Richard M. Nixon was the Republican Candidate during the 1960 election. He previously served as a representative and Senator in California and was Vice president to Dwight D. Eisenhower. Around the time of the first debate he caught the flu and had knee surgey. He was released from the hosptial shortly before the first debate.
Thesis & Historical Context
Thesis
On September 26, 1960, the first televised presidential debate was held in Chicago, IL between Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon, spurred by the fact that more and more Americans were turning to television news sources like CBS and NBC. A common misconception about the 1960 debate is that Nixon's appearance during the debate greatly affected the outcome of the election. This however, is untrue. While the televised debate didn't change the outcome of the election all that much, it did forever change the way that politicians campaigned. Televising the 1960 debates changed the way political parties and their candidates interacted with voters, a legacy we continue to see in political campaigns today.
Richard M. Nixon
Republican Presidental Candidate
(Britannica Encyclopedia)
John F. Kennedy
Democratic Presidental Candidate
(Britannica Encyclopedia)
John F. Kennedy was the Democratic Candidate for the 1960 election. He represented Boston in the house of representatives and served as the Junior Senator to Massachusetts.