Bob Dole was born on July 22, 1923 in Russell, Kansas. At the age of six, the Stock Market crashed and like many others his family suffered. The combination of the economic slump and the drought that plagued mid-west created a perfect recipe for an almost unbearable decade. It was what he learned during these trying times that would help him not only survive the near fatal wounds he received from World War II, but go on to prosper as a successful Senator representing his home state of Kansas.
Although he was young, he remembers the dust storms that plagued western Kansas. In his memoir he states, “If you’ve never experienced a dust storm consider yourself lucky.” In his recollection of these dust storms, he discusses the feeling of helplessness he and his family felt during each storm. When an impeding storm was reported, schools would close, forcing parents to go to the school to retrieve their children. Once at home the family had a list of chores that would be divided up amongst the kids. Since the duration of these dust storms were unknown, the chores consisted of tasks that would help the family wait it out. The family would fill the bathtub with water, and moisten towels to lie around all the window sills as well as at the base of the doors.
The dust was a part of everyone’s life. He wrote about getting caught up in a dust storm once while delivering the newspaper. He said, “Blind to the road before me, I’d wet a handkerchief and wrap it around my mouth and nose to survive.” The dust covered everything, from the cars on the streets to food inside the house.
Like others who endured the dust bowl, the Dole family struggled financially. His family was so poor that his family had to move into their basement so they could rent out the house in order to make ends meet. Everyone worked and contributed their earnings to the family. Bob and his brothers and sisters delivered newspapers, mowed lawns, raked leaves, and shoveled snow.
One of the only forms of entertainment of the family could afford was the radio. The family would gather around and listen to President Roosevelt’s fireside chats. The family had a vested interest in the New Deal that the President implementing throughout the nation. Roosevelt’s belief in the strength of the American people to overcome this economic and environmental catastrophe compelled his family to not only vote Democrat, but become registered Democrats themselves. His parents would remain Democrats until he entered politics himself.
The lessons that Mr. Dole learned from the “Dirty Thirties” were very similar to others who have documented their stories. Bob Doles wrote, “I learned the importance of faith in God, but also about truth, honesty, right and wrong, loyalty to friends, doing one’s duty, trusting and believing in good in the face of overcoming odds.” With everything they endured, it is no wonder that his generation is often referred to as, the Greatest Generation.
Dole, Bob, A Memoir: One Soldier’s Story. New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 2005
5 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 12, 2009 at 10:21 pm
AJ Brenn
The perspective of Bob Dole on the Dirty Thirties is very fitting considering he is a native Kansan and he led such a visible political career. It is especially interesting that the Roosevelt fireside chats and the New Deal programs in general effected his family in such a strong way. It is obvious that Bob Dole’s generation has faced countless times of adversity not seen in other generations, with some living through both World Wars, the Great Depression, and Vietnam.
AJ Brenn
November 13, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Jenny Jordan
This is such an interesting post. I really like learning about how people survived in such hard times. I think interesting that Bob Dole listened to fireside chats and that inspired his interest in politics. I can’t imagine what living through a dust storm would be like. Great post!
Jenny Jordan
November 13, 2009 at 4:50 pm
mdunson
This is an interesting post. Hearing personal stories of people who lived through the Dust Bowl really makes the difficulties they faced hit home. I was wondering though, what did you mean when you said what he learned during this time helped him survive his near fatal wounds? Were you just referring to the ingenuity he learned from making do with what little he had or was there a specific example?
Michelle Dunson
November 13, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Madeline
Even though I knew Bob Dole was from Kansas, I had never thought that he may have experienced the dust storms. I am interested to know how living through the dustbowl helped him survive WWII? It is interesting to hear about the details of Bob Dole’s life knowing how he turned out to be a very successful politician. Thanks for sharing!
November 14, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Zach White
Good post. I thought it was really interesting to hear recollections of the Dust Bowl from such an important man in Kansas history. It’s weird to think that the most important Republican Senator from the mid 1980’s to the mid 1990’s and a man who ran for President came from such humble beginning’s. Also, Dole and his siblings had to supplement their family’s income by doing odd jobs like raking leaves and shoveling snow just like many other Kansans had to do during this time. I hope everyone has a chance to go to the Dole Institute of Politics to learn more about Bob Dole. The museum is really well done and is very informative. The museum chronicles Dole’s life from his birth to his current life. The museum has a lot of artifacts such as campaign buttons, letters to family members, and family pictures that provide insight into Dole’s life.