Photo: JFK at the Strater Hotel – 1960

In June 1960, the Colorado Democratic Party held its state convention in Durango. Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy attended the state meeting, and a substantial majority of the Colorado delegates supported him. This picture was taken as he gave a speech in the Strater Gold Room. Seated to his left is his Colorado presidential campaign chairman, Byron “Whizzer” White. A native of Fort Collins, White played football at the University of Colorado and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting of 1937. While playing pro football for the Detroit Lions, he was accepted to Yale Law School, finishing in 1946 after serving in the Navy in World War II. Upon graduation, he began practicing law in Denver. Once he was elected president, Kennedy had White appointed as deputy U.S. attorney general and then successfully nominated him to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1962. White served on the court until 1993 and was succeeded by Ruth Bader Ginsberg. <br><br>Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org