Monday, September 28, 2020

John F. Kennedy Visits Lorain & Elyria – Sept. 1960 – Part 1

Sixty years ago yesterday, Senator John F. Kennedy brought his presidential campaign to Lorain with a speech at George Daniel Field before thousands of enthusiastic supporters.

Above is the front page of the September 27, 1960 Lorain Journal.
Regarding Kennedy’s campaign route, the article noted, “His swing through industrial northern Ohio started in Painesville this morning and was to end in Canton tonight.
“On the way to Lorain, the Kennedy motorcade passed through Avon Lake and Sheffield Lake, swung into Lorain on Routes 6 and 2 and went on to George Daniel Field where the Democratic presidential candidate delivered one of the day’s major speeches.
“Kennedy had lunch in a private dining room at the Lorain Moose Hall before going on to Elyria, Mansfield, Akron and Canton.”
Here’s page two of that same edition of the Journal. One article recounts an appearance in Lorain the previous week by New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller (kinda sounds like a Flintstones character). 
Here is a link to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum website, where you can read and download a copy of his speech in Lorain that day.
Next: More coverage of the Kennedy visit

4 comments:

Mike M said...

Dan, LOL on the Flintstones Rockefeller reference.

Anonymous said...

Super cool.JFK in Lorain.Camelot had arrived.Before he was assassinated and the world wound up where we are today...Dan,I wonder if any of your readers have any photos of JFK from that visit?Maybe they can scan them and send them to you.....Hooray for JFK!

Anonymous said...

I remember wali g down the front steps of Elyria High and there in front of me was a motorcade with JFK sitting on the back of a Lincoln convertible.

Anonymous said...

That is very cool.Too bad you didn't have a Kodak Instamatic handy to capture it.JFK had his faults but he was the best president that we've had in the last 80 years.