Shriver

Blue-toned photograph portrait of Sargent Shriver with white text along the bottom right rim

Robert Sargent Shriver was known for his work in American politics, diplomacy, and activism. Shriver was related to the Kennedy family through his marriage to Eunice Kennedy, sister to former president John F. Kennedy. During the 1950s, Shriver was the director of the Catholic Interracial Council, an organization that worked to desegregate schools. In the 1960s, Shriver worked for the Kennedy presidential administration and sought out candidates for top administrative and ambassadorial positions. From 1961 to 1966, Shriver was the director of the Peace Corps. He was also the first director of the Office of Economic Opportunity after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the act in 1964. Shriver became the United States ambassador to France in 1968. During the 1972 United States presidential election, Shriver replaced Thomas Eagleton as George McGovern’s vice presidential running mate after it was revealed that Eagleton received electroshock therapy for depression. McGovern and Shriver lost the election to Republican incumbents President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew. Shriver failed to obtain the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976 and returned to private life as a partner at a D.C. law firm specializing in international law and foreign affairs. Shriver passed away in 2011 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.