A 20th Century Leader

Robert Kennedy His flavor is the autobiography of Robert F. Kennedy (popularly referred to as RFK). It was written by Evan Thomas, a former senior editor of Newsweek in Washington.He was the send-off biographer to have access to Kennedys personal papers as attorney general. thought the book contains no shocking revelations, there is a lot of fresh information gathered from Roberts surviving colleagues, files and another(prenominal) sources. In the book, Thomas gives an elucidation of the mans strengths as well as failures, and discloses the complex meshwork of relationships in the Kennedy family.Depicting RFK as a man whose house had a lot of mansions, Thomas refers to him as the halcyon one. Throughout the book, Thomas brings out the many phases of Kennedys personality. He was a very sizable individual who could act like a spoiled child one day, and show sympathy to the minorities the next. Though the book honors a man whose potential was cut short too soon, Thomas book focuse s on a man, a family and an era about whom Americans will never fully understand.Robert was the younger brother of U.S. electric chair John F. Kennedy (JFK). Born on November 20, 1925, he was the seventh born of Rose Fitzgerald and Joseph P. Kennedy. After living in Brookline, Massachusetts for two years, Robert and his family moved severally to mansions located in different parts of New York such as Riversdale and Bronxville.Robert schooled at Riversdale and Bronxville elementary schools till 5th grade, and then moved to Riverdale Country School for sixth grade. In 1938 when 12 years old, Robert took his first trip abroad with his family to England, where his bewilder was serving as an American envoy. After finishing high school in 1943, Robert was drafted into the U.S. Naval Reserve as a trainee seaman.Robert Kennedys involvement in politicsAccording to Brian (1996), when World War II broke out, Robert took a break from studies at Harvard and coupled the U.S. Navy. After the wa r, he went on to complete his studies and graduated with a law degree from University of Virginia. In the 1950s, he served as a counsel to a US Senate committee probing labor unions, leading to his surface feud with the Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa.Roberts political career is more closely associated with his brother, JFK. He oversaw JFKs successful campaigns for the US Senate in 1952 and the presidency in 1960, and then was appointed as Attorney oecumenical in Johns administration.He was at the forefront of enforcing well-bred rights measures in the South and became the presidents closest adviser on all issues, for example foreign polity matters such as the Cuban missile crisis. After his brothers assassination in 1963, Robert continued to serve in the Lyndon Johnson authorities as Attorney General and was unhappy that Johnson overlooked him for vice-presidency in 1964.Robert ran successfully for senator of New York. As senator, he was loved by African Americans and other minor ities such as immigrant groups and Native Americans. He spoke convincingly in favor of the excluded, disaffected and impoverished, hence getting the support of social justice campaigners and leaders of the civil rights struggle.He backed President Johnson on domestic matters, particularly civil rights and the war on poverty, but did check with him over the war in Vietnam. By 1968, he was one of the most vocal advocates against the American policy on Vietnam. On domestic policy however, he became more and more liberal and developed a soft spot for the dispossessed and the minorities.Robert declared his candidacy for the US presidency in early 1968. He was assassinated on June, 5, 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles just after delivering a speech to his supporters upon capturing the atomic number 20 primary. He was pronounced dead the following morning.Attitudes and ApproachAccording to Brian (1996), Robert as a child was frequently the target of his fathers domineering temp erament. However as he got older, he won the admiration of his father and brothers through with(predicate) his competitiveness. During his brothers campaigns, Robert was more tenacious, passionate and involved than the candidate himself, aggressively tackling every detail and fleck every battle.