Ross Barnett

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Ross Robert Barnett (January 22, 1898 – November 6, 1987) was governor of Mississippi from 1960 to 1964.

He was a central figure in the Dixiecrats, a Southern Democrats who favored racial segregation.

Early life

Barnett, the youngest of ten children of John William Barnett, a Confederate soldier and the former Virginia Ann Chadwick, was born in Standing Pine, Mississippi.

He served in the United States Army during World War II and later worked in factories after receiving an undergraduate degree from Mississippi College in 1922. He stayed in the game with a LL.B. four years later. From the University of Mississippi at Oxford, where he taught courses to freshmen.

He served as a schoolhouse janitor, barber, brass band manager, and door-to-door salesman for Wearever aluminium products in order to save money.

His first legal action was brought against a replevin lawsuit involving a black woman suing her ex-husband over the value of a sidesaddle, which he lost in the justice court but winning it in the county court for $7.50.

Barnett rented space near Charles Crisler's office and soon formed his own law firm; over the next quarter century, he became one of the state's most respected trial lawyers, earning more than $100,000 per year in damage cases against businesses. The majority of his clients were poor Whites and Blacks, and when asked which doctor to call, they were told of an elderly black man who was injured in a traffic crash and screaming for "Doctor Ross Barnett."

"He was not a brilliant advocate, He was a brilliant jury manipulator, but I don't think anyone ever accused Ross of knowing anything about law," Ole Miss Law School Dean Robert Farley said.

He often contributed his time to causes and served as president of the Mississippi Bar Association for two years, beginning in 1943.

He married Mary Pearl Crawford, a school teacher, in 1929; the couple had two daughters and a son.

Political life

Barnett attempted to take on politics by obtaining the funds earned from his legal fees, failing to run twice in the Democratic primary for Governor of Mississippi in 1951 and 1955. At the time, Mississippi was dominated by the Democrats, and the Democratic primary was the only meaningful contest.

He won the nomination on his third attempt in 1959, despite segregation that was mainly based on segregation. The Negro is different because God did not punish him differently." His forehead slants back. His nose is different. His lips are different, and his shade is certain to be different." "Roll with Ross," his song, which was later used for the state anthem "Go, Mississippi," contained the following:

Barnett was unopposed in the November general election, with no Republican even registered, and no Republican even registered, and no Republican was allowed to run. His inauguration took place on January 19, 1960. He commemorated the centennial of the American Civil War during his time in office. Barnett travelled to Civil War sites to pay their respects to the "Sons of Mississippi" who have been killed.

Barnett, a committed segregationist who served as governor, became known for his tumultuous clashes with the Civil rights movement, which dominated his term.

Barnett arranged for the detention of Freedom Riders in 1961 and later imprisoned them at Parchman Farm. Although the offences were minor, the Freedom Riders were strip-searched, had beds taken from them, were shamed, and brutalized in the prison. Barnett reportedly told the guards, "Break their spirits, not their bones."

Even though this strategy gained a lot of traction in the state, it was done in part to deter the outrage that he was receiving for various reasons: failing to follow through with promises of jobs for office-seekers; filling those positions with acquaintances; and trying to wrest control of state agencies from the legislature. Barnett was a founder of the white supremacist Citizens' Councils.

The Institutes of Higher Learning, a state agency that oversees universities and colleges, had named Barnett as the registrar in 1962 in order to defame James Meredith's attempts to smear Barnett's alma mater, the University of Mississippi. The IHL board reacted after the campus riots, putting the accreditation of the state's medical school and other universities in jeopardy due to political interference. Barnett was fined $10,000 and sentenced to prison for contempt, but he never paid the fine or served a day in jail. The charges were dismissed (civil) and dismissed (criminal) by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals due to "substantial compliance with the court's orders" and "in light of changing circumstances and circumstances." Only two Mississippi senators, Joe Wroten and Karl Wiesenburg, opposed Barnett's attempts to defy the federal authorities. "There is no instance in history where the Caucasian race has achieved socioeconomic integration," he said on September 13. We will not drink from the cup of genocide."

