Kansas 1972: Decision 1972
June 28, 2022
Explore the election year 1972 in Kansas. Republican President Nixon won re-election by a landslide, including carrying every single county in Kansas. Hear about the connection between the Catholic Volga German community, a noted Democratic political strategist from Ellis County, and the 1972 governor's race. 1972 also saw the re-election of the controversial, and popular, Kansas attorney general Vern Miller. What does the "folklore" surrounding Miller make us miss about his larger legacy?
Go Deeper
Archival Audio Sources
- CBS Evening News - November 7, 1972
- Nixon Now campaign commercial, 1972
- Robert Docking for KS Governor TV Ad, 1972
- KANU, The Kansas Immigrants series, Episodes 9, Funded by a grant from the Kansas Committee for the Humanities, 1981-1982 (courtesy of The Kansas Public Media Preservation Project)
- KMUW 837, JFK Campaign Speech, 10-22-1960 (courtesy of The Kansas Public Media Preservation Project)
- Docking: An Odyssey, 1974 documentary
- Morris Kay for KS Governor TV Ad, 1972
- Vern Miller for KS Attorney General TV Ad, 1972
- Vern Miller, Interviewed by XXX
- NBC News - Feb. 26, 1971
- CBS News - Feb. 26, 1971
- NBC News - July 19, 1972
- Robert Hoffman for KS Attorney General TV Ad, 1972
- NBC News - Feb. 20, 1973
- The First Civil Right, Nixon campaign TV ad, 1968
Primary Sources
- The Parsons Sun, “Dreiling: Angry Cat to GOP,” by Lew Ferguson. Associated Press, Topeka, Kansas, October 17th, 1972.
- Garden City Telegram, “Miller’s Leap into Lawrence Ignites Controversy,” Associated Press, Topeka Kansas, March 3rd, 1971.
- The Wichita Eagle, “Kansas Law Enforcer,” Letter to the Editor, March 5th, 1973.
- Rep. Jerry Moran, “Honoring Norbert Dreiling of Hays, Kansas” Congressional Record Vol. 150, No. 100 (House of Representatives - July 19, 2004).
Secondary Sources
- Randy Gonzales, “The Kennedy Effect: John F. Kennedy's 1959 Trip to Kansas and Its Relationship to His National Campaign,” MA Thesis, Fort Hays State University, 2019.
- “Kansas Drinkers Can Thank This Tough Guy,” A People’s History of Kansas City, KCUR podcast, March 5, 2020.
Interviews
- Randy Gonzales - newspaper reporter; historian, Fort Hays State University
- Jeremy Gill - historian who is the Kansas Room Coordinator at the Hays Public Library
- Jonathan Hagel - Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of History, University of Kansas
- John Frieden - Attorney
Music by Clelia Walking
Gallery
View1972 Kansas Gubernatorial Election Results. Source: Wikipedia
ViewKansans Together - State Democratic delegates gathered in Convention Hall for action Tuesday night. From left: Theda Brown, Hutchinson; Denise Edison, Parsons; Karen Smith, Emporia; and Kathy Dreiling and her father Norbert Dreiling, Hays. Source: 1972-07-12, Wichita Eagle.
ViewAnti Vern Miller protest at the University of Kansas, 1971. Source: KU University Archives.
ViewDocking campaign mailer, 1972. Source: KansasMemory.org, Kansas Historical Society.
ViewJohn F. Kennedy and Norbert Dreiling at Hays fundraiser on November 20, 1959. Source: Ellis County Historical Society.
ViewProgram for Democrat congressional dinner with John F. Kennedy. November 20, 1959 in Hays. Source: Ellis County Historical Society.
ViewJohn F. Kennedy, Norbert Dreiling, and guests at the fundraising dinner in Hays on November 20, 1959. Source: Ellis County Historical Society.
ViewMorris Kay campaign mailer, 1972. Source: KansasMemory.org, Kansas Historical Society.
ViewMills slot machine confiscated by KBI agents at the Belleville VFW in 1972. Source: KansasMemory.org, Kansas Historical Society.
ViewNorbert Dreiling and Robert Docking, 1972. Source: KansasMemory.org, Kansas Historical Society.
ViewRobert Docking and Vern Miller, 1972. Source: KansasMemory.org, Kansas Historical Society
ViewVern Miller at desk, early 1970s. Source: KansasMemory.org, Kansas Historical Society.
ViewVern Miller campaigning, early 1970s. Source: KansasMemory.org, Kansas Historical Society.
ViewVern Miller with confiscated alcohol, early 1970s. Source: KansasMemory.org, Kansas Historical Society.
ViewVern Miller with confiscated marijuana. Source: KansasMemory.org, Kansas Historical Society.
ViewVern Miller with law books, early 1970s. Source: KansasMemory.org, Kansas Historical Society.