Samuel J. Ervin
| Samuel J. Ervin, Jr. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| U.S. Senator from North Carolina From: June 5, 1954 – December 31, 1974 | |||
| Predecessor | Clyde R. Hoey | ||
| Successor | Robert B. Morgan | ||
| Former U.S. Representative from North Carolina's 10th Congressional District From: January 22, 1946 – January 3, 1947 | |||
| Predecessor | Joseph W. Ervin | ||
| Successor | Hamilton C. Jones | ||
| Former Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from Burke County From: 1931–1933 | |||
| Predecessor | John M. Mull | ||
| Successor | Francis L. Garrou | ||
| Former Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from Burke County From: 1923–1927 | |||
| Predecessor | Joseph Bascom Cooper | ||
| Successor | John Hampton Giles | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Democrat | ||
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Bell Ervin | ||
| Religion | Presbyterian | ||
Samuel James “Sam” Ervin, Jr. (September 27, 1896 – April 23, 1985) was a Democratic Party segregationist who chaired the Senate Watergate investigating committee into Richard Nixon. A liberal icon, he was known for his fierce opposition to staunch anti-Communist Joseph McCarthy.
Ervin has been described by liberals[1][2] and some academics as a "conservative",[3] a notion that is misleading and whitewashes his progressivism. While arguably a strict constructionist, Ervin only used his knowledge of the Constitution to promote his agenda which was contrary to principles of the American foundation.
U.S. Senate
Civil rights
Ervin, the constitutional expert among segregationist Democrats and a self-described "country lawyer", was known for his strong opposition to civil rights. He was a contributing author and signatory of the 1956 "Southern Manifesto" which openly supported segregation following the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling.[4] He voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,[5] 1960,[6] 1964,[7] 1965,[8] and 1968.[9]
Along with the majority of Senate Democrats, including a number of Northerners, Ervin backed two measures to weaken the 1957 Civil Rights Act, removal of Title III pertaining to powers that would be given to the Attorney General[10] as well as a jury trial amendment,[11] both of which ultimately passed. The latter was especially favored by segregationists because it would ensure that civil rights cases in the South would almost certainly result in the defendant being acquitted by a jury.[12]
Sen. Ervin was among the Southern Democrats who filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for 57 days before the blockade was broken up and the landmark bill was passed by both Houses of Congress.[13]
Religion
Ervin was an opponent of school prayer; in 1966, he was instrumental in defeating a constitutional amendment by conservative Republican Everett Dirksen that would allow such. The amendment was introduced in response to the Supreme Court decision Engel v. Vitale that subsequently resulted in the moral deterioration of following American generations.
See also
References
- ↑ Zelizer, Julian E. (June 12, 2008). Senator Sam’s Challenge to Presidential Power. Huffington Post. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ↑ Neyfakh, Leon (January 3, 2018). True Believers. Slate. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ↑ Senator Sam Ervin and School Prayer: Faith, Politics, and the Constitution. JSTOR. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ↑ Southern Manifesto. African American Civil Rights Movement.
- ↑ HR. 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ↑ HR. 8601. PASSAGE OF AMENDED BILL.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ↑ HR. 7152. PASSAGE.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ↑ TO PASS S. 1564, THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ↑ TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION IN SALE OR RENTAL OF HOUSING, AND TO PROHIBIT RACIALLY MOTIVATED INTERFERENCE WITH A PERSON EXERCISING HIS CIVIL RIGHTS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ↑ HR. 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957. AMENDMENT TO DELETE AUTHORITY FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL TO SEEK PREVENTIVE RELIEF IN CIVIL RIGHTS CASES UNDER THE 14TH AMENDMENT.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ↑ HR. 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957. AMENDMENT TO GUARANTEE JURY TRIALS IN ALL CASES OF CRIMINAL CONTEMPT AND PROVIDE UNIFORM METHODS FOR SELECTING FEDERAL COURT JURIES.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ↑ DiEugenio, James (October 7, 2018). The Kennedys and Civil Rights: How the MSM Continues to Distort History, Part 2. Kennedys and King. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ↑ Sylvester, Brad (December 17, 2018). Fact Check: ‘More Republicans Voted for the Civil Rights Act as a Percentage Than Democrats Did’. The Daily Signal. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
External links
- Samuel J. Ervin Jr. via Britannica
- Obituary via The Washington Post
- Profile at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at senate.gov
- Profile via WPCC
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