August 7, 1960: Early Start on Fall Campaign?

"Two young men in a hurry have pushed the 1960 Presidential campaign off to the earliest start in United States history.

"Barely pausing to catch their breaths after the Democratic and Republican National Conventions that nominated them, Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, 43 years old, and Vice President Richard M. Nixon of California, 47, already are belaboring each other in earnest.

"Whereas the two parties tried late campaigns in 1956, this time both nominees decided to ignore the traditional Labor Day starting point and to carry their appeal to vote to the largest possible number of voters in the fifty states. ...

"While Senator Kennedy completed his organization plans and worked on major position papers ... from his summer home on Cape Cod, the Vice President was the first to hit the road with campaign speeches in Nevada, California, Hawaii and Washington."

-- The New York Times, August 7, 1960