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→Replacing the Black and Tans
Despite Sheldon's earlier tenure as chairman, the Yerger faction considered him to be the first of the modern state Republican chairmen in Mississippi. Yerger said that his forces represented "the ultimate break with the old-line, racist Southern Democrats who didn't know whether they wanted to be [[liberal]] or conservative, but were vocally committed to keeping long-held, highly corrupted power."<ref name=book/>
Despite Sheldon's earlier tenure as chairman, the Yerger faction considered him to be the first of the modern state Republican chairmen in Mississippi. Yerger said that his forces represented "the ultimate break with the old-line, racist Southern Democrats who didn't know whether they wanted to be [[liberal]] or conservative, but were vocally committed to keeping long-held, highly corrupted power."<ref name=book/>
===Building a party from scratch===
===Building a party from scratch===
Yerger held party positions beyond Mississippi. He was the chairman of the Mississippi delegation to the [[Republican National Convention]]s in 1956, 1960, and 1964. In 1960, Yerger he was elected to a four-year term as chairman of the Southern Association of Republican State Chairmen.<ref name=misspol/> In 1963, Yerger was named Mississippi chairman of the Draft Goldwater Committee under the national director, Peter O'Donnell, Jr. (born 1924) of [[Dallas]], [[Texas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://projects.ecfs.org/fieldston57/since40/units/unit3/supplements/EdsallChain.html|author=Thomas Byrne Edsall with Mary D. Edsall, |title=A Pivotal Year|publisher=projects.ecfs.org|accessdate=May 10, 2014}}</ref>
Yerger held party positions beyond Mississippi. He was the chairman of the Mississippi delegation to the [[Republican National Convention]]s in 1956, 1960, and 1964. In 1960, Yerger he was elected to a four-year term as chairman of the Southern Association of Republican State Chairmen.<ref name=misspol/> In 1963, Yerger was named Mississippi chairman of the Draft Goldwater Committee under the national director, Peter O'Donnell, Jr. (born 1924) of [[Dallas]], [[Texas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://projects.ecfs.org/fieldston57/since40/units/unit3/supplements/EdsallChain.html|author=Thomas Byrne Edsall with Mary D. Edsall, |title=A Pivotal Year|publisher=projects.ecfs.org|accessdate=May 10, 2014}}</ref>
In 1965, Yerger lost a bid to become the national head of the organization of state Republican Party chairmen. His opposition to the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]] was a factor in his defeat for that position. Yerger had an altercation with [[Moderate Republican]] [[Charles H. Percy]], a defeated candidate for governor of [[Illinois]] in 1964 but a successful nominee in 1966 for the [[U.S. Senate]].
In 1965, Yerger lost a bid to become the national head of the organization of state Republican Party chairmen. His opposition to the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]] was a factor in his defeat for that position. Yerger had an altercation with [[Moderate Republican]] [[Charles H. Percy]], a defeated candidate for governor of [[Illinois]] in 1964 but a successful nominee in 1966 for the [[U.S. Senate]].
Percy accepted an invitation to speak before the Mississippi Council on Human Relations, a biracial group sponsored by the Southern Regional Council. Yerger branded the group a "Democratic front" and worked with Illinois Republicans to have Percy's speech scuttled.<ref name=jacksonfp/>
Percy accepted an invitation to speak before the Mississippi Council on Human Relations, a biracial group sponsored by the Southern Regional Council. Yerger branded the group a "Democratic front" and worked with Illinois Republicans to have Percy's speech scuttled.<ref name=jacksonfp/>
Yerger built his state party from scratch. He gained recognition for his chairmanship from the Eisenhower administration and thereafter supported the presidential candidacies of [[Richard M. Nixon]] and [[Barry Goldwater]]. In April 1961, the first Republican in Mississippi during the Yerger chairmanship elected to a local office, '''Joe O. Sams, Jr.''', of Columbus became the county attorney of Lowndes County.<ref>"Challenging the Status Quo," p. 242.</ref>
Yerger built his state party from scratch. He gained recognition for his chairmanship from the Eisenhower administration and thereafter supported the presidential candidacies of [[Richard M. Nixon]] and [[Barry Goldwater]]. In April 1961, the first Republican in Mississippi during the Yerger chairmanship elected to a local office, '''Joe O. Sams, Jr.''', of Columbus became the county attorney of Lowndes County.<ref>"Challenging the Status Quo," p. 242.</ref>