Coleman Livingston Blease

Coleman Livingston Blease ( born October 8, 1868 Newberry, Newberry County, South Carolina; † January 19, 1942 in Columbia, South Carolina ) was an American politician and from 1911 to 1915 Governor of South Carolina.

Early years and political rise

Coleman Blease attended Newberry College and the University of South Carolina. Finally, he studied at Georgetown University in Washington law. After his admission to the bar in 1889, he opened with his brother, a law firm. Between 1890 and 1900, Blease with a break in the House of Representatives from South Carolina, from 1904 to 1908 he was a member of the State Senate. In 1910 he was also mayor of Newberry. After several failed attempts, he was nominated in 1910 by the Democratic Party to its top candidate for the upcoming gubernatorial election. He won the subsequent election of 8 November 1910 where he remained unopposed. Since the Republican Party in those years in South Carolina was so weak that it practically did not exist, political debates within the Democratic Party were held, which was split into two opposing factions.

Governor of South Carolina

After Blease was confirmed on November 5, 1910 again unopposed for another two years, he could officiate as governor for four years. The fact that he had no opponent in each case in the election, did not mean he was without controversy. Within the party, there was an opposition against which he had to prevail before the two elections each. During his tenure, the state administration was placed under the Medical College in Charleston. The governor went to waste before the administration and promoted education. But there were also dark sides of his government. Particularly controversial was his use of the pardon law. In his four years as governor he had pardoned 1500 to 2000 prisoners, including guilty felons. Supposedly, the governor wanted to give these "poor guys " a second chance. He had simultaneously filed against many bills of parliament vetoed.

In the race question he was a racist who was convinced of the inferiority of the black against the white race. He was not only segregationist, but also as a politician on the so-called disfranchisement, the legal discrimination of the black population by laws involved. He also advocated the lynching and thus illegal terror against the black population. Finally, he got even with the federal government on the issue of readiness of the National Guard in conflict. For this reason and also because of his increasing unpopularity, he resigned five days before the expiration of his term of office on 14 January 1915 by his office. Another reason for the resignation so close to the end of the term of office was the fact that he did not want to be present at the inauguration of the elected successor, Richard Irvine Manning for personal reasons. Noteworthy is still a natural disaster of 28 August 1911 when a hurricane destroyed the rice crop in the country.

More career

After leaving the office of governor, he remained politically active. Between 1925 and 1931 he was in the U.S. Senate in Washington. There he presented a legislative proposal, which should exacerbate the illegality of mixed marriages, so failed jedoch.In the years 1922, 1934 and 1938, he failed in each of the primaries with the attempt once again to become governor of South Carolina. Coleman Blease died in January 1942.