Richard Russell, Jr.
Richard Brevard Russell, Jr. (November 2, 1897 â January 21, 1971) was a U.S. Senator from Georgia who served for thirty years in the position until his death.
| Richard Brevard Russell, Jr. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Former President pro tempore of the United States Senate From: January 3, 1969 â January 21, 1971 | |||
| Predecessor | Carl Hayden | ||
| Successor | Allen J. Ellender | ||
| Former U.S. Senator from Georgia From: January 12, 1933 â January 21, 1971 | |||
| Predecessor | John S. Cohen | ||
| Successor | David H. Gambrell | ||
| Former Governor of Georgia From: June 27, 1931 â January 10, 1933 | |||
| Predecessor | Lamartine Griffin Hardman | ||
| Successor | Eugene Talmadge | ||
| Former Member of the Georgia House of Representatives From: 1921 â 1931 | |||
| Predecessor | ? | ||
| Successor | ? | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Democrat | ||
| Spouse(s) | None (lifelong bachelor) | ||
State legislature
Elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1920 at age 23, Russell was a strong advocate of public schooling and the improvisation of highways.
Governor of Georgia
A fiscal conservative, Russell's tenure as the governor of Georgia was marked with the re-organization of the state governments, the reduction of state expenditures, and a balanced budget. Accomplishing all of it in less than two years, he cut no salaries aside from his own, and would move on to be elected into the U.S. Senate.
Senate career
Conservative Coalition
While initially a strong supporter of FDR's policies, Russell later began to split with Roosevelt and became a leader in the Conservative Coalition in 1937.
Warren Commission
After John F. Kennedy was assassinated, succeeding president Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Russell to the Warren Commission, a body established to investigate he president's death. While most members concluded on the "single bullet theory," Russell, along with John Sherman Cooper, a Moderate Republican from Kentucky, were dissenters of the view, believing the theory was absurd.[1]
Civil rights opposition
Russell, a lifelong opponent of civil rights, had led racist Southern Democrats in opposition to civil rights legislation ever since the 1930s. Democrat filibusters led by Russell included blocking Republican anti-lynching bills during the presidency of FDR, where he once managed to block a 1935 anti-lynching bill for six days to kill it.[2] eventually during the 1960s, trying to halt the 1964 Civil Rights Act before the Senate was able to enact cloture.
Despite having been a white supremacist and fierce opponent of equal rights for blacks, which he never repudiated, his niece Sally Russell insisted that the senator had maintained decent relationships with blacks who worked for him,[3] adding on that she thought he "had a very deep courteous attitude, which probably came from being raised in the South."
Legacy
Russell has the Russell Senate Office Building named after him.[4] Over forty years after it had been named for Russell, liberals such as Chuck Schumer demanded that the building be renamed for RINO John McCain.[5]
References
- â Richard Russell and the Warren Report
- â Little, Becky (January 31, 2019). Why FDR Didnât Support Eleanor Rooseveltâs Anti-Lynching Campaign. History.com. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- â Hohmann, James (August 28, 2016). The Daily 202: âDick Russell was a racist. But he was much more than that,â says niece. Washington Post. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- â Russell Senate Office Building
- â FLASHBACK: Who Was Richard Russell, And Why Does Chuck Schumer Want A Fellow Democratâs Name Removed From A Building?