Editor. Hes author of more than a dozen books. By my count, at least, and i might be missing a couple. Those include midwestern, strange and hope is the thing wisconsinites on perseverance in a pandemic. Hes here with his latest book, wisconsin for kennedy, the primary that launched a president and changed the course of history. You can read great reviews of it all over. Let me tell you about our inhouse review. Boswell, lee and tim mccarthy loves this book. I know his hand sold several already and he says hollers, maybe some of you are here because of tim. So thanks, tim hollers is an excellent narrative nonfiction writer. The captures the drama of jfks campaign and the depth of the people involved. The books lay out amazing photography and apt quotations are all highly effective. It is excellent reading and says tim, ive already im already handing customers this book with unrestrained enthusiasm. So watch out for tim and please give bj a warm welcome. To. Im not used to such high praise. I dont know what to do with myself. Hows everyone doing the night . Doing well. Good. I like this lively crowd. Thank you all so much for being here. And thanks, of course, to daniel and chris and tim of Boswell Book Company as well as cspan. This is truly the honor of a lifetime so thank you for being here as well. And finally, all of you again, old friends and new, im seeing people from my deep past who are here tonight. So its just been incredible to celebrate this inaugural reading from this book. This book took four years to write. That is a president ial term for those of you keeping track at home. So its really all the more exciting that i can share it with you tonight. So thank you for coming. So to begin, can i just ask just by a show of hands, who here has a personal or kennedy story . Maybe you met him, maybe a person, a relative of yours, maybe met him. Maybe you campaign, maybe youve had a kennedy pen or a bumper sticker. Is there anyone out there whos had a a kennedy experience or to mentor . Okay. All right. Seven, eight, nine. Thats pretty good. Thats pretty good. Whenever i tell people. And well get to more of those stories later, by the way. But whenever i tell people that im working on a book about kennedy, inevitably someone says, at least in wisconsin, ill ive got a story for you. And theyre usually great stories. And i think thats reflective of how well jfk was at cover or in the ground burning that shoe leather or often the plane he was in. But he did a great job of campaigning and personalizing his campaign, even here in wisconsin, which is pretty exciting. The problem, though, is that when i tell folks that i wrote a book about jfk and i mentioned that there are other people involved, no one has any idea about who some of the other people are. And i really wanted to change that because they deserve a little air time, too. So at the heart of book, this is about them is a team of wisconsinites who banded together to support kennedys 1960 wisconsin primary during a time when wisconsins reception for kennedy was as chilly as the weather in the 1960 primary, kennedy was attempting what no winning president ial candidate had tried before. Rather than rely on the partys convention, he leveraged the power of a series of state primaries to clinch his partys nomination and the beginning of that journey took him directly to wisconsin. The first contested primary race that pitted him against the minnesota senator Hubert Humphrey, who was so beloved in these parts that many wisconsinites called him you probably know this wisconsins third senator. So the stakes were high. Kennedys father, joe kennedy senior, called the wisconsin primary the crisis of, the campaign, and kennedy concurred. He himself said, if i am beaten in wisconsin and im out, so much depended on the badger state. And in one of the few times in his life, jfk appeared to be momentarily at a disadvantage. Here was this silver spooned east coast catholic who hadnt even been to prior to the mid 1950s, facing off against the folksy farmer loving Hubert Humphrey, who dedicated much of political life to this very region. Spoiler alert thanks to the doggedness and creativity of a handful of wisconsin urbanites, kennedy squeaked out a victory, winning 56. 5 of the popular vote in six of ten districts on primary day april 5th, 1960. It wasnt quite enough to knock humphrey out of the running, but it did allow those men to have a face off a final showdown, if you will, in west virginia, where kennedy came one step closer to getting the nomination. I guess the point is this wisconsinites not go easy on kennedy, but by toughening him up in the primary season, we prepared him for the trials ahead. In fact, it was here in wisconsin where kennedy found his footing for the presidency. I suppose that theres no Training Ground for the presidency, kennedy remarked in a 1962 visit here in milwaukee. But i dont think its a bad idea for a president to have stood outside of oscar meyers meat factory in madison, wisconsin, at 530 in the morning with the temperature ten above. Well, wisconsinites made the biggest impact on their home turf. We cant overlook the better known outoftowners as well. A parade of Kennedy Family members who more or less in camped in wisconsin throughout the bone chilling winter and early spring of 1960. And who would stop . Nothing to get jack elected. Folks like ted kennedy, jacks 28 year old brother, who on valentines day, 1960 found himself at the top of a ski jump in middleton, wisconsin. And though he hadnt intended to jump following some ribbing from the announcer and the pressure of 10,000 onlookers who happened also to be 10,000 voters in wisconsin. Second district, he hurled himself down the icy track, soared through the air. And upon landing in the snow, reached for the mic and said, did anybody see Hubert Humphrey at the top of that jump . Then vote for my brother. In Bobby Kennedy. Jacks four year old brother and campaign manager, who in the winter of 1960 disembarked from a snow stuck train and huffed it for several miles in a near blizzard to get to a Campaign Event in my town of eau