Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008
Robert F. Kennedy
In addition to serving as top adviser to his brother John, Robert Kennedy was a tenacious attorney general, doggedly pursuing organized-crime figures like Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa and prioritizing the protection of civil rights leaders. On his retirement from the Department of Justice two months before he was elected to a New York Senate seat in 1964, the New York Times saluted Kennedy for "[doing] much to elevate the standard" for the post.