Changes

[[United States Navy]] in [[World War II]] ​

[[United States Navy]] in [[World War II]] ​

| party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]] (until 1963)<br>[[Republican Party|Republican]] (after 1963)​

| party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]] (until 1963)<br>[[Republican Party|Republican]] (after 1963)​

|residence=[[Jackson]], Mississippi]]​

|residence=[[Jackson]], Mississippi​

|religion=[[Baptist]]​

|religion=[[Baptist]]​

|spouse=Margaret James Phillips (married ca. 1955–2011, his death)​

|spouse=Margaret James Phillips (married ca. 1955–2011, his death)​

'''Rubel Lex Phillips, Sr.''' (March 29, 1925 &ndash; June 18, 2011<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi|title=Social Security Death Index|publisher=ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com|accessdate=December 8, 2011}}</ref>) was an [[attorney]], [[business]]man, and [[politician]] from [[Mississippi]] best known for his losing [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[governor of Mississippi|gubernatorial]] campaigns of 1963 and 1967.<ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/clarionledger/obituary.aspx?n=rubel-phillips&pid=152099370 |title=Rubel Phillips Obituary|publisher=''Jackson Clarion Ledger''|date=June 20, 2011|accessdate=December 19, 2011}}</ref>​

'''Rubel Lex Phillips, Sr.''' (March 29, 1925 &ndash; June 18, 2011<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi|title=Social Security Death Index|publisher=ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com|accessdate=December 8, 2011}}</ref>) was an [[attorney]], [[business]]man, and [[politician]] from [[Mississippi]] best known for his losing [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[governor of Mississippi|gubernatorial]] campaigns of 1963 and 1967.<ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/clarionledger/obituary.aspx?n=rubel-phillips&pid=152099370 |title=Rubel Phillips Obituary|publisher=''Jackson Clarion Ledger''|date=June 20, 2011|accessdate=December 19, 2011}}</ref>​

  ​

  ​

Previously, as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], Phillips was a circuit court] clerk in Alcorn County in northeastern Mississippi and a member and chairman of the Mississippi Public Service Commission from 1956 to 1959. By 1963, he had switched parties to become only the third Republican since 1877 to seek his state's governorship. Phillips ran on the slogan of "K.O. the Kennedys",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cresswellslist.com/ballots2/phillips.htm|title=K.O. The Kennedys! The 1963 Rubel Phillips Campaign in Mississippi|publisher=cresswellslist.com|accessdate=November 1, 2011}}</ref> even though he had backed [[U.S. Senator]] [[John F. Kennedy]] for the presidency in 1960 over the Republican [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Richard M. Nixon]]. Phillips, with 38 percent of the ballots cast, lost to Democrat Paul Burney Johnson, Jr., the son of a former Governor Paul Johnson, Sr. That election was held barely two weeks prior to the [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination]] of President Kennedy in [[Dallas]], [[Texas]].​

Previously, as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], Phillips was a circuit court] clerk in Alcorn County in northeastern Mississippi and a member and chairman of the Mississippi Public Service Commission from 1956 to 1959. By 1963, he had switched parties to become only the third Republican since 1877 to seek his state's governorship. Phillips ran on the slogan of "K.O. the Kennedys",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cresswellslist.com/ballots2/phillips.htm|title=K.O. The Kennedys! The 1963 Rubel Phillips Campaign in Mississippi|publisher=cresswellslist.com|accessdate=November 1, 2011}}</ref> even though he had backed [[U.S. Senator]] [[John F. Kennedy]] for the presidency in 1960 over the Republican [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Richard M. Nixon]]. Phillips, with 38 percent of the ballots cast, lost to Democrat Paul Burney Johnson, Jr., the son of a former Governor Paul Johnson, Sr. That election was held barely two weeks prior to the [[assassination]] of President Kennedy in [[Dallas]], [[Texas]].​

  ​

  ​

In 1967, Phillips ran as a [[Moderate Republican]] but lost decisively to the [[conservative]] Democrat [[John Bell Williams]], a [[U.S. representative]].​

In 1967, Phillips ran as a [[Moderate Republican]] but lost decisively to the [[conservative]] Democrat John Bell Williams, then a veteran a [[U.S. representative]] who had been stripped of his seniority  by the House Democratic Caucus for supporting [[Barry Goldwater]], rather than [[Lyndon B. Johnson]].​

