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[[File:Democratic voter suppression.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Democrat voter suppression in the Bull Connor era.]]  

[[File:Democratic voter suppression.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Democrat voter suppression in the Bull Connor era.]]  

'''Theophilus Eugene “Bull” Connor''' was born in Selma, Alabama, on July 11th, 1897. Alabama was a hard-core Confederate state which was still coming to terms with the end of the American Civil War and the emancipation of the slaves. The [[Ku Klux Klan]] was strong in the state and the ‘[[Jim Crow]]’ laws were rigidly enforced. [[Lynching]] was a common way of keeping the [[African-American]] community ‘in their place’ and those responsible invariably simply got away with their crime.  Connor is most associated with the civil rights demonstrations in [[Birmingham, Alabama]] where to many the very public role of Connor and what took place in Birmingham seemed to epitomise the racial problems that existed in [[the South]].

'''Theophilus Eugene Connor''' (July 11, 1897 – March 10, 1973), known as '''T. Eugene Connor''' or more commonly '''Bull Connor''', was a prominent [[Democratic Party]] leader in Alabama known for his militant white supremacism consistent with the state's Progressive tradition. Alabama was a hard-core Confederate state which was still coming to terms with the end of the American Civil War and the emancipation of the slaves. Connor is known for his violent reprisals against peaceful civil rights demonstrations in [[Birmingham, Alabama]], where his shameful actions epitomized the racial problems that long existed in [[the South]].

Connor was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1934.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/connor.html|title=The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Connor|first=Lawrence|last=Kestenbaum|website=politicalgraveyard.com}}</ref>  Connor remained a loyal [[Democrat]] throughout his career and life.  In 1936 he was elected Commissioner of Public Safety of Birmingham, Alabama and served in that position for the better part of three decades.  A [[white supremacist]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Eugene "Bull" Connor|url=http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1091|access-date=2021-12-01|website=Encyclopedia of Alabama|language=en}}</ref> Connor enforced racial segregation laws passed by the [[Democratic party]]-controlled state legislature and denied [[civil rights]] to black citizens. He is notorious for directing the use of fire hoses and police attack dogs against civil rights activists in the early 1960s, including against children supporting the protests.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Meet the Players: Other Figures {{!}} American Experience {{!}} PBS|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/meet-players-other-figures/|access-date=|website=PBS|language=en}}</ref> National media broadcast these tactics on television, horrifying much of the world. The outrages served as catalysts for passage of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]].

Connor was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1934.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/connor.html|title=The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Connor|first=Lawrence|last=Kestenbaum|website=politicalgraveyard.com}}</ref>  Connor remained a loyal [[Democrat]] throughout his career and life.  In 1936 he was elected Commissioner of Public Safety of Birmingham, Alabama and served in that position for the better part of three decades.  A [[white supremacist]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Eugene "Bull" Connor|url=http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1091|access-date=2021-12-01|website=Encyclopedia of Alabama|language=en}}</ref> Connor enforced racial segregation laws passed by the [[Democratic party]]-controlled state legislature and denied [[civil rights]] to black citizens. He is notorious for directing the use of fire hoses and police attack dogs against civil rights activists in the early 1960s, including against children supporting the protests.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Meet the Players: Other Figures {{!}} American Experience {{!}} PBS|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/meet-players-other-figures/|access-date=|website=PBS|language=en}}</ref> National media broadcast these tactics on television, horrifying much of the world. The outrages served as catalysts for passage of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]].

==References==

==References==

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[[Category:Democrats]]

[[Category:Alabama]]

[[Category:Violence Inciters]]