 Among those opposing the execution was Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., a Columbus, Ohio native, special assistant to President John F. Kennedy and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.Schlesinger noted in his letter that he was "a friend half a century ago of (U.S.) Sen. Robert A. Taft," the governor's grandfather.Capital punishment, Schlesinger wrote, "should be reserved for cases where there is absolutely no shred or tremor of doubt .