Voting Station

John Pastore

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U.S. Senator

The Resume

    (March 17, 1907-July 15, 2000)
    Born in Providence, Rhode Island
    Middle name was Orlando
    Governor of Rhode Island (October 6, 1945–December 19, 1950)
    Senator from Rhode Island (December 19, 1950–December 28, 1976)
    Democrat

Why he might be annoying:

    He succeeded J. Howard McGrath as both Governor and Senator.
    He was the shortest of his colleagues in the Senate (only 5 foot 4 in height).
    He had a reputation for being a curmudgeon-y sourpuss.
    He was a liberal Democrat who made his bones attacking television and Public Broadcasting.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was the son of an immigrant tailor who died when he was nine.
    He was the first Italian-American elected to the Senate and to be elected governor of a state.
    He got national attention delivering the keynote address at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, attacking Barry Goldwater and lauding Lyndon B. Johnson.
    The press called his address 'The Speech Heard Around the World.'
    When President Nixon proposed budget cuts to Public Broadcasting to fund the Vietnam War, he chaired a hearing of his Subcommittee on Communications about the cuts (May 1, 1969).
    Fred Rogers, of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood fame, appeared before the committee to argue against the cuts, and Pastore was initially curt and dismissive towards him.
    During the testimony, Rogers talked about his approach to teaching children and recited the words to his show's song 'What Do You Do with the Mad that You Feel?' for the Senator.
    A visibly moved Pastore responded: 'It's wonderful... I think it's wonderful. Looks like you just earned the $20 million' (the room erupted in applause).
    The concession essentially saved PBS and a clip of the encounter would later go viral after being featured in the 2018 documentary 'Won't You Be My Neighbor?'
    Ted Kennedy gave his eulogy, saying: 'My brother Jack had thought the world of him ... John had a great heart.'

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying