Senator George McGovern
Summary
George McGovern began his political career in January 1957 when he was elected to the House of Representatives from South Dakota’s 1st District. He was the first Director of the Food for Peace program and was appointed by President John F. Kennedy, serving from January 1961 until July 1962. McGovern was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962 and would serve as a Senator for South Dakota for 18 years, gaining a good deal of national attention along the way. He received the Democratic Party’s nomination for President in 1972; however, McGovern would lose to incumbent President Richard Nixon and return to his position in the U.S. Senate.