Everett McKinley Dirksen

With his deep, robust voice and heartwarming demeanor, Everett McKinley Dirksen was one of the most beloved politicians in the history of the United States. During a career as a senator that spanned 35 years and six presidents, he used his talents not only to help secure the passage of the nuclear test ban treaty and the civil rights act, but to charm and inform the nation. He is remembered for his off-the-cuff statement, "a billion here, a billion there, pretty soon, you're talking real money." Affectionately known as "the silver throated Socrates" and "the good old king of ...