Illinois Governor, U.S. Presidential Candidate, U.S. Ambassador. He was regarded by many as being one of the most eloquent public speakers in American political history. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 31st Governor of Illinois from 1949 to 1953. Born Adlai Ewing Stevenson II in the North University Park section of Los Angeles, California near the University of Southern California (USC), he was the grandson of Adlai Stevenson I, Vice President of the United States under President Grover Cleveland. He attended Princeton University, Harvard University and Northwestern University, prior to joining a Chicago law firm in 1927. Stevenson went onto hold the prominent Washington, D.C. positions of council to the Agricultural Adjustment Administration from 1933 to 1934 and as a special assistant and personal counsel to the U.S. Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox from 1941 to 1944. In 1945, he served as special assistant to Secretary of State Edward Stettinius Jr. and later became Chief of the United States delegation to the United Nations Preparatory Commission. President Harry S. Truman appointed him as Delegate to the General Assembly and he served at that capacity from 1946 to 1947. In 1948, Stevenson was elected as the 31st Governor of Illinois by the widest margin in the state's history and during his term, he prioritized efforts to battle corruption. His popularity led to the securing of the Democratic Presidential Nomination in 1952 and 1956. Both times, he was defeated overwhelmingly by Dwight D. Eisenhower. America during the 1950s was a conservative nation and it is thought by many that Stevenson's liberal approach did not resonate. Additionally, his divorce a few years earlier may also have perhaps weighted against him. He resumed practicing law in Chicago and following John F. Kennedy's election as President, Stevenson was appointed as United States Ambassador to the United Nations. He may perhaps be best remembered by many for his clash with Soviet representative Valerian Zorin during the "Cuban Missile Crisis" in 1962. Stevenson asked Zorin if his country was placing missiles in Cuba followed by the quote "Don't wait for the translation, answer yes or no!" When Zorin refused to answer, Stevenson followed up with "I'm prepared to wait for my answer until Hell freezes over." In October 1963, a month before President Kennedy's assassination, Stevenson met with hostile protesters in Dallas, Texas during an event to mark United Nations Day in which he was spat upon and verbally abused. One of his last public addresses was a speech in Washington, D.C. elegizing Winston Churchill following his death in January 1965. His son Adlai Stevenson III served as the U.S. Senator of Illinois from 1970 until 1981.