E. H. Hurst | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from Amite County | |
| In office 1960–1964 Serving with Britte Hughey | |
| Preceded by | Frank Wall |
| Succeeded by | Frank Wall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Eugene Hunter Hurst Jr. October 21, 1908 Liberty, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | April 20, 1990 (aged 81) Magnolia, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Jimmie Lou Cain (m. 1934) |
| Children | 5 |
Eugene Hunter Hurst Jr. (October 21, 1908 – April 20, 1990) was an American murderer (also a dairy farmer and a politician) from Amite County, Mississippi. Elected as a Democrat to the Mississippi House of Representatives for a single term in 1959, Hurst supported segregation and opposed the civil rights movement, which had expanded into Amite County by the early 1960s.
Hurst is noted for killing his neighbor and childhood friend Herbert Lee, an African American activist who was working to register black voters in Amite County. While serving as an active state representative, Hurst fatally shot Lee in public on September 25, 1961. Despite considerable evidence indicating that Hurst was the aggressor, he was found to have acted in self-defense by an all-white jury at an inquest held the same day and never charged with a crime. At least one witness to the shooting was subsequently killed as well, in an apparent campaign of witness intimidation. Nevertheless, Hurst failed to win reelection in 1963 and thereafter retired from politics.[1]
- ^ "SNCC Article: "September 1961 Herbert Lee murdered"". Retrieved February 22, 2021.