Harry F. Byrd

Harry Flood Byrd senior ( born June 10, 1887 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, † October 20, 1966 in New York City ) was an American politician of the Democratic Party. Byrd was 1926-1930 Governor of Virginia. From 1933 to 1965 he represented the state as a Senator in the U.S. Senate.

Early years and political rise

Even in his year of birth Harry Byrd came with his parents to Winchester, Virginia. There he attended the public schools and the Shenandoah Valley Academy. Since 1903, Byrd worked in the newspaper business by issuing the newspaper " Winchester Star," which belonged to his father. Later, he was still the " Martinsburg Evening Journal," and in 1923 out of the " Harrisburg Daily News-Record ." In the near Berryville in Clarke County, Virginia, he began with the operation of apples and peach orchards. This business he took over also by his father. He was occasionally east of the Mississippi as the largest apple producer. from 1908 to 1918 was director of the Byrd road maintenance in the Shenandoah Valley.

Byrd joined the Democratic Party, whose figurehead he was over large parts of the first half of the 20th century in Virginia. Between 1915 and 1925 he was a member of the Senate of Virginia. There he was a member of various committees. He campaigned for a further expansion of roads, should be financed with a mineral oil. In 1918, during the First World War, he was a state representative for the handling of the fuel reserves (Fuel Commissioner). In 1922 he was chairman of the Democratic Party in Virginia. During these years he became so popular in his state that he was elected in 1925 as the new governor.

Governor of Virginia

Harry Byrd began his four-year term on 1 February 1926. During his tenure, the laws were tightened against lynchings and all of such acts involved were convicted as murderers. The election process for the head of state has been simplified so that only the Governor, the Deputy Governor and the Attorney General were elected in the future. The administration has been reformed by some ministries were abolished or merged. At the end there were twelve government departments. Also, the tax law was reformed. Governor Byrd advocated for the expansion of the road network and tourism. Politically, he was able to strengthen its position in Virginia at this time. He obtained a great influence, which lasted until the 1960s. They spoke generally of the Byrd Organization, the specific instrumental all Democratic Party candidate for public office in these decades.

U.S. Senator

In 1928, Byrd supported the Democratic candidate Al Smith, and four years later, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Between 1928 and 1940 he was also in the Democratic National Committee. Following the resignation of Claude A. Swanson Byrd was elected to succeed him as U.S. Senator. In 1960 he joined unsuccessfully for the presidency as an independent candidate and won only 15 electoral votes ( in Mississippi, Alabama and Oklahoma). In subsequent Senate elections until 1964, he was confirmed in each case, so that he could exercise his mandate between 4 March 1933 and his resignation on 10 November 1965. During this time he was a member of various committees. He was chairman of the Committee on Rules and also a member of the Finance Committee. Domestically, he opposed the New Deal of President Roosevelt, but supported its foreign policy. Later he was not always adhered to the rules laid down by the Federal Party. Between 1959 and 1964 he was a staunch opponent of the civil rights movement and racial equality in schools. As early as 1956 he had the Southern Manifesto signed. In November 1965, Harry Byrd came for health reasons back as a senator. His seat was taken over by his son, Harry, who held this office until 1983.

Racist conviction

Byrd was a lifelong staunch supporter of racial segregation. Not only had he signed the Southern Manifesto, but also planned to fight against any progress in terms of desegregation. As the Supreme Court in 1954, the landmark court decision Brown vs.. Had adopted Board of Education, which outlawed racial segregation in schools, Byrd announced a program called massive resistance (massive resistance). This consisted of a hand, that bobwhite schools that picked up the racial segregation did not receive government grants and more on the other private schools that practiced racial segregation, should be supported. Against this plan has inter alia Governor Thomas B. Stanley resistance. The plan ultimately failed in the changing society.

Further CV

After his resignation to Byrd withdrew from politics. He died in October 1966., With his wife Annie Douglas Beverly whom he had four children, including the aforementioned son Harry. Harry Byrd Sr., was a nephew of Henry D. Flood, who had been from 1901 to 1921 deputy in the U.S. House of Representatives. Another uncle was his brother Joel West Flood, who was from 1931 to 1932 also a congressman. Byrd's brother, Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd (1888-1957), was a famous polar explorer and flew over the South Pole as the first.