James K. Vardaman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Vardaman in 1910 | |
| United States Senator from Mississippi | |
| In office March 4, 1913 – March 4, 1919 | |
| Preceded by | LeRoy Percy |
| Succeeded by | Byron P. Harrison |
| 36th Governor of Mississippi | |
| In office January 19, 1904 – January 21, 1908 | |
| Lieutenant | John Prentiss Carter |
| Preceded by | Andrew H. Longino |
| Succeeded by | Edmond Favor Noel |
| Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives | |
| In office 1894–1896 | |
| Preceded by | Hugh McQueen Street |
| Succeeded by | James F. McCool |
| Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from the Leflore County district | |
| In office January 1890 – January 1896 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Kimble Vardaman July 26, 1861 Jackson County, Texas, C.S.A. |
| Died | June 25, 1930 (aged 68) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Resting place | Lakewood Memorial Park, Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Anna Burleson Robinson |
| Nickname | "The Great White Chief" |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Rank |  Major |
| Battles/wars | Spanish–American War |
James Kimble Vardaman (July 26, 1861 – June 25, 1930) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Mississippi. A Democrat, he served as the Governor of Mississippi from 1904 to 1908 and then represented Mississippi in the United States Senate from 1913 to 1919.
Known as "The Great White Chief", Vardaman had gained electoral support for his advocacy of populism and white supremacy, saying: "If it is necessary every Negro in the state will be lynched; it will be done to maintain white supremacy."[1] Aligning with economically left-wing populists and favoring progressive reforms in railing against banks, railroads, and tariffs,[2] he appealed to the poorer whites, yeomen farmers, and factory workers. Vardaman's tenure as Governor of Mississippi was marked by his advocacy of regulating corporations, enacting child labor laws, segregating streetcars, ending educational opportunities for African Americans, and defending lynching.[3] After completing his term as governor, he defeated Democratic incumbent LeRoy Percy, a member of the planter elite, in the primary for the 1912 U.S. Senate election,[4] and was then elected unopposed in the general election.[5]
- ^ Public Broadcasting Service (September 2008). "People & Events: James K. Vardaman". American Experience. Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
If it is necessary every Negro in the state will be lynched; it will be done to maintain white supremacy.
- ^ Mullins, Philip. "Ancestors Of George & Hazel Mullins: Chapter 14 – The Revolt of the Rednecks". Half Empty. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ "Vardaman, James K." Mississippi Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ Rowland, Dunbar (1904). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi, 1912. Nashville, Tennessee: Press of Brandon Printing Company. pp. 124–125. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ "United States Senators Chosen, 1912". The Tribune Almanac and Political Register 1913. New York: The Tribune Association. 1913. p. 457. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023 – via Hathi Trust Digital Library.