|
James Thomas Heflin
|
|
.jpg) |
|
|
|
|
| In office November 3, 1920 – March 3, 1931 |
|
| Preceded by | B. B. Comer |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | John H. Bankhead II |
|
|
|
| Born | April 9, 1869 Louina, Alabama |
| Died | April 22, 1951 (aged 82) LaFayette, Alabama |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College |
James Thomas Heflin (April 9, 1869 – April 22, 1951), nicknamed "Cotton Tom", was a leading proponent of white supremacy, most notably as a United States Senator from Alabama. Born in Louina, Alabama, he attended the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College, and was admitted to the bar in 1893, practicing law in La Fayette, Alabama.
Howell first rose to political prominence as a delegate who helped to draft the 1901 Alabama state constitution. Heflin argued, successfully, for completely excluding Black Alabamans from voting, stating that he truly believed that "God Almighty intended the negro to be the servant of the white man." As Secretary of State in 1903 Heflin was an outspoken supporter of men put on trial enslaving African American laborers through fraudulent convict leasing. As detailed in Douglas Blackmon's book Slavery by Another Name, these practices were a brutal, post-emancipation form of slavery in which African Americans were often illegally convicted of crimes and then sold to farmers or industrialists. Heflin explicitly used white supremacist rhetoric to mobilize support for the defendants and argued before a group of confederate veterans that forcing African Americans to labor was a means to hold them in their proper social position.[1]
In 1904, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat to fill the vacancy left by the death of Charles W. Thompson. Four years later, while a member of the House, he shot and seriously wounded a black man who confronted him on a Washington streetcar. Although indicted, Heflin had the charges dismissed. In subsequent campaigns, he bragged of the shooting as one of his major career accomplishments.
He continued to serve in the House until 1920, when he was elected to the Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John Hollis Bankhead. In 1928, Heflin supported Herbert Hoover for President. Because of this apostasy, Heflin was denied renomination as a Democrat in 1930. This forced him to run for the Senate as an Independent candidate and he lost decisively to John Hollis Bankhead II. Returning to Washington to serve out his term, he initiated a Senate investigation of voting fraud in hopes of overturning Bankhead's election. The inquiry lasted fifteen months and cost $100,000.
In that same year, James Heflin officially protested against the New York state permission of racial intermarriage between a black man and a white woman. New York senator Royal S. Copeland reacted angrily to Heflin, who replied that if Copeland went someday to the South on a presidential campaign, he would be lynched and hanged by the population.[2]
In April 1932, with Heflin's term expired and Bankhead seated, the Senate prepared to vote on a committee recommendation against Heflin. Heflin, face crimson, delivered a five-hour oration, punctuating his remarks with vehement gestures and racist jokes. As he thundered to a conclusion, the gallery audience, packed with his supporters, jumped to its feet with a roar of approval and was immediately ordered out of the chamber. Two days later, the Senate voted by a wide margin to dismiss Heflin's claim.
After his defeat, Heflin was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the House and Senate on several occasions, and later would serve as an appointed special representative of the Federal Housing Administration under Franklin Roosevelt. He died in 1951 in LaFayette.
Helflin was the nephew of Robert Stell Heflin, a congressman from Alabama. His nephew, Howell Heflin, was also later elected U.S. Senator from Alabama, serving from 1979 to 1997.
References
- ^ Douglas Blackmon, Slavery by Another Name, 2008, p. 122, 222, 225, 232.
- ^ Again, Heflin, TIME Magazine, February 17, 1930
- Senate Historical Minute, "Cotton Tom's Last Blast" (by Senate Historian Richard A. Baker).[1]
| United States Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by B. B. Comer |
United States Senator (Class 2) from Alabama 1920-1931 Served alongside: Oscar W. Underwood, Hugo L. Black |
Succeeded by John H. Bankhead II |
|
||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
