 2022). "Hail to the Chief: Presidential visits to Guilford County". News and Record .
  11. October 13, 1960 Debate Transcript.

Works cited

Books

Other sources