Barkley 's distant cousin , Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson II ( grandson of former vice president Adlai Stevenson I ) , was considered his primary competition for the nomination , but had not committed before the convention . Richard Russell , Jr. and Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver were also interested in the nomination . Kentucky 's delegation to the 1952 Democratic National Convention announced that they would support Barkley , and Truman encouraged Missouri 's delegates to do so . Democratic National Committee chairman Frank E. McKinney , former chairman James Farley , and Senate Secretary Leslie Biffle also supported him . Two weeks before the convention , Stevenson advisor Jacob Arvey told Barkley that Stevenson was not going to be nominated and favored nominating Barkley . Barkley 's advisors believed that Kefauver and Russell would knock each other out of the early balloting , allowing Barkley to capture the nomination
1952 Democratic National Convention
1952 Democratic National Convention
Alben W. Barkley