Facts: - jr/sr: united states senator - title: senate minority leader - party: republican - deputy: thomas -rrb- kuchel hugh d. scott , jr. -lrb- whips - succeeded: ralph kuchel leo e. allen tyler smith hugh d. scott , jr. thomas - birth date: 4 january 1896 - branch: united states army - birthname: everett mckinley dirksen - order: senate representatives from illinois 's 16th district minority whip member of the u.s. house of - leader: william f. knowland - death date: 07 september 1969 - spouse: louella carver dirksen - term end: september 3 , 1959 january 3 , 1949 7 , 1969 september 7 , 1969 january - serviceyears: 1918-1919 - death place: walter reed general hospital washington , d.c. , u.s. - birth place: pekin , illinois , u.s. - state: illinois - nationality: american - alma mater: university of minnesota law school - preceded: scott e. hull w. lucas william f. knowland leverett saltonstall william - battles: world war i - allegiance: united states of america - term start: january 3 , 1957 march 4 , 1933 3 , 1951 january 3 , 1959 january - image: everettdirksen.jpg border - religion: christian reformed - rank: second lieutenant Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of everett dirksen .
A:
everett mckinley dirksen -lrb- january 4 , 1896 -- september 7 , 1969 -rrb- was an american politician of the republican party .he represented illinois in the u.s. house of representatives -lrb- 1933 -- 1949 -rrb- and u.s. senate -lrb- 1951 -- 1969 -rrb- .as senate minority leader for 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 acts of 1964 and 1968 , both landmarks of civil rights legislation .he was one of the senate 's strongest supporters of the vietnam war and was known as '' the wizard of ooze '' for his oratorical style .