Hiram Wesley Evans

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Hiram Wesley Evans leading his Knights of the Klan on the parade held in Washington, D.C. on September 13, 1926.

Hiram Wesley Evans (September 26, 1881 in Ashland, Alabama – September, 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia) was Imperial Wizard of the "second" Ku Klux Klan from 1922 until 1939. Evans succeeded William Joseph Simmons in the position of the Imperial Wizard in November 1922. Simmons was at the same time elected Emperor for life.^[1]

[edit] Biography

He studied dentistry at Vanderbilt University but did not get a degree. Evans later worked as a dentist in Dallas, Texas until 1920. In the same year he joined the Klan.

The second Klan was established by failed minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South William J. Simmons in 1915 on Stone Mountain near Atlanta, Georgia. The first Ku Klux Klan (1865-1869) existed to oppose Reconstruction and maintain white control over former slaves in the regions of the former Confederate States of America.

The second Klan was also anti-black, but it had a much wider agenda than the first. A nativist group, it was anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, anti-labor union, and anti-communist. It was also supportive of the temperance movement and alcohol prohibition, which it pledged to enforce.^[2]

"Though men and women drop from the ranks they remain with us in purpose, and can be depended on fully in any crisis. Also, there are millions who have never joined, but who think and feel and -- when called on -- fight with us. This is our real strength, and no one who ignores it can hope to understand America today." – Hiram Wesley Evans^[3]

The era of Evans' leadership of the Klan saw internal struggle, rapid growth of membership, and eventually rapid decline. After 1922 Simmons' and Evans' factions struggled for power and the organization's money. This internal conflict was often making the news across the country. The newspapers also focused on the Klan-produced violence thus hurting its image nationwide. Amidst the negative press Evans decided to show strength of the Klan and organized the largest parade of Klansmen ever. Some 40,000 Knights of the Ku Klux Klan paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. in August 1925.^[4][5] At its peak in the mid-1920s, the organization included about 15% of the nation's eligible population, approximately 4–5 million men.^[6][7] In September 1926 Evans tried to repeat the parade but many less marchers arrived compared to 1925. Evans was a Mason who boasted of having helped re-elect Calvin Coolidge as President of the United States, of having secured passage of strict anti-immigration laws and of having checked the ambitions of Catholics and others intent on "perverting" the nation.^[4]

More negative press, reports of Klan's violence and attention of politicians led to flight of many members. During the Great Depression of 1930s the membership shrunk further to an estimated 30,000.^[7] Evans was succeeded as the Imperial Wizard by James A. Colescott. He left him the Klan much weakened, compared to situation when he began his leadership.

Evans' books include The Menace of Modern Immigration (1923), The Klan of Tomorrow (1924), Alienism in the Democracy (1927) The Rising Storm (1929), and The Klan Fights for Americanism (1926).

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

• David J. Hanson, Ph.D.. Temperance Movement Groups and Leaders in the U.S.. State University of New York at Potsdam.
• Lisa C. Maxwell. Hiram Wesley Evans. The Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.