A Campaign to Unite the Nation:

Robert F. Kennedy dedicated much of his career to public service, fighting for civil rights during his tenure as U.S. Attorney General and against poverty while a U.S. Senator. His presidential campaign brought hope to those who supported him, believing that he could heal a nation plagued by racial divides, poverty, and the long and costly Vietnam War. Born in 1925 in Massachusetts to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy served in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1944-1946. Receiving a law degree from the University of Virginia, Kennedy passed the Massachusetts bar in 1951. He served as a special correspondent for the Boston Post in the late 1940s and with the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division in 1951. A year later, he left to play a key role in his brother, John F. Kennedy's successful campaign for U.S. Senate. In 1954, Robert F. Kennedy became the Chief Counsel for the Democratic Minority for the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations and three years later served as Chief Counsel for the Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities, focusing on labor issues. In 1960, he led John F. Kennedy's successful presidential campaign.

Though some Democrats did not provide immediate support to Robert F. Kennedy's campaign, citing party loyalty to the incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert F. Kennedy quickly gained widespread support across the U.S. He won the primaries in Indiana, the District of Columbia, and Nebraska. His wide network of supporters grew with each speech and political rally. It soon became clear that the race in California would dictate the future of Robert Kennedy's campaign. A victory in California would demonstrate to the Democratic Party that Kennedy was a strong candidate for the November election, but a loss in California could end his campaign. California was a tough three-way race between democratic candidates Hubert Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy, and Kennedy. It was a "winner takes all" primary with all 174 California delegates pledged in support of the winning candidate.

Kennedy's California headquarters were established just northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Staffed by a large number of volunteers and campaign workers, the Robert F. Kennedy for President campaign canvassed voters and conducted the Get Out and Vote Program throughout the state. They offered assistance to voters and furnished slate cards listing all of the Democratic candidates. While campaigning, Kennedy visited areas throughout the state, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Fresno. He also dedicated time to visit California college campuses, like the University of San Francisco and San Fernando Valley College.

On June 4, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy won the California Primary. He collected 46% of the vote, winning over large numbers of African-Americans, Latinos, and working-class white voters, particularly in the Los Angeles area. Throughout the day, his campaign provided assistance for voters to get to the polls.  Later that evening, he gave a victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. After his speech, Kennedy was led by the hotel maitre d'  through the kitchen pantry, which was full of people, including Kennedy friends, campaign staff, hotel staff, reporters, and photographers. 

Sirhan Sirhan was soon taken into custody by the Los Angeles Police Department. Sirhan, an immigrant from Palestine, was twelve years old when his family came to the U.S. in 1957.  In 1968, he lived in Pasadena with his mother and two brothers. At the time of his arrest, he was not steadily employed, and had no arrest record. Several witnesses later positively identified him as being at Kennedy rallies prior to June 4th. Pictured here is a page from one of Sirhan's notebooks that the Los Angeles Police Department found at Sirhan's home, which expresses his desire for Kennedy's assassination and notes how his "determination to eliminate R.F.K. is becoming more of an unshakable obsession." Also pictured is Sirhan's LAPD mug shot, dated June 5, 1968, after he was taken into custody. Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced to death in 1969, but in 1972 his sentence was commuted to life when California's death penalty was overturned. He remains incarcerated in a California state prison. 

Robert F. Kennedy's 82-day campaign provided inspiration to his supporters, their hope in his campaign to heal an America divided by war and civil conflict. Upon his death, the nation mourned with thousands lining the funeral route of the train that carried his body from New York to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. In 1968, Kennedy's family and friends created the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights which today offers programs that draw on the experiences of Kennedy's life from his global travels, time served on the National Security Council during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the negotiations on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and work to end racial segregation and provide aid to impoverished communities.