Difference between revisions of "Walter M. Pierce"
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A [[progressive]] and ally of the [[Ku Klux Klan]],<ref name=oregonencyclopediabio>[https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/pierce_walter_1861_1954_/ Walter Pierce (1861-1954)]. ''Oregon Encyclopedia''. Retrieved July 3, 2021.</ref> Pierce faced incumbent [[Republican]] Benjamin W. Olcott in the general election. During the campaign, Olcott issued a proclamation which denounced the Klan for three assaults the terrorist group perpetrated.<ref>[https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/proclamation-against-the-ku-klux-klan-1922/#.YJHE7qGn2Uk Proclamation Against the Ku Klux Klan, 1922]. ''The Oregon History Project''. Retrieved July 3, 2021.</ref> However, Pierce won the general election by fifteen percentage points.<ref>[https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=263433 OR Governor Race - Nov 07, 1922]. ''Our Campaigns''. Retrieved July 3, 2021.</ref> | A [[progressive]] and ally of the [[Ku Klux Klan]],<ref name=oregonencyclopediabio>[https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/pierce_walter_1861_1954_/ Walter Pierce (1861-1954)]. ''Oregon Encyclopedia''. Retrieved July 3, 2021.</ref> Pierce faced incumbent [[Republican]] Benjamin W. Olcott in the general election. During the campaign, Olcott issued a proclamation which denounced the Klan for three assaults the terrorist group perpetrated.<ref>[https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/proclamation-against-the-ku-klux-klan-1922/#.YJHE7qGn2Uk Proclamation Against the Ku Klux Klan, 1922]. ''The Oregon History Project''. Retrieved July 3, 2021.</ref> However, Pierce won the general election by fifteen percentage points.<ref>[https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=263433 OR Governor Race - Nov 07, 1922]. ''Our Campaigns''. Retrieved July 3, 2021.</ref> | ||
| − | Pierce backed the Klan's agenda by supporting | + | Pierce backed the Klan's agenda by supporting the Compulsory Public Education Act, which forced all children in the state to attend [[public schools]]. It was especially aimed to prevent [[Catholics]], who the KKK despised, from being able to send their children to private schools. The Act was struck down three years later in the [[United States Supreme Court]] case ''[[Pierce v. Society of Sisters]]''. |
===U.S. House of Representatives=== | ===U.S. House of Representatives=== | ||
Revision as of 04:38, July 3, 2021
Walter Marcus Pierce (May 30, 1861 – March 27, 1954) was the racist liberal Democrat from Oregon who was the state's governor in the 1920s and later was the U.S. representative from the 2nd congressional district.
Political career
Governor of Oregon
A progressive and ally of the Ku Klux Klan,[1] Pierce faced incumbent Republican Benjamin W. Olcott in the general election. During the campaign, Olcott issued a proclamation which denounced the Klan for three assaults the terrorist group perpetrated.[2] However, Pierce won the general election by fifteen percentage points.[3]
Pierce backed the Klan's agenda by supporting the Compulsory Public Education Act, which forced all children in the state to attend public schools. It was especially aimed to prevent Catholics, who the KKK despised, from being able to send their children to private schools. The Act was struck down three years later in the United States Supreme Court case Pierce v. Society of Sisters.
U.S. House of Representatives
During World War II, Pierce supported the internment of Japanese-Americans ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.[1][4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Walter Pierce (1861-1954). Oregon Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ↑ Proclamation Against the Ku Klux Klan, 1922. The Oregon History Project. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ↑ OR Governor Race - Nov 07, 1922. Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ↑ A Mixed Reception: Japanese Americans Return to Oregon. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved July 3, 2021.