JFK in Sioux City: Iowa Time Machine September 21, 1960

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On September 21, 1960, Presidential Candidate John F. Kennedy spoke at the Municipal Auditorium in Sioux City. The address focused heavily on why an Iowa farmer might vote for an East Coast candidate, and the future President even rode a mule at the Sioux City stockyards during his visit.

As the presidential campaign ramped up in the early 1960s, Kennedy returned to Iowa for the first time since a 1958 appearance at the National Corn Picking Contest. Stops in Cedar Rapids and Marion during late June and an August visit to Polk County preceded the September stop in Sioux City. After Sioux City, JFK also appeared in Fort Dodge and Webster City.

The speech covered a variety of campaign issues, but Kennedy’s focus on the Cold War and global well-being shone through. He moved toward his closing by imploring the crowd: “We are not finished. We are making our way through this country. We have more to offer than any society ever developed.”

The following day started with Kennedy’s mule ride at the Sioux City Stockyards and saw him chatting with concerned farmers in Fort Dodge from the back of a convertible before the National Plowing Championships pulled him out of the state to Sioux Falls. The following month, Kennedy returned for his final pre-election campaign trip through the Hawkeye State, visiting the Davenport area. #Iowa #OTD #History #Politics #Presidents