About Us
Dirksen Center in Brief
Congress in the Classroom®
The Dirksen Center - Promoting a Better Understanding of Congress and Its Leaders
The Dirksen Congressional Center is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization in Pekin, Illinois, that seeks to improve civic engagement by promoting a better understanding of Congress and its leaders through archival, research, and educational programs.
The Center maintains its quality and independence through the gift support of individuals, corporations, and foundations who believe in its educational mission.
The Center is named for Everett McKinley Dirksen (1896-1969). Dirksen served in the U.S. House from 1933-1948, the U.S. Senate from 1951-69, and as Minority Leader of the Senate from 1959 until 1969.
Everett McKinley Dirksen (January 4, 1896 – September 7, 1969) was an
American politician of the Republican Party. He represented Illinois in the U.S.
House of Representatives (1933–1949) and U.S. Senate (1951–1969). As
Senate Minority Leader for over a decade, he played a highly visible and key
role in the politics of the 1960s, including helping to write and pass the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 and the Open Housing Act of 1968, both landmarks of
civil rights legislation. He was also one of the Senate's strongest supporters
of the Vietnam War.
