Francis Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was a singer and actor from the United States. He was known as the “Chairman of the Board” and later as “Ol’ Blue Eyes” and was one of the most popular entertainers of the mid-twentieth century. With an estimated 150 million record sales, Sinatra is one of the world’s best-selling musicians.
Born to Italian immigrants in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra began his musical career during the swing era and was heavily influenced by Bing Crosby’s easy-listening vocal style. After signing with Columbia Records in 1943, he found fame as a solo musician and became the “bobby soxers” idol. The Voice of Frank Sinatra, Sinatra’s debut album, was published in 1946.
What was Frank Sinatra Political Activism?
Throughout his life, Francis Sinatra held a variety of political opinions. His mother, Dolly, was a ward leader for the Democratic Party, and after meeting President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944, he strongly campaigned for the Democrats in the 1944 presidential election. According to Jo Carroll Silvers, Sinatra had “ardent liberal” sentiments in his earlier years and was “so concerned about poor people that he was always quoting Henry Wallace.”
From a young age, he was an outspoken opponent of prejudice, notably towards black people and Italians. In the early 1950s, he was among those who advocated for the integration of Los Angeles’ racially divided musicians unions.
He was closest to John F. Kennedy of all the US presidents he worked with during his tenure. Sinatra frequently invited Kennedy to Hollywood and Las Vegas, where the two would womanize and socialize. On the evening before President John F. Kennedy was sworn in, Sinatra and Peter Lawford organized the Inaugural Gala in Washington, D.C.
Following his election, Kennedy distanced himself from Sinatra, owing in part to the singer’s ties to the Mafia. During a visit to Palm Springs in 1962, President John F. Kennedy stayed with Republican Bing Crosby rather than Sinatra, citing FBI worries about the latter’s supposed ties to organized crime.
