Bentsen, Lloyd
Identification U.S. senator from Texas from 1971
to 1993 and Democratic vice presidential
candidate in 1988
Born February 11, 1921; Mission, Texas
Died May 23, 2006; Houston, Texas
Bentsen was a long-term figure in American politics. As the
1988 vice presidential candidate for the Democratic Party,
he provided some of the only real interest in a generally lack-
luster campaign.
Lloyd Bentsen was born to a prosperous family in
Mission, Texas. He attended the University of Texas,
where he earned a degree in law. When World War II
began, Bentsen enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was
later commissioned an officer in the Army Air
Corps, rising to the rank of colonel. During the war,
Bentsen flew B-24 Liberators and was heavily deco-
rated. After the war, Bentsen embarked on a new ca-
reer. Like many in his generation, the World War II
veteran turned to politics.
In 1946, Bentsen won his first election, becoming
a judge in Hidalgo County, Texas. Two years later,
he was elected to the House of Representatives. A
protégé of powerful Speaker Sam Rayburn, Bentsen
was twenty-seven years old and the youngest member
of Congress. After six years in the House of Repre-
sentatives, he left politics and began a career as a
successful businessman. He returned to Congress
in 1970, winning a seat in the U.S. Sen-
ate. Despite his political affiliation,
Bentsen was known as an ally of busi-
ness interests and a fiscal and social
conservative. He served as a member
of the Senate Committee on Finance,
eventually becoming its chair in 1987.
Senator Bentsen was little known
outside of Congress when he was cho-
sen by Massachusetts governor Mi-
chael Dukakis as his running mate in
the 1988 presidential campaign. The
handsome, white-haired Texan con-
veyed a sense of wisdom and experi-
ence to voters, and his conservatism
was meant to balance Dukakis’s repu-
tation as a New England liberal. Bent-
sen gained notoriety during his vice
presidential debate against Republi-
can nominee Dan Quayle. When the
forty-one-year-old Quayle declared that he had as
much experience as John F. Kennedy had had when
Kennedy became president, Bentsen delivered a
spontaneous reply that rocked the campaign: “Sena-
tor, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Ken-
nedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator,
you’re no Jack Kennedy.” Despite Bentsen’s impres-
sive résumé and telegenic qualities, the Dukakis-
Bentsen ticket lost the election to George H. W.
Bush and Quayle. Ironically, Bentsen had beaten
Bush in the 1970 senatorial race. Following the 1988
campaign, Bentsen returned to the Senate and re-
sumed his legislative career.
Impact Despite his twenty-two years in the Senate,
Bentsen made no real significant impact on national
legislation. In 1990, however, he helped negotiate a
budget deal between Congress and President Bush,
resulting in a tax increase.
Further Reading
Goldman, Peter, and Tom Mathews.The Quest for the
Presidency, 1988.New York: Simon & Schuster,
1989.
Polsby, Nelson W., and Aaron Wildavsky.Presidential
Elections: Contemporar y Strategies of American Elec-
toral Politics.New York: Free Press, 1991.
Rhonda L. SmithSee also Congress, U.S.; Dukakis, Michael; Elec-
tions in the United States, 1988; Quayle, Dan.The Eighties in America Bentsen, Lloyd 105
Excerpt from the Bentsen-Quayle vice presidential debate, held on
October 5, 1988:Dan Quayle:I have far more experience than many others
that sought the office of vice president of this country. I
have as much experience in the Congress as Jack Kennedy
did when he sought the presidency. I will be prepared to
deal with the people in the Bush administration, if that un-
fortunate event would ever occur.
Judy Woodruff (moderator):Senator Bentsen.
Lloyd Bentsen:Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew
Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator,
you’re no Jack Kennedy.
Dan Quayle:That was really uncalled for, Senator.“You’re No Jack Kennedy”