Estes Kefauver

United States senator

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July 23, 2026

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Carey Estes Kefauver (1903–1963) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee. He was a prominent figure in the Democratic Party and was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 1956 presidential election, running alongside Adlai E. Stevenson.12

Kefauver was known for his investigations into organized crime and his role in the 1956 Democratic presidential primaries, where he challenged Stevenson for the nomination. Although Stevenson ultimately won the nomination, Kefauver secured the vice-presidential spot. The Democratic ticket lost to the Republican incumbents, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, in the 1956 election.2

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United States presidential election of 1956
Democratic nomination
Estes Kefauver of Tennessee were engaged in a struggle in the state primaries. Victory by the latter in Minnesota made it look bad for the 1952 standard bearer. Both candidates aggressively wooed party leaders and voters and both offered alternative solutions to national problems, but…
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Estes Kefauver of Tennessee were engaged in a struggle in the state primaries. Victory by the latter in Minnesota made it look bad for the 1952 standard bearer. Both candidates aggressively wooed party leaders and voters and both offered alternative solutions to national problems, but…
Read More