James Eastland

At the time, Mississippi was effectively a one-party state, dominated by white Democrats since the disfranchisement of African Americans with the passage of the 1890 state constitution, which allowed poll taxes, literacy tests and white primaries to exclude them from the political system.

James Oliver Eastland (November 28, 1904 – February 19, 1986) was an American attorney, plantation owner, and politician from Mississippi.

Eastland was born in Doddsville, in the Mississippi Delta on November 28, 1904, the son of Woods Caperton Eastland, a lawyer and cotton planter, and Alma Teresa (Austin) Eastland.

He was named James after his late uncle, who was allegedly murdered earlier in 1904 by Luther Holbert, who was subsequently lynched.

In 1905 he moved with his parents to Forest, the county seat of Scott County, Mississippi.

His father was active in Mississippi politics and served as a district attorney.

The son attended the local segregated public schools and graduated from Forest High School in 1922.

Eastland attended the University of Mississippi (1922-1924), Vanderbilt University (1925-1926), and the University of Alabama (1926-1927).

He completed his legal education by studying in his father's office, attaining admission to the bar in 1927.

Eastland practiced law in Sunflower County, Mississippi, and took over management of his family's cotton plantation.

He studied law in his father's office, attained admission to the bar in 1927, and practiced in Sunflower County.

Becoming active in politics as a Democrat, he served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1928 to 1932.

Active in politics, he was elected to one term in the Mississippi House of Representatives, and served from 1928 to 1932.

After completing his House term, Eastland remained active in politics and government.

In the 1930s, Eastland took over management of his family's Sunflower County plantation; he eventually expanded it to nearly 6000 acre.

Even after entering politics, he considered himself first and foremost a cotton planter.

Cotton plantations were adopting mechanization but he still had many African-American laborers on the plantation, most of whom worked as sharecroppers.

He was a sought-after campaign speaker, including speeches on behalf of the gubernatorial candidacies of Paul B. Johnson Sr. in 1935 and 1939.

In addition, he was a member of the board of trustees of the state hospital for the insane.

When Senator Pat Harrison died in office in 1941, the governor appointed Eastland to fill the vacancy on the condition that Eastland not run in that year's special election to complete the term.

Eastland served from June to September 1941.

The special election was won by Wall Doxey.

Eastland was appointed to the U.S. Senate in June 1941 by Governor Paul B. Johnson Sr., following the death of Senator Pat Harrison.

Johnson first offered the appointment to Woods Eastland, whom he had known since childhood; Woods Eastland declined and suggested his son.

Johnson appointed James Eastland on the condition that he would not run later that year in the special election to complete the term, ensuring that no candidate would have the advantage of incumbency.

Eastland kept his word, and served until November; the election was won by 2nd District Congressman Wall Doxey.

Eastland went on to defeat Doxey in the 1942 primary for the Democratic nomination for a full term.

In 1942, Eastland was one of three candidates who challenged Doxey for a full term.

Doxey had the support of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Mississippi's senior U.S. Senator, Theodore G. Bilbo, but Eastland defeated him in the Democratic primary.

The Democratic Party was then essentially the only party in Mississippi, assuring Eastland's return to the Senate in January 1943.

This made winning the Democratic primary tantamount to election, and Eastland returned to the Senate on January 3, 1943.

Roosevelt and Eastland developed a working relationship that enabled Eastland to oppose New Deal programs that were unpopular in Mississippi, while he supported the President's agenda on other issues.

Eastland was effective in developing that type of arrangement with presidents of both parties during his long tenure in the Senate.

Also effective because of his seniority, he gained major federal investment in the state, such as infrastructure construction including the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway and federal relief after disasters such as Hurricane Camille.

A Democrat, he served in the United States Senate in 1941 and again from 1943 until his resignation on December 27, 1978.

Eastland was a leader of Southern resistance against racial integration during the civil rights movement, often speaking of African Americans as "an inferior race."

Eastland has been called the "Voice of the White South" and the "Godfather of Mississippi Politics."

The son of prominent attorney, politician, and cotton planter Woods Eastland, he attended the local schools of Scott County, Mississippi, and took courses at the University of Mississippi, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Alabama.

Eastland was reelected five times, serving until resigning in December 1978, days before the end of his final term.

Eastland advanced through seniority to the chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee, serving over 20 years, and President pro tempore of the Senate.