Saturday, June 16, 2007

No. 35 - Birthplace of Adlai E. Stevenson III

Birthplace of Adlai E. Stevenson

Birthplace of Adlai E. Stevenson III
2639 Monmouth Avenue – map
Declared: 8/20/65

Adlai Stevenson was born in this house on February 5, 1900. The following are eleven things to know about Adlai for your Jeopardy appearance:


Birthplace of Adlai E. Stevenson
1. Stevenson's great-grandfather, Jesse Fell, was the principal founder of the Unitarian Church in Bloomington, Illinois in 1859.
2. His granddad, Adlai Stevenson, was Grover Cleveland’s Vice President.
3. served as special counsel to the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (1933–34)
4. was assistant general counsel to the Federal Alcohol Bureau (1934)
5. became an assistant to the U.S. Secretary of the Navy (1941–44)
6. In 1948, he was elected Governor of Illinois by the largest plurality in the state's history.
Birthplace of Adlai E. Stevenson
I took this picture not only for the molding and the hexagonal panes, but also for Adlai's ingenuity in the field of air-conditioning installation.
7. Richard Nixon said he had a “PhD from Dean Acheson's cowardly college of Communist containment.”
8. He ran as the Democratic choice for president twice, in 1952 and 1956, losing to Ike both times.
9. In 1961, President Kennedy appointed him Ambassador to the United Nations.
10. His books include Call to Greatness (1954), What I Think (1956), Friends and Enemies (1958), Putting First Things First (1960), and Looking Outward (1963).
11. He died on July 14, 1965, on the steps of London’s U.S. Embassy.
Birthplace of Adlai E. Stevenson

Not to take anything away from the Queen Anne house, which is nice and all, but you have to consider the designation was more a result of sentiment (the declaration came a month after Stevenson died) than for the building's architectural significance.

Adlai Stevenson's birthsite is now student housing for nearby USC.

Up next: Watts Station

5 comments:

Song Qiang said...

Informative post! i am a USC student living in this building now ( the upstairs room in the middle). I moved in one week ago and have since then been wondering who is Adlai Stevens and what is his historical significance. And then I came across your blog.

You blog is very informative. I believe it will help me become familiar with Los Angeles. Thank you.

Floyd B. Bariscale said...

Hey, thanks for checking in, Ryan. I'm glad you found this. Good luck at USC and welcome to L.A. "Better to lose the election than mislead the people." - AESIII

Anonymous said...

I remember this house growing up in the 70's. My Aunt owned it then and my Great Grandmother next door. Holidays were wonderful and spent between the two houses,I remember playing with my dog in the front yard, getting in trouble for playing in the halls. Quite my Aunt would say, remember there is students studying!

Anonymous said...

Adlai Stevenson II, not III. Jeopardy indeed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adlai_Stevenson_II

Sandaloo said...

According to records, this home was where Ygnacio Sepulveda, Los Angeles pioneer, died on Dec 2, 1916. He was a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge and California State Assembly Member, 1863-1865.