Theodore Gilmore Bilbo

Background

Bilbo was born in Juniper Grove, Mississippi, on October 13, 1877. His parents, Obedience "Beedy" (née Wallis or Wallace) and James Oliver Bilbo were of Scotch-Irish descent.

Education

At the age of nineteen he became a licensed Baptist preacher. He attended the University of Nashville and then studied law at Vanderbilt University and the University of Michigan.

Career

Bilbo was elected to the Mississippi State Senate in 1907, and served there until 1912. He was an inconspicuous member of the legislature until 1910, when he was accused of accepting a bribe to vote for Leroy Percy as U. S. senator. Bilbo acknowledged that he had accepted $625 but claimed that he did so only to trap the conspirators, and he was acquitted of the charge. In 1912 Bilbo was elected lieutenant-governor of Mississippi, and in 1916, governor. He was defeated for reelection in 1920. The following year he served ten days in jail for refusing to appear in court and testify when scandalous charges were brought against Governor Lee Russell. Upon his release from jail, Bilbo announced his candidacy for governor. He was defeated then, but succeeded in 1928, becoming the first man to serve two terms as the governor of Mississippi. Bilbo was elected to the United States Senate in 1934 and again in 1940. There he continued his crusades for states' rights and white supremacy. Although Bilbo was once more reelected to the Senate in 1946, the oath of office was never administered. The Senate began an investigation of charges of fraud and other irregularities that occurred during his Senate service. Formal hearings were postponed because of failing health. Bilbo died in New Orleans, on August 21, 1947.

Achievements

• He was a politician best known for his racist and demagogic rhetoric. He was the author of a pro-segregation work, Take Your Choice: Separation or Mongrelization.

Religion

At the age of nineteen he became a licensed Baptist preacher.

Politics

The following year he served ten days in jail for refusing to appear in court and testify when scandalous charges were brought against Governor Lee Russell.

Views

Quotations: "The principle of segregation of the White and Negro races in the South is so well known that it requires no definition. Briefly and plainly stated, the object of this policy is to prevent the two races from meeting on terms of social equality. By established practice, each race maintains its own institutions and promotes its own social life. "

Membership

He strongly urged the deportation of American blacks to Africa, and in 1946 admitted membership in the Ku Klux Klan.

Connections

Father:

James Oliver Bilbo

Mother:

Obedience "Beedy" Bilbo

Wife:

Lillian Selita Herrington

Wife:

Lida Ruth Gaddy

References

• Rednecks, Redeemers, and Race: Mississippi after Reconstruction, 1877-1917 (Heritage of Mississippi Series)
• The Man Bilbo