Thomas Kuchel

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Thomas Henry Kuchel
United States Senator from California
In office January 2, 1953 – January 3, 1969
Preceded by	Richard M. Nixon
Succeeded by	Alan Cranston
Born	August 15, 1910(1910-08-15) Anaheim, Orange County, California, USA
Died	November 21, 1994 (aged 84) Beverly Hills, California
Political party	Republican
Profession	Attorney

Thomas Henry Kuchel (August 15, 1910 – November 21, 1994) was a liberal Republican Party United States Senator from California.

[edit] Early life

Kuchel (pronounced key-kull) was born in Anaheim in Orange County. While he was at Anaheim High School, he joined the debate team. He debated a team from Whittier High School, won his own debate against his opponent and later intraparty rival, Richard M. Nixon. He was educated as a lawyer at the University of Southern California Law School before he entered state government. He served in the California State Assembly from 1937 to 1941, in the California State Senate from 1941 to 1945, and as California State Controller from 1946 to 1953. During World War II, Kuchel was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves.

[edit] Politics

In 1953, Kuchel was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Governor Earl Warren to fill the vacancy created after Republican Senator Richard M. Nixon was elected Vice President. He served the remainder of Nixon's term and was elected to two subsequent terms ending in 1969. In 1962, Kuchel was reelected to the Senate but pointedly refused to endorse ticket-mate Nixon's candidacy for governor in a heated race against the incumbent Democrat Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, Sr.. Kuchel had first attempted to steer clear of the factional infighting within the California GOP which took place in the 1950s between Vice President Nixon, U.S. Senate Republican Leader William F. Knowland, a conservative, and Governor Goodwin J. Knight, a liberal. Known as a moderate, Kuchel eventually backed Knowland in his campaign to oust Knight in the Republican primary for governor in 1958. Knight then ran for the United States Senate.

Kuchel, however, broke with Knowland in 1964, however, when Knowland asked him to endorse Barry Goldwater for the Republican nomination for president, and Kuchel instead endorsed Nelson Rockefeller, who narrowly lost the California presidential primary to Goldwater. Knowland's influence in revenge for this may have led to a premature end for Kuchel's political career. He was defeated in a primary in 1968 by conservative Republican Max Rafferty, who went on to lose the general election to Alan Cranston, the outgoing controller, a position once held by Kuchel himself. Kuchel returned to practising law in California until his retirement in 1981.

[edit] References

• Thomas Kuchel at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• "Honoring a True Public Servant: Senator Thomas Kuchel," Congressional Record, October 11, 2002.

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