John O. Pastore

John Pastore
United States Senator from Rhode Island
In office December 19, 1950 – December 28, 1976
Preceded by	Edward L. Leahy
Succeeded by	John Chafee
61st Governor of Rhode Island
In office October 6, 1945 – December 19, 1950
Lieutenant	John S. McKiernan
Preceded by	J. Howard McGrath
Succeeded by	John S. McKiernan
Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
In office January 1945 – October 6, 1945
Governor	J. Howard McGrath
Preceded by	Louis Cappelli
Succeeded by	John S. McKiernan
Personal details
Born	John Orlando Pastore (1907-03-17)March 17, 1907 Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Died	July 15, 2000(2000-07-15) (aged 93) Cranston, Rhode Island, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Elena Caito
Children	3
Education	Northeastern University (LLB)

John Orlando Pastore (March 17, 1907 – July 15, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Pastore served as a United States Senator from Rhode Island from 1950 to 1976. He served as the 61st Governor of Rhode Island from 1945 to 1950. He was the first Italian American to be elected as a senator.^[1]

Pastore was best known taking part in a 1969 hearing involving a $20 million grant for the funding of PBS. President Richard Nixon had wanted to cut the proposed funding to $10 million due to the demands of the Vietnam War. Fred Rogers, host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, appeared before the committee to argue for the full $20 million. After hearing Rogers's testimony Pastore restored the funding.^{[2] [3]}The following year's appropriation increased PBS funding from $9 million to $22 million.^[4]

Pastore won his final Senate race in 1970 by a 68%–32% margin over John McLaughlin. McLaughlin later became the host of the television program The McLaughlin Group.^[5]

Pastore died in Cranston, Rhode Island on July 15, 2000 of kidney failure at the age of 93.^[1]

References

1. Goldstein, Richard (2000-07-17). "John Pastore, Prominent Figure in Rhode Island Politics for Three Decades, Dies at 93". The New York Times.
2. Fred Rogers Center: Video of Mr. Rogers' testimony. Retrieved on 2013-07-05 from http://exhibit.fredrogerscenter.org/advocacy-for-children/videos/view/969/ Archived 2012-06-17 at the Wayback Machine.
3. PBS KIDS (2017-03-19), MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD | 1969 Senate Hearing | PBS KIDS, retrieved 2018-06-12
4. "Senate Committee Hearing". Fred Rogers Beyond the Neighborhood. Fred Rogers Center. 1969. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
5. Jensen, Elizabeth (Aug 16, 2016). "John McLaughlin, TV Host Who Made Combat of Punditry, Dies at 89". New York Times. Retrieved 2016-08-16.