Editing Thomas Eagleton (section)

==Personal life==
Eagleton was a Roman Catholic.<ref name="murphy">{{cite journal |last1= Murphy |first1=James J. |date=2007 |title=Eagleton in Missouri: The Record in Local and State Office |url=https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/lj/vol52/iss1/13 |journal=Saint Louis University Law Journal |volume=52 |issue=1 |page=41}}</ref> He strongly opposed abortion despite his reputation as a liberal.<ref name="ncbnews_1">{{cite news |date=March 4, 2007 |title=Ex-Sen. Thomas Eagleton, D-Mo., dies at 77 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17453791 |website=NBCNews.com}}</ref> His religion was one of the defining factors of his political career, as religion was an important political issue in Missouri. Eagleton's Catholicism increased his appeal to the working class of St. Louis and offset the "elitist stigma" of his private school education. At the same time, Missouri's suburbs were staunchly anti-Catholic, which proved a challenge during the 1960 election.<ref name="murphy"/>

Eagleton believed the Catholic Church was "a vital part of American life, conscience and thought". He described himself as "a [[Pope John XXIII]] and an Archbishop [[John L. May]] Catholic", and considered these two figures his religious mentors.<ref name="mccaskill">{{cite journal |last1= McCaskill|first1=Claire |date=2007 |title=Tribute to Former Senator Tom Eagleton |url=https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/lj/vol52/iss1/11 |journal=Saint Louis University Law Journal |volume=52 |issue=1 |page=33}}</ref> Because of his religion and youth, Eagleton was often compared to [[John F. Kennedy]]; in 1972, the ''St. Louis Post Dispatch'' wrote: "With his good looks, style, youth, liberal views and Catholic religion, Eagleton is the closest thing to a Kennedy Missouri has to offer".<ref name="latimes_1">{{cite news |date=March 5, 2007 |title=Thomas Eagleton, 77; vice presidential candidate left race over health reports |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-mar-05-me-eagleton5-story.html |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |last1=Thurber |first1=Jon}}</ref> In his 2006 farewell letter, Eagleton wrote: "In the era of a Christian right, we seem to have merged God's power into political power".<ref name="mccaskill"/>

Eagleton married Barbara Ann Smith Eagleton in 1956, and the couple had two children together, a son and a daughter. Eagleton was survived by his wife and their children.<ref name="ncbnews_1"/>