Kenneth Keating

Kenneth Barnard Keating
United States Ambassador to Israel
In office 1973–1975
Preceded by	Walworth Barbour
Succeeded by	Malcolm Toon
United States Ambassador to India
In office 1969–1972
Preceded by	Chester Bowles
Succeeded by	Daniel Patrick Moynihan
United States Senator from New York
In office January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1965
Preceded by	Irving Ives
Succeeded by	Robert F. Kennedy
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 38th district
In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1959
Preceded by	John Taber
Succeeded by	Jessica M. Weis
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 40th district
In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1953
Preceded by	George F. Rogers
Succeeded by	William E. Miller
Personal details
Born	(1900-05-18)May 18, 1900 Lima, New York
Died	May 5, 1975(1975-05-05) (aged 74) New York City, New York
Political party	Republican

Kenneth Barnard Keating (May 18, 1900 – May 5, 1975), was a United States Representative and a U.S. Senator from New York and later an appellate judge and a diplomat representing the United States as ambassador to India and later to Israel.

Life

He attended public school and was graduated from Genesee Wesleyan Seminary in 1915. He then attended the University of Rochester, which he was graduated from in 1919, while there he joined The Delta Upsilon Fraternity, and from Harvard Law School in 1923. He was admitted to the bar in 1923 and commenced practice in Rochester. During the First World War, he served as a sergeant in the United States Army and during the Second World War served overseas and was promoted to brigadier general in 1948. On returning to the United States he resumed his law practice.

Keating was elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican to the 80th, 81st, 82nd, 83rd, 84th and 85th United States Congresses, and served from January 3, 1947, to January 3, 1959. In 1958, he defeated New York County District Attorney Frank Hogan for the U.S. Senate seat of the retiring Irving Ives, and served from January 3, 1959, to January 3, 1965. Before the Cuban Missile Crisis, Senator Keating accused the Soviets and Cuba of building IRBMs in Cuba and urged President John F. Kennedy to take action.

Keating was a moderate, like many prominent New York Republicans of his era.[1] When he was running for re-election in 1964 Keating refused to endorse his party's presidential nominee, the conservative Senator Barry Goldwater, who was highly unpopular in New York as too extreme.[2] Keating did a lot better than Goldwater in New York but was still defeated for re-election in 1964 by Democrat Robert F. Kennedy, after a campaign in which Keating labelled Kennedy, who had spent only part of his childhood in New York, as a "carpetbagger." Keating's campaign slogan was "Keep Keating."

In 1965, Keating was elected to the New York Court of Appeals but resigned in 1969 to become United States Ambassador to India where he stayed until 1972. Keating then served as Ambassador to Israel from August 1973 until his death in 1975.

External links

• United States Congress. "Kenneth Keating (id: K000036)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• U.S. State Department Archives (People)
• A film clip "Longines Chronoscope with Kenneth B. Keating" is available for viewing at the Internet Archive
• A film clip "Longines Chronoscope with Rep. Kenneth B. Keating (June 20, 1952)" is available for viewing at the Internet Archive