Thomas Abernethy
| Thomas Abernethy | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| United States House of Representatives | |
| In office 1943–1973 |
|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 4th district |
|
| In office January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1953 |
|
| Preceded by | Aaron L. Ford |
| Succeeded by | John B. Williams |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 1st district |
|
| In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1973 |
|
| Preceded by | John E. Rankin |
| Succeeded by | Jamie L. Whitten |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 16, 1903 Eupora, Mississippi |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Jackson, Mississippi |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | Margaret Gail A. Doty, Thomas G. Abernethy Jr., and Alice Kay A. Martin. |
Thomas Gerstle Abernethy (May 16, 1903 – June 11, 1998) was a member of the United States House of Representatives.[1] He served fifteen terms from 1953 to 1973.
Biography
Early life
Thomas Gerstle Abertheny was born on May 16, 1903 in Eupora, Mississippi. He attended the local public schools. He studied at the University of Alabama, and the University of Mississippi, and graduated from Cumberland University in 1924.
Career
He was admitted to the bar and started practicing in his hometown through 1929, when he moved to Okolona, Mississippi. He served as the district attorney for the third judicial district of Mississippi from 1936 through 1942.[2]
In 1942, he was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives, where he served through 1973. He retired to live in Okolona, Mississippi, and Jackson, Mississippi, until he died in 1998. Abernethy was a signatory to the 1956 Southern Manifesto that opposed the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education, and voted against the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.[3]
He is most notable for having made the first public citation of A Racial Program for the Twentieth Century, on June 7, 1957, during a debate on the Civil Rights Act of 1957, when he read a quotation from it into the congressional record and claimed it as proof that the Civil Rights Movement was a foreign Communist plot.[4]
During his career, he proposed a number of constitutional amendments relating to school prayer and elections of the President and Vice President.[5]
President Richard Nixon in a telephone call with his wife on 2 July 1971 referred to Congressman Abernethy. He noted that he had been at a White House function the previous night and stated that he had been in the Congress for 29 years and that Congressman Abernethy had said to him "did you know that this is the first time in 29 years that I have ever had a bite to eat at the White House". Nixon described him as a "nice man".
Death
He died on June 11, 1998.
References
- ↑ Boller, Paul F.; George, John (1990). They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions. Oxford University Press. pp. 14–16. ISBN 978-0-19-506469-8.
- ↑ Biographical Dictionary of the U.S. Congress - Retro Member details. bioguideretro.congress.gov. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
- ↑ "Final House vote on the Civil Rights Act of 1964"
- ↑ United States House Congressional Record - House June 7, 1957, p. 8559 paragraph 3
- ↑ Amending America: Proposed Amendments to the United States Constitution, 1787 to 2014 - Data.gov. catalog.data.gov. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
External links
- Thomas Abernethy at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- The Thomas Abernethy Collection (MUM00001) owned by the University of Mississippi
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 4th congressional district 1943-1953 |
Succeeded by John B. Williams |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 1st congressional district 1953-1973 |
Succeeded by Jamie L. Whitten |
- 1903 births
- 1998 deaths
- American anti-communists
- American segregationists
- People from Eupora, Mississippi
- Mississippi Democrats
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi
- University of Alabama alumni
- University of Mississippi alumni
- Cumberland University alumni
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- 20th-century American politicians