claire. And who can forget Jackie Kennedy, the iconic future first lady known for her fashion and trendsetting, though, while in wisconsin, then took a when in rome for lots of feet and posed with prized hams, led singalongs at American Legion halls and in one truly unforgettable moment, commandeered a supermarket loudspeaker to explain to shoppers in kenosha why they ought to vote for her husband individually. None of these people would have been able to push kennedy past the finish line to win the pivotal 1960 wisconsin primary. But collectively, they became unstoppable. I like to of them as a kind of a political oceans situation where everyones kind of got their specialty and everyone theirs everybody lent their specialty to the cause. These were people asked not what their country could do for them, but what they could do for their country. And they asked it long before those words ever left kennedys lips. Since the book was released a week ago, ive received some incredible, including emails from former governor pat lewiss niece, who shared how much she enjoyed learning about uncle in a new context. Perhaps even more exciting for me. I received a note from the granddaughter of milwaukee journal reporter ira captain stein, who youll learn more about soon. She never met her grandfather, ira, who died at a tragically young age. Reading the book, she was probably the closest ever get to knowing him, which is the nicest thing anyones said about my writing. And it speaks to one of my Main Objectives of this book to bring to life on the page those people whose names may not have ever heard to honor their work and, to learn from them in a modern context. So in the early stages, writing this book, i came across this very quote. Its from rudyard kipling, and he said, if history were told in form of stories, it would never be forgotten. And that kind of became my north star throughout this entire book. So thats what i set out to do. And in the hopes that we dont forget these folks. So ill now share three brief milwaukee based sections from the book. My apologies for any missed pronunciations. You are the pros and the out of towner. Its going to be very embarrassing. Feel free to shout out a correction as needed. But this first one takes place on 22nd 1957, when senator was dispatched to come to wisconsin to try to tip the needle to help former state assemblyman William Proxmire during his special election to replace Joseph Mccarthys vacated seat following his death. So part of the problem was that proxmire had just gotten divorced and that did not sit very well with the catholic voters in milwaukee, green bay. So, of course, you bring in the catholic senator or congressman to help him out, which they did. Also there that day was a 32 year old proxmire aide named gerry bruno. I love gerry bruno. This guy was an eighth grade dropout. He was a forklift driver out of kenosha. He ended up playing a lot of international trips. And he was president. He planned the dallas trip and some, to some extent, and hes there that day, meeting his future boss for the first time. And under than ideal circumstances. William proxmire had a problem. His first marriage to l. S. Rockefeller had recently ended in divorce, and hed married ellen sowell. Unfortunately, proxmire was divorced weakened. His support in the catholic heavy districts from green bay and milwaukee. It was support he couldnt to lose if he wanted to beat his special election opponent, republic when Walter Koehler jr a special as hed already lost to koehler in cubana trail races twice before. If proxmire wanted to win the special election, he needed kennedy help secure in the catholic vote, even though proxmire himself was lukewarm about the prospect of kennedys visit. The divorce issue going away. But it could be if kennedy spoke on proxmire behalf. But kennedy risked being a liability, too, since hed done nothing to halt mccarthys reign of terror. It was a choice that continued to haunt him. A especially in wisconsin, where kennedys silence had been unforgivable. Nationally, the stakes could not be higher. The winners of two special elections in wisconsin and texas would determine of the u. S. Senate. This is why the catholic congressman from massachusetts had been recruited to give proxmire a lift. Of course, Jack Kennedys first visit to wisconsin was about more than proxmire ever since jacks 1956 nominating speech for stevenson, democrats had begun taking a keen interest in their rising star. Kennedys visit was a chance for the unannounced president ial hopeful to see how well he might be welcomed in key midwestern state information that he and the Democratic National committee were anxious to. Gerry had never met jack kennedy, but shortly after kennedy stepped from plane. Gerry felt an immediate kinship. I think i had the same feeling about john kennedy that id heard about proxmire. The first time id met him. Gerry later said. A sense of disbelief that this wealthy, glamorous man was thinking about running for president actually gave a about what i thought about anything. Kennedy was a hard fellow not to like to keep track of acquaintances, assiduously recorded names and personal details on index cards. He wrote thank you notes. He smiled when summoned to wisconsin to mend a fence. He mended it, or at least tried to. Minutes after landing, kennedy gerry and the rest of the entourage headed the first stop. The morning garcias echo park on milwaukees south side there, kennedy and wisconsin clements of block. He laid a wreath on the memorial honoring the polish lithuanian statesman and war hero while giving a nod to a wisconsins polish catholic population. The ceremony would have made a fine if only the staffer job. It was to snap the photo had remembered to load the film. Suddenly, the easygoing, selfassured man with whom gerry had felt an immediate was replaced by. A visibly irritated jack kennedy. I laid this wreath. Jack said frost, to lead to gerry. Meaning what good was to the trouble of traveling to the park, laying the wreath . If wisconsins community could never see the photo without a picture in the papers, it