James K. Vardaman

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James Kimble Vardaman
United States Senator from Mississippi
In office 1913-1919
Preceded by	Le Roy Percy
Succeeded by	Byron P. Harrison
Born	July 26, 1861(1861-07-26) Jackson County, Texas
Died	June 25, 1930 (aged 68) Birmingham, Alabama
Political party	Democratic

James Kimble Vardaman (July 26, 1861 - June 25, 1930) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Mississippi.

[edit] Early life

Vardaman was born near Edna, Jackson County, Texas and moved in 1868 with his parents to Yalobusha County, Mississippi. He went on to study law and became editor of a newspaper, the Greenwood Commonwealth (still in publication as of 2007).

[edit] Political career

As a Democrat, Vardaman served in the state house of representatives from 1890 to 1896 and was speaker of that body in 1894. He was a major in the United States Army during the Spanish-American War.

After two failed attempts in 1895 and 1899, Vardaman won the governorship in 1903 and served one 4-year term (1904-1908), carrying farmers and people in the central part of the state who favored a populist agenda. He advocated a policy of racism against African-Americans, even to the point of supporting lynching in order to maintain his vision of white supremacy.

He was known as the "Great White Chief" by some.^{[citation needed]} He was elected to the U.S. Senate and served one term lasting from 1913 until 1919, having been defeated in his reelection bid in 1918. The main factor in his defeat was his opposition to the Declaration of War which had enabled the United States to enter World War I.

v • d • e Governors of Mississippi Holmes • Poindexter • Leake • Brandon • Holmes • Brandon • Scott • Lynch • Runnels • Quitman • Lynch • McNutt • Tucker • Brown • Matthews • Quitman • Guion • J. Whitfield • Foote • Pettus • McRae • McWillie • Pettus • Clark • Sharkey • Humphreys • Ames • Alcorn • Powers • Ames • Stone • Lowry • Stone • McLaurin • Longino • Vardaman • Noel • Brewer • Bilbo • Russell • H. Whitfield • Murphree • Bilbo • Conner • White • Johnson • Murphree • Bailey • Wright • White • Coleman • Barnett • Johnson Jr. • Williams • Waller • Finch • Winter • Allain • Mabus • Fordice • Musgrove • Barbour

v • d • e United States Senators from Mississippi Class 1: Leake • Holmes • Ellis • Reed • Ellis • Black • Trotter • T. Hickman Williams • Henderson • Speight • Davis • McRae • S. Adams • Davis • Ames • Pease • Bruce • George • Money • J. Williams • Stephens • Bilbo • Stennis • Lott • Wicker Class 2: T. Hill Williams • Reed • R. Adams • Poindexter • Walker • Chalmers • Foote • Brooke • Brown • Revels • Alcorn • Lamar • Walthall • McLaurin • Walthall • Sullivan • McLaurin • Gordon • Percy • Vardaman • Harrison • Eastland • Doxey • Eastland • Cochran