​

​

==Background==​

==Background==​

Presidential politics played some role in the 1967 campaign, as Williams stressed his friendship with former Governor [[George Wallace]] of Alabama, who was preparing for an independent presidential candidacy in 1968. Phillips countered that only a Republican, perhaps Richard Nixon or Governor  [[Ronald W. Reagan]] of [[California]], could defeat a national Democratic presidential nominee. Reagan cut a campaign commercial for Phillips; [[Maureen Reagan]] made some twenty appearances on Phillips' behalf at various places in the state.<ref>''Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report,'' XXV (November 10, 1967), pp. 2295-2296; ''Vicksburg Evening Post,'' September 23, 1967</ref> Neighboring Governor [[Winthrop Rockefeller]] of [[Arkansas]], younger brother of [[Nelson Rockefeller]], spoke in Corinth and assisted Phillips in fundraising. Phillips raised $300,000 in the 1967 race.<ref>''Hattiesburg American,'' November 1, 1967.</ref>​

Presidential politics played some role in the 1967 campaign, as Williams stressed his friendship with former Governor [[George Wallace]] of Alabama, who was preparing for an independent presidential candidacy in 1968. Phillips countered that only a Republican, perhaps Richard Nixon or Governor  [[Ronald W. Reagan]] of [[California]], could defeat a national Democratic presidential nominee. Reagan cut a campaign commercial for Phillips; [[Maureen Reagan]] made some twenty appearances on Phillips' behalf at various places in the state.<ref>''Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report,'' XXV (November 10, 1967), pp. 2295-2296; ''Vicksburg Evening Post,'' September 23, 1967</ref> Neighboring Governor [[Winthrop Rockefeller]] of [[Arkansas]], younger brother of [[Nelson Rockefeller]], spoke in Corinth and assisted Phillips in fundraising. Phillips raised $300,000 in the 1967 race.<ref>''Hattiesburg American,'' November 1, 1967.</ref>​

  ​

  ​

Williams rejected Phillips' pleas for debates, as had Paul Johnson in 1963. In fact, the congressman spent few days on the general election campaign trail and urged friends "to do the campaigning for me."<ref>''Jackson Daily News'', October 25, 28, 1967; ''Jackson Clarion-Ledger'', October 28, 1967</ref> Williams, who had lost the lower part of his left arm while serving in the [[United States Army]] Air Corps during World War II, was hospitalized during the campaign with a leg ailment, which also stemmed from war injuries.<ref>''Vicksburg Evening Post,'' October 25, 1963.</ref> At a $40 per person fundraiser attended by some five thousand and hosted by the state's congressional delegation, Williams vowed to "destroy that Republican crowd so bad that they won't be able to find a Rubel in the rubble."<ref>''Jackson Clarion-Ledger,'' October 31, 1967.</ref>​

Williams rejected Phillips' pleas for debates, as had Paul Johnson in 1963. In fact, the congressman spent few days on the general election campaign trail and urged friends "to do the campaigning for me."<ref>''Jackson Daily News'', October 25, 28, 1967; ''Jackson Clarion-Ledger'', October 28, 1967</ref> Williams, who had lost the lower part of his left arm while serving in the [[United States Army]] Air Corps during World War II, was hospitalized during the campaign with a leg ailment, which also stemmed from war injuries.<ref>''Vicksburg Evening Post,'' October 25, 1963.</ref> At a $40 per person fundraiser attended by some five thousand and hosted by the state's congressional delegation, Williams vowed to "destroy that Republican crowd so bad that they won't be able to find a Rubel in the rubble."<ref>''Jackson Clarion-Ledger,'' October 31, 1967.</ref>​

​

​

Phillips obtained the endorsement of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which sent a rival delegation to the 1964 national party convention in [[Atlantic City]], [[New Jersey]]. The Freedom Democrats backed Phillips because he had expressed his own doubts that Williams as governor would be able to fight the desegregation policies of the then [[United States Department of Health and Human Services|United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare]].<ref>''U.S. News and World Report,'' LXII (November 20, 1967), p. 35.</ref>​

Phillips obtained the endorsement of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which sent a rival delegation to the 1964 national party convention in [[Atlantic City]], [[New Jersey]]. The Freedom Democrats backed Phillips because he had expressed his own doubts that Williams as governor would be able to fight the desegregation policies of the then [[United States Department of Health and Human Services|United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare]].<ref>''U.S. News and World Report,'' LXII (November 20, 1967), p. 35.</ref>​