was as if nothing had even happened. One of the first rules of politics was to spread ones widely, which requires hard loading. The film. It was the kind of misstep which jack kennedy had no patience. He demanded planning and precision. Already the trip had failed on both fronts. Still, he had a schedule to attend to their next stop a nearby Catholic Church where the situation continue to deteriorate. At the church, jack was informed that proxmire, a real loner, gerry, later remarked to never wanted to have anybody involved in his campaigns, had tried to duck out on the appearance. Jack seethed. Hed woken early float 800 miles and laid a wreath in an empty park and steeled himself a nonstop day of campaigning and for what . To be ditched by a chronically losing former state assemblyman who didnt want to be seen with him. Though the was scheduled to conclude later that night with the dinner in green bay, jack had second thoughts. If this was how proxmire was going to behave, then why not scrap green bay altogether . Jerry, whod been working with for a couple of years by then it was best to backchannel. The problem with proxmire, his wife, ellen. Maybe she could talk some sense into him. You know, the senator, is not going to go to green bay, jerry told ellen. Hes really ticked off her products because he doesnt want to stay with him. Ellen was none of it. Get on the plane. Ellen, order, husband. Go to green bay with him and be seen with kennedy. Hes going to help you get the catholic vote. Much to jerrys relief, proxmire begrudgingly agreed. So it was a less than ideal introduction into wisconsin. But beyond that, initial rocking is something really exciting happen that day as well . Kennedy met with the milwaukee journal editorial board. His Main Objective here was to beg the paper not to endorse koehler. And he pulled it off. He did. They did not endorse koehler. It was a Game Changing moment for the campaign. But in addition to that, he did something more for himself. Felicia nash, who was the Democratic Party chair in the state at the time, was in the room with him and he said that it was what kennedy did was one of the most impressive ad performances that ive ever anywhere. And he made a lot of friends himself. So here he was, of course, to help proxmire. But really, he would actually laid the groundwork for his for his own primary campaign a few years later. So lets fast forward to a few years later, april 9th, 1959, again, about two years from our past event, weve got 23 year old milwaukee journal reporter ira captain steen, who was covering a dinner at the schrader hotel. This was his First Time Ever covering kennedy and though kennedy hadnt yet announced his plans to run for president , that was foremost on everyones mind. And ira kept his pencil and notebook at ready just in case. Any major announcements were to be made that night. I recap. And steve, the 23 year Old Washington correspondent for the milwaukee journal wove his way toward the back of the crystal ballroom. The date thursday ninth, 1959. The assignment. The gridiron dinner. Well, ira was one of the younger people in the room. His youth was not to be confused with inexperience. Since 1953, ira had taken on any assignment that crossed his desk. First as a student writer for the State University of iowas daily iowan and later as a reporter for the milwaukee, covering an array of beats, obituaries to sports. Only recently had he landed political beat and it suited him gone where the fluff pieces of the past suddenly iras words took on new importance not only for the thousands of newspaper readers in wisconsin, but also for the politicians. Read the ink. Ira enjoyed his proximity to power, but the feeling wasnt always mutual. Few things could sink a politician faster than a news story. The wrong headline above the fold and a weakened edition could be a career ender out of necessity. A cold peace generally existed between politicians and the reporters who covered them. Politics fans were polite. The press was. And social engagements between the two were few and far between. This was precisely made the Milwaukee Press clubs annual dinner. So much fun. It was that rare. Let down your hair gathering that was absent of hard questions and headlines. Well, mostly absent of headlines. Someone still had to cover the event, of course. And since ira was the newspapers junior reporter, that duty fell to him. I didnt mind. Especially given the dinners keynote speaker. Massachusetts senator jack kennedy. While the visit was officially billed as a speaking tour, kennedy insiders knew it was a fact finding mission. How would the senator received in wisconsin . And more importantly, how might kennedy be received a year later . On april 5th, 1960, the day of the wisconsin primary. That is, if he decided to make a run for the white house by way of wisconsin. Murmurs in the press pool that centered around that very question, as well as whether kennedy might use this three day trip across the state as a springboard for a future president. Run. Oh, how every yearned for some on the record comment on the matter. Even a noncommittal commitment would, which they knew was about all they could expect from john kennedy. For years, kennedys cat and mouse game with the press was part of a true them in theirs was a grand flirtation and a coy. Will he or wont he that kept newspaper readers and writers on the edge of their seats . Kennedy loved rebuffing rumors of his president ial candidacy. The advantage of revealing nothing was that a nonanswer always ensured follow up question. A few more lines press a bit more chatter. Mindful of the uncertainty, he had stoked a straight faced kennedy stood at the rostrum at the front of the ballroom and appeared to address the elephant in the room. I have chosen this forum at this time to make a very important announcement. Kennedy began. Ira ready to pencil . Was this the moment hed been waiting for . Kennedy continued. I will not under any conditions or circum stances, be a candidate. In 1960, cast out of the Milwaukee Press. The crowd erupted and. Ira grinned. If ever a politician