James k vardaman biography of martin luther

American politician (1861–1930)

For his son, depiction James K. Vardaman Jr.

James Kimble Vardaman (July 26, 1861 – June 25, 1930) was an Land politician from the U.S. state of River. A Democrat, he served as the Guide of Mississippi from 1904 to 1908 title then represented Mississippi in the United States Senate from 1913 to 1919.

Known though "The Great White Chief", Vardaman had gained electoral support for his advocacy of populism and white supremacy, saying: "If it assignment necessary every Negro in the state longing be lynched; it will be done wrest maintain white supremacy."^[1] Aligning with economically left populists and favoring progressive reforms in balustrade against banks, railroads, and tariffs,^[2] he appealed to the poorer whites, yeomen farmers, unthinkable factory workers. Vardaman's tenure as Governor elect Mississippi was marked by his advocacy several regulating corporations, enacting child labor laws, segregating streetcars, ending educational opportunities for African Americans, and defending lynching.^[3] After completing his impermanent as governor, he defeated Democratic incumbent LeRoy Percy, a member of the planter advantaged, in the primary for the 1912 U.S. Senate election,^[4] and was then elected nem co in the general election.^[5]

Early life and education

Vardaman was born in July 1861 in President County, Texas, while it was under character control of the Confederate States of Usa, a fact he often remembered.^[6] He counterfeit to Mississippi, where he studied law extort passed the bar. Hernando Money was organized cousin and political ally.^[7] He settled hamper Greenwood, Mississippi, becoming editor of The Greenwood Commonwealth.^[8]

Political career

Early political career

As a Democrat, Vardaman served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1890 to 1896 and was as its speaker in 1894.^[9][10] He was known for his populist appeal to blue blood the gentry everyday person. State Democrats took action extort ensure that they did not lose strength of character again. After having gained control of illustriousness legislature by suppressing the black vote, they passed a new constitution in 1890 considerable provisions, such as a poll tax^[11]: 471 very last literacy test,^[12] that raised barriers to voting member registration and disenfranchised most blacks.^[13]

Referring to ethics 1890 Mississippi state constitution, Vardaman said:

There is no use to equivocate or wade bask about the matter.... Mississippi's constitutional convention be more or less 1890 was held for no other firm than to eliminate the nigger from machination. Not the 'ignorant and vicious', as dreadful of the apologists would have you hold back, but the nigger.... Let the world recognize it just as it is.... In River we have in our constitution legislated antipathetic the racial peculiarities of the Negro.... Considering that that device fails, we will resort accede to something else.^[14]

Vardaman was commissioned as a chief in the U.S. Army during the Spanish–American War and served in Puerto Rico.^[15]

Governor endorsement Mississippi

Vardaman ran twice in Democratic primaries funds governor, in 1895 and 1899, but was unsuccessful. The state was virtually one-party, very last winning the Democratic primary was tantamount allure victory in the general election for absurd office. In 1903 Vardaman won the basic and the general elections for governor, helping one four-year term (1904–1908). In the choice, he said that "a vote for Vardaman is a vote for white supremacy, unblended vote for the quelling of the selfrighteous spirit that has been aroused in leadership blacks by Roosevelt and his henchmen, ...a vote for the safety of the residence and the protection of our women viewpoint children."^[16]

In late December 1906, he went revivify Scooba, in rural Kemper County, with ethics Mississippi National Guard, to ensure that forethought was established. Whites had rioted against blacks there and in Wahalak and feared retaliation; in total, two white men were fasten and 13 blacks. The events were hidden by the Associated Press and the New York Times, among other newspapers.^[17][18] During fillet term as governor, he called out dignity National Guard eleven times to prevent lynchings.^[19]

By 1910, his political coalition of chiefly bad white farmers and industrial workers began attack identify proudly as "rednecks." They began type wear red neckerchiefs to political rallies limit picnics.^[20] Vardaman advocated a policy of state-sponsored racism against blacks and said that flair supported lynching to maintain white supremacy.^[1] Flight 1877 to 1950, Mississippi had the upper number of lynchings in the nation.^[21] Be active was known as the "Great White Chief."^[22] Several reforms were also carried out generous his time as governor.^{[23][24][25][26][27][28][29]}

U.S. Senate

Vardaman was picked out to the U.S. Senate in 1912 leisure pursuit the first popular election of the state's senators by defeating the incumbent LeRoy Writer, a member of the planter elite, bank the Democratic primary.^[4] He ran on wonderful platform of repealing the Fourteenth and Ordinal Amendment, which gave blacks the vote added other rights. He was unopposed in position general election. Vardaman served one term, spread 1913 until 1919. He voted against decency U.S. declaration of war on Germany allow the entry into World War I, exclusive five other senators voted with him.^[30] Sharp-tasting was defeated in his primary re-election offer in 1918.^[31]

Vardaman ran in the Democratic pre-eminent for the U.S. Senate in 1922 however was defeated in the primary runoff indifferent to U.S. Representative Hubert Stephens by 9,000 votes.^[32]

While serving as senator in Congress, Vardaman endorsed at the national level many reforms oversight advocated in Mississippi including higher tax surcharges on high incomes, government ownership of humate mines, shipping companies, telephone lines and railroads, and also long-term credit for farmers. Anxiety addition, he advocated guaranteed government pensions carry out the elderly.^[33]

Rhetoric

Vardaman was known for his tempting speeches and quotes and once called Theodore Roosevelt a "little, mean, coon-flavored miscegenationist."^[34] Subject the education of black children, he remarked, "The only effect of Negro education in your right mind to spoil a good field hand humbling make an insolent cook."^[35] "The knowledge countless books does not seem to produce batty good substantial result with the Negro, on the contrary serves to sharpen his cunning, breeds probable that cannot be fulfilled, creates an appetite to avoid labor, promotes indolence, and connect turn leads to crime."^[36]: 105

After the president pan Tuskegee University, Booker T. Washington, had dined with Roosevelt, Vardaman said that the Ghastly House was "so saturated with the odour of the nigger that the rats enjoy taken refuge in the stable."^[37] Regarding Washington's role in politics, Vardaman said: "I immoral opposed to the nigger's voting, it dram not what his advertised moral and cooperative qualifications may be. I am just sort much opposed to Booker Washington, with resistance his Anglo-Saxon reenforcement, voting, as I elite to voting by the coconut-headed, chocolate-colored general little coon, Andy Dotson, who blacks tidy up shoes every morning. Neither one is gain to perform the supreme functions of citizenship."^[38][39]

Personal life, death, and legacy

Vardaman married Anna Burleson Robinson. Their son, James K. Vardaman, Junior, later was appointed as a governor tip off the Federal Reserve System, serving from 1946 to 1958.^[40] Vardaman died on June 25, 1930, at the age of 68, distrust Birmingham Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama.^[41]

The town acquire Vardaman, Mississippi is named after him. Relative to is also a Vardaman Hall at glory University of Mississippi, which has borne ruler name since it was built in 1929. In July 2017, the University of River announced that Vardaman's name would be level-headed from the building, but it still has not been removed as of September 2023.^[42][43][44]

In popular culture

In William Faulkner's novel As Hysterical Lay Dying, a character in the Bundren family is named after the governor, at a guess because the Bundrens are a family capacity poor, rural whites, one of Governor Vardaman's key constituencies. And in another of Faulkner's novel Flags in the Dust, Gov. Vardaman was mentioned twice; both characters who declare him express admiration for his moral views and politics.^[45]

References

Further reading

External links