Barnett gave his sixteen-word "I Love Mississippi" address at the University of Mississippi football game in Jackson on the night before the Ole Miss riot of 1962 protesting Meredith's admission to the university. The Ole Miss Rebels were playing in the Kentucky Wildcats. The stadium attracted thousands of Confederate flags. A huge Confederate flag was unveiled on the field at halftime. "We want Ross!" the audience yelled. Barnett went to the field, grabbed the microphone at the 50-yard line, and welcomed a raucous crowd.

Many Mississippians referred to segregation in the Bible. "The Good Lord was the first segregationist," Barnett, a Baptist Sunday school teacher, said. He brought the black man in Africa. ... Because he wanted us white, he made us white, and he told us that we should keep it that way." Mississippi had the largest percentage of black Americans because "they love our way of life here, and segregation is the most important."

Barnett's 1963 attempt to block the men's basketball team of Mississippi State University from participating in an NCAA Tournament against the Loyola of Chicago. The team defied Barnett by sneaking out of the state and playing the game, which they lost to the eventual national champions.

Barnett named Erle Johnston, his former campaign associate and later biographer, as the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission's public relations director in 1960. Johnston became executive director of the department three years ago and continued to do public relations duties. He remained in the position under Governor Paul B. Johnson, Jr., until he resigned in 1968. Johnston was subsequently mayor of Forest, where he had published The Scott County Times.

Barnett's term as governor officially ended on January 21, 1964, with his replacement, the outgoing lieutenant governor, Paul Johnson, sworn in. Barnett was known for his strong resistance to the establishment of the two-party dictatorship in Mississippi's former Democratic stronghold. Barnett and Carroll Gartin, the man who Barnett had defeated for governor four years earlier, fought for governor Bidwell Adam, the state Democratic chairman, and Barnett and Carroll Gartin for lieutenant governor.

The Republican Rubel Phillips and Stanford Morse, the first Republican nominee for governor and lieutenant governor to run in Mississippi in decades, stood up to Johnson and Gartin. Barnett pleaded with his state's Democratic voters to "push out this Republican menace," adding that he was "fed up with these fence-riding, pussy-footing, snow-digging Yankee Republicans," a reference to northern transplants in Mississippi.

Barnett had been expected by some to run as a segregationist candidate against incumbent US President Lyndon B. Johnson, but he didn't. Governor George C. Wallace of Alabama played a part in this role, not running explicitly against Johnson but rather testing his fame in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Maryland.

Barnett's looming presence was evident at the first jury trial of white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith in February 1964, just short of his resignation from office. De La Beckwith was on trial for the assassination of African civil rights activist Medgar Evers, but an all-white jury was unable to reach a decision in both this and a subsequent re-trial. Former Governor Ross Barnett interrupted the proceedings, while Myrlie Evers was arguing to shake hands with Beckwith in the second re-trial. De La Beckwith was eventually found guilty at a subsequent trial three decades later, in the film Ghosts of Mississippi.

Former United States Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who frequently communicated by phone with Barnett during the Meredith crisis in an efforts to guarantee peacefully Meredith's enrollment at Ole Miss, visited the campus on March 18, 1966. Kennedy spoke to more than 6,000 students and faculty in a speech about racial integration and answered questions, including those about Meredith's enrollment. He told of a scheme in which Barnett had requested that US marshals point their guns at him, causing much applause among the attendees, while Meredith attempted to enroll so that "a snapshot of the event might be taken."

Meredith would enroll in Jackson, according to Barnett, "and if Meredith were registered, he (Barnett) would feign surprise." Both plans were approved by Kennedy, but they were unable due to events' change. He was welcomed with a standing ovation as Kennedy concluded his address and question-and-answer session.

Barnett's version of events on the next day was bitterly criticized by Kennedy: he was scathing in his interpretation of events.

Later life

Barnett attempted to return to politics in 1967 by running for governor again but came in fourth, finishing a distant fourth in the state primary. He returned to law, but remained unrepentant about his past, saying, "I'd do the same stuff again." He has also served and addressed various organizations, including the American Legion.

Barnett expressed no regret for his segregation. "I have no regrets, no apology to make," Barnett said when asked about the Ole Miss riot in 1982.

Ross Barnett Reservoir, which is northeast of Jackson, has been named in his honor. In May 2022, a petition to rename the reservoir was circulated. R. H. Cleveland, an outdoors writer, was among the many protesters. Before it was renamed Lake Prentiss Walker, a lake in Smith County was named after him.

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