Difference between revisions of "John H. Overton"
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Revision as of 03:00, July 24, 2021
| John Holmes Overton, Sr. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Former U.S. Senator from Louisiana From: March 4, 1933 – May 14, 1948 | |||
| Predecessor | Edwin S. Broussard | ||
| Successor | William S. Feazel | ||
| Former U.S. Representative from Louisiana's 8th Congressional District From: May 12, 1931 – March 3, 1933 | |||
| Predecessor | James B. Aswell | ||
| Successor | Cleveland Dear | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Democrat | ||
| Spouse(s) | Ada Ruth Dismukes | ||
John Holmes Overton, Sr. (September 17, 1875 – May 14, 1948) was a Democrat and attorney from Louisiana who was the state's U.S. senator from the early 1930s until his death in 1948. He previously represented the 8th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for one term.
Political career
An ally of Huey Long, Overton served as an attorney to "the Kingfish" when impeachment was filed against then-governor Long in 1929.[1] This alliance would prove crucial in propelling Overton's election to Congress. When U.S. representative James B. Aswell died in office on March 16, 1931, Overton ran for the seat as the hand-picked successor by Long[1] and won the special election to serve out the remainder of the term.[2]
U.S. Senate
Due to the Jim Crow disenfranchisement of blacks in the South, the main competition in practically all elections for the region during the time was in the Democrat primary. Overton ran for U.S. Senate in the 1932 elections coinciding with the concurrent presidential race, challenging incumbent Edwin S. Broussard. Again with the backing of Long's powerful political machine, Overton, considered an entertaining speaker,[1] handily defeated Broussard by nearly twenty points[3] and faced no competition in the general election.[4]
After losing the primary, Broussard filed a complaint to the U.S. Senate against Overton, charging that corruption in the Long-dominated state administration influenced the Senate Democrat primary.[5] Although a Senate committee rebuked tactics used by Huey Long, it cleared charges against Overton, who took the Senate seat.
Overton sponsored flood acts several times during his Senate tenure.[6] Like most racist Southern Democrats, he opposed anti-lynching measures, voting to table anti-lynching rider amendments in 1937[7][8] and against cloture to end a filibuster on such legislation in 1938.[9]
See also
- Allen J. Ellender, his Louisiana senatorial colleague since 1937
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 design (May 1, 2016). Huey Long’s Lawyer: Senator John Overton of Louisiana. The Knoxville Focus. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ↑ LA - District 08 Special Election Race - May 12, 1931. Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ↑ LA US Senate - D Primary Race - Sep 13, 1932. Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ↑ LA US Senate Race - Nov 08, 1932. Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ↑ Long/Overton Expulsion. United States Senate. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ↑ Jackson, Leah (November 29, 2011). Family donates John Overton Collection to library. Northwestern State University. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ↑ TO TABLE AN AMENDMENT TO S. 69, THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE ACT. THE AMEND. OFFERED BY SENATOR COPELAND WHICH WOULD HAVE ADDED HOUSE BILL 1507, THE ANTILYNCHING BILL, TO S. 69, A BILL LIMITING THE SIZE OF TRAINS IN INTERSTATE COMMERCE.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ↑ TO TABLE AN AMENDMENT TO S. 2475. OFFERED BY SENATOR COPELAND WHICH WOULD HAVE ADDED THE ANTILYNCHING BILL AS PERFECTED BY THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY TO THE PENDING LEGISLATION.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ↑ TO IMPOSE CLOTURE ON DEBATE H.R. 1507, AN ANTI-LYNCHING BILL. GovTrack.us. Retrieved July 23, 2021.