Kefauver, Estes

Kefauver, (Carey) Estes

(1903–63) U.S. senator; born in Monroe County, Tenn. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (Dem., Tenn.; 1939–49), he sponsored the so-called GI Bill, which gave various benefits to veterans of World War II. Elected to the U.S. Senate (1949–63), he was an internationalist and civil rights advocate. He won national fame as head of the "Kefauver Committee," which investigated organized crime. His presidential ambitions were frustrated in the 1950s.