Of Yale Men: JFK and JFKII, among others
While doing research on Roger Blough for an upcoming post, I came across JFK’s commencement address at Yale in 1962. Here’s a little bit, via the Decembrist:
Let me begin by expressing my appreciation for the very deep honor which you have conferred upon me. As General Degaulle occasionally acknowledges America to be the daughter of Europe, so am I pleased to come to Yale, the daughter of Harvard. It might be said now that I have the best of both worlds, a Harvard education and a Yale degree.
I am particularly glad to become a Yale man because as I think about my troubles, I find that a lot of them come from other Yale men. Among businessmen I have had a minor disagreement with Roger Blough of the law school class of 1931, and I have had some complaints from my friend Henry Ford of the class of 1940. In journalism I seem to have a difference with John Hay Whitney, of the class of 1926–and sometimes I also displease Henry Luce of the class of 1920, not to mention also William F. Buckley Jr. of the class of 1950. I even have some trouble with my Yale advisors. I get along with them, but I am not always sure how they get along with each other.
I have the warmest feelings for Chester Bowles of the class of 1924, and for Dean Acheson of the class of 1915, and my assistant, McGeorge Bundy, of the class of 1940. But I am not 100% sure that these three wise and experienced Yale men wholly agree with each other on every issue.
So this administration which aims for peaceful cooperation among all Americans has been the victim of a certain natural pugnacity developed in this city among Yale men. Now that I too am a Yale man, it is time for peace. Last week at West Point, in the historic tradition of that Academy, I availed myself of the powers of the Commander-in-Chief to remit all sentences of offending cadets. In that same spirit, and in the historic tradition of Yale, let me now offer to smoke the clay pipe of friendship with all my brother Elis, and I hope that they may be friends not only with me but even with each other.
In any event, I am very glad to be here and as a new member of the club, I have been checking to see what earlier links existed between the institution of the Presidency and Yale. I found that a member of the class of 1878, William Howard Taft, served one term in the White House as preparation for becoming a member of this faculty. And a graduate of 1804, John C. Calhoun, regarded the Vice Presidency, quite naturally, as too lowly a status for a Yale alumnus–and became the only man in history ever to resign that office.
Is that Ted Sorensen? What a great speechwriter, what great delivery.
It is interesting that in 1962, there had been exactly one president who was a Yale graduate: Taft. Since then, from the college the two Bushes, and from the law school, Ford and Clinton. And of course Lieberman and Kerry. So far none of Inky’s boys have made it. Clark’s first class as admissions director under Kingman Brewster was the class of 1970. It is hard to remember that it was only after 1966 that admissions became needs-blind, and that the ABC system and some rather unpleasant quotas disappeared under Clark.
What to say about Kennedy’s speech? Could such a speech be given today, even apart from Kennedy’s endorsement of smoking? We know that George Bush wouldn’t even try to sound like this, but would Kerry as JFKII? What would a Bob Shrum version of Kennedy’s address sound like? First prize of a 1979 Connoisseur pipe to the best entry.
