Sen. Everett Dirksen speech: Jola Morris

Sen. Everett Dirksen of Illinois became known as Mr. Marigold for his repeated attempts to have the marigold designated the national floral emblem. Dirksen said:

"The marigold is ... national in character, for it grows and thrives in every one of the 50 states of this nation. ...

Its robustness reflects the hardihood and character of the generations who pioneered and built this land into a great nation. It is not temperamental about fertility. It resists its natural enemies, the insects. It is self-reliant and requires little attention. ...

It is as sprightly as the daffodil, as colorful as the rose, as resolute as the zinnia, as delicate as the carnation, as haughty as the chrysanthemum, as aggressive as the petunia, as ubiquitous as the violet, and as stately as the snapdragon."

Almost twenty years later, Congress did designate a national flower: the rose.