First edition | |
| Author | Theodore H. White |
|---|---|
| Subject | United States presidential election, 1960 John F. Kennedy |
| Genre | Biography |
| Publisher | Atheneum Publishers |
Publication date | 1961 |
| Pages | 400 |
The Making of the President, 1960, written by journalist Theodore White and published by Atheneum Publishers in 1961, [1] is a book that recounts and analyzes the 1960 election in which John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States. The book won the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction [2] and was the first in a series of books by White about American presidential elections. (The others are The Making of the President, 1964 (1965), The Making of the President, 1968 (1969), and The Making of the President, 1972 (1973).)
Theodore Harold White was an American political journalist and historian, known for his reporting from China during World War II and accounts of the 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980 presidential elections.
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy, commonly referred to by his initials JFK, was an American politician and journalist who served as the 35th president of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. He served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his presidency dealt with managing relations with the Soviet Union. A member of the Democratic Party, Kennedy represented Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate prior to becoming president.
The book traces the 1960 campaign from the primaries (in which John F. Kennedy faced Hubert Humphrey and Senator Stuart Symington) to the conclusion of the general election contest against Richard Nixon. Much of the narrative is written in an almost novelistic style, describing politicians' looks, voices and personalities. But it also contains thought-provoking discussions of various trends in American life and politics.
Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. was an American politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 1949 to 1964 and 1971 to 1978. He was the Democratic Party's nominee in the 1968 presidential election, losing to Republican nominee Richard Nixon.
William Stuart Symington, Jr. was an American businessman and politician from Missouri. He served as the first Secretary of the Air Force from 1947 to 1950 and was a Democratic United States Senator from Missouri from 1953 to 1976.
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th president of the United States from 1969 to 1974. He had previously served as the 36th vice president of the United States from 1953 to 1961, and prior to that as both a U.S. representative and senator from California.
The Making of the President, 1960 was a huge success, staying on the best-seller list for more than 40 weeks. Critics and journalists hailed it as a new way of looking at its subject. It had a huge impact on political reporting and even on American politics itself. As White noted, it was an up-close look at a leader under the pressure of circumstances. [3] Its literary-journalistic book brought a dramatic point of view on the world of politics and its strategies, victories and defeats. One chapter was devoted to detailing the reasons behind Americans' ways of voting and ways of life. [4]
White's book, and its successor volumes, inspired a trend toward campaign books and toward a more personality-driven approach to political reporting. White in later years would bemoan the changes he had helped create. [5]
David L. Wolper produced a film version of The Making of the President, 1960 which was finished shortly before President Kennedy's November 1963 assassination. It was released without revision.
David Lloyd Wolper was an American television and film producer, responsible for shows such as Roots, The Thorn Birds, North & South, L.A. Confidential, and the blockbuster Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). He also produced numerous documentaries and documentary series including Biography (1961–63), The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (TV), Appointment with Destiny, This is Elvis, Four Days in November, Imagine: John Lennon, Visions of Eight (1973), and others. Wolper directed the 1959 documentary The Race for Space, which was nominated for an Academy Award. His 1971 film about the study of insects, The Hellstrom Chronicle, won an Academy Award.
