''The Making of the President 1960'', written by journalist Theodore H. White and published by Atheneum Publishers in 1961, is a book that recounts and analyzes the 1960 election in which

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

was elected

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. The book won the 1962

Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction The Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are awarded annually for the "Letters, Drama, and Music" category. The award is given to a nonfiction book written by an American author and published du ...

and was the first in a series of books by White about American presidential elections. (The others are ''The Making of the President 1964'' (1965), ''The Making of the President 1968'' (1969), and ''The Making of the President 1972'' (1973).) The book traces the 1960 campaign from the

primaries Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pri ...

(in which Kennedy faced

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Senator

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American politician who served from 1965 to 1969 as the 38th vice president of the United States. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 19 ...

and

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

Senator

Stuart Symington William Stuart Symington III ( ; June 26, 1901 – December 14, 1988) was an American businessman and Democratic politician from Missouri. He served as the first secretary of the Air Force from 1947 to 1950 and was a United States senator from ...

) to the conclusion of the general election contest against

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

. Much of the narrative is written in an almost novelistic style, describing politicians' looks, voices and personalities; but it also contains thought-provoking discussions of various trends in American life and politics. ''The Making of the President 1960'' was a huge success, staying on the best-seller list for more than 40 weeks. Critics and journalists hailed it as a new way of looking at its subject. It had a huge impact on political reporting and even on

American politics In the United States, politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal republic, federal democratic republic with a presidential system. The three distinct branches Separation of powers, share powers: United States Congress, C ...

itself. As White noted, it was an up-close look at a leader under the pressure of circumstances. Its literary-journalistic approach brought a dramatic point of view on the world of politics and its strategies, victories and defeats. One chapter was devoted to detailing the reasons behind Americans' ways of voting and ways of life. White's book, and its successor volumes, inspired a trend toward the production of campaign books and toward a more personality-driven approach to political reporting. White in later years would bemoan the changes he had helped create. David L. Wolper produced a film version of ''The Making of the President 1960'', which was finished shortly before President Kennedy's November 1963 assassination. It was released without revision.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Making Of The President 1961 non-fiction books American political books Books about John F. Kennedy Non-fiction books about elections Documentary films about John F. Kennedy 1963 documentary films 1963 films Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction–winning works Primetime Emmy Award–winning television series 1960s American films