Everett Dirksen first served in the House of Representatives beginning in 1933 until his election to the Senate in 1950. He was elected Republican whip and then minority leader of the Senate by 1957. Dirksen and House minority leader Charles A. Halleck began weekly news conferences to articulate Republican opposition to Kennedy's and later Johnson's polices. Despite his criticisms of several Great Society programs, Dirksen was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Bills and remained close friends with the president.
