Gov. McNichols, left, and Atty. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy have a moment of cheer after Kennedy's arrival in Denver. September 27, 1961. Photo by Mike O'Meara. From the Rocky Mountain News Photograph Collection, Box 148
From The Rocky Mountain News Photo Collection: Robert F. Kennedy In Colorado
June 6, 2018, marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Senator Robert Francis Kennedy. Kennedy was shot shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, at Los Angeles' Ambassador Hotel. Moments earlier, he had stood at a podium after winning the California presidential primary.
Front page of the Rocky Mountain News, June 6, 1968
Robert Kennedy's death shocked and saddened many Americans, and it caused some to question the direction of the country during a particularly tumultuous year, which included the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the escalation of the Vietnam War. Wrote Pete Chronis in a June 7, 1963, Rocky Mountain News op-ed piece:
Wednesday, after hearing of the assassination attempt...there came a familiar dread and disbelief that I had felt during the four days in November 1963....unlike in 1963, I found myself wondering if I really were living in the United States or in some anarchic republic.
With heavy hearts, workers in Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's Denver campaign headquarters packs supplies and materials Thursday as they close the offices. June 6, 1968. Photo by Dick Davis. From the Rocky Mountain News Photograph Collection, Box 148
Kennedy's last visit to the Rocky Mountain region was in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on April 26, 1968, while on a presidential campaign tour, where he said "My goal is not to govern America but to liberate America...."
A month before, Kennedy had stopped in Denver to speak at the Auditorium Arena. More than 35,000 people lined the Denver streets to see him.
Senator Robert F. Kennedy speaks in Denver. March 28, 1968. Photo by Bill Perry. From the Rocky Mountain News Photograph Collection, Box 148
Rocky Mountain News writer Don Lyle perhaps best summed up Robert Kennedy's relationship to Colorado in a June 8, 1968, article:
Robert F. Kennedy didn't spend much time in Colorado and Wyoming—usually a short week around Christmas enjoying the skiing at Aspen or a short speaking tour through the larger cities. His visits here were memorable ones for all who met him and came under the spell of his enthusiasm, whether it was on the ski slopes, seated in an audience or experiencing the firm, quick handshake.
Images of Robert F. Kennedy's time in Colorado appear below. All images come from the Rocky Mountain News Photo Collection at the Denver Public Library's Western History and Genealogy Department.
CU Students Hear Attorney General Defend Administration, June 27, 1962. Photo by Mike O'Meara. From the Rocky Mountain News Photograph Collection, Box 148
Robert F. Kennedy with family at Denver's Stapleton Airfield. December 27, 1962. Photo by Bob Talkin. From the Rocky Mountain News Photograph Collection, Box 148
Robert F. Kennedy Skiing in Aspen. December 30, 1962. From the Rocky Mountain News Photograph Collection, Box 148
Willy Schaeffler, Denver University ski coach, chats with Attorney Gen. Robert Kennedy prior to the latter's departure from Aspen. January 6, 1964. Photo by Bill Perry. From the Rocky Mountain News Photograph Collection, Box 148
A crowd of enthusiastic youngsters and adults above, presses in on Sen.-elect Robert Kennedy (D-NY) to shake hands. December 26, 1964. Photo by Dick Davis. From the Rocky Mountain News Photograph Collection, Box 148
Robert F. Kennedy, former U.S. attorney general who will be sworn in Monday as Democratic senator from New York, greets Coloradans at the Stapleton International Airport. January 4, 1965. From the Rocky Mountain News Photograph Collection, Box 148
Wish to see more? Visit the Denver Public Library's Western History and Genealogy Department and like us on Facebook.
Comments
i distinctly remember Robert Kennedy paying a private visit to Beulah Colorado, SW of Pueblo. there was congressman, Frank Evans, who I think had a fairly modest summer house there , on South Pine Drive, I believe. Everyone in Beulah knew he was there visiting, but i don't think any of us saw him or bothered him. maybe 1966 or 67
Very cool, Stephani! Thanks for sharing that bit of history!
I never heard that, thank you and it makes sense, we have "mystry photos" of where they werevtaken but i always felt they were in Beulah.
My parents never bragged, not even to their kids... Peter, Francis, Susan, or Charles (Chaz)
I remember seeing RFK during a campaign stop in Colorado Springs during March, 1968. He rode in an open convertible down Platte Ave and I watched from the General Palmer statue at the intersection of Nevada Ave. I had watched his brother from the same spot 5 years earlier. I remember being struck by his image and shock of reddish hair.
I was at the airport in Cheyenne when they touched down. We scrambled to the Frontier Park to hear him speak to the crowd, before boarding the plane to other campaign stops.
As a 15-year old 9th grader in March 1968, I skipped school from Morey Jr. Hi. And walked down to Denver to see Bobby Kennedy. Amidst the pressing throngs of people there to see him, I was lucky enough to be within arm’s reach to shake his hand, as he made his way to the podium. Definitely a highlight at that time in my life.
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