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Kansas After World War IIThe Kansas Democratic party made a significant comeback after World War II on the "coat-tails" of Democratic national success. President Harry Truman nominated Kansan Georgia Neese Clark to be Treasurer of the United States, the first woman to hold the office. She was confirmed by the Senate in June 1949, and held the post for four years. Dwight Eisenhower, running as a Republican in 1952, became the first Kansan to be elected President. His brother, Milton Eisenhower, was president of Kansas State College and was the national chairman of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. George Docking was elected governor in 1956 and became the first Democrat to serve two terms as governor. The issue of prohibition continued to divide Kansans after the war. Although the nation had repealed prohibition in 1933, Kansas remained a dry state until July 8, 1949. After that time, counties were allowed to vote on whether to permit alcohol sales in package liquor stores or private clubs in their jurisdiction. Even then liquor was not permitted to be sold by the drink in open saloons. It was not until 1986 that this law was amended to permit sales by the drink in public bars and restaurants. In the 1950s, the Cold War between Communist countries and the United States escalated. After Communist North Korea invaded South Korea, the United States and its allies fought in the Korean War from 1950 - 1953. More than 33,000 Americans died in the war, including more than 400 casualties from Kansas.
In the 1950s, manufacturing replaced agriculture as the top source of income for Kansans. The industries that had flourished during World War II were converted to civilian needs and continued to grow. The development of the Interstate Highway system, begun during the Eisenhower presidency, brought inexpensive transportation to formerly isolated communities. Mobility of the population increased and urban areas became more attractive as job opportunities in them grew. Many small towns suffered as business opportunities were created far from their formerly prosperous central business districts. While the population has grown in Kansas over the past 50 years, this growth has bypassed many small and rural communities, leaving them to deal with fewer jobs and smaller populations.
One of the most important and controversial Supreme Court decisions in the history of our nation was Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka in 1954. The Supreme Court chose to group together many cases involving school segregation in the Brown case. The Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" public schools for members of different races were "inherently unequal" and therefore illegal. This began the efforts to desegregate the public school systems of the United States, which is still in process in some communities today. This was also one of the forerunners of the modern civil rights movement, which sought equality for minorities in every aspect of American life.
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