Ellison D. Smith
Encyclopedia
Ellison DuRant "Cotton Ed" Smith (August 1, 1864 – November 17, 1944) was a Democratic Party
politician
from the U.S. state
of South Carolina
. He represented South Carolina in the United States Senate
from 1909 until 1944.
Smith was born in Lynchburg, South Carolina
. Smith attended the University of South Carolina
, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, and graduated from Wofford College
in 1889. Smith served in the South Carolina House of Representatives
from 1896 to 1900. Smith was unsuccessful in his bid to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1900. Smith then worked in the Agriculture industry, becoming a figure in the cotton
industry. Smith received the nickname "Cotton Ed" after he declared "Cotton is king and white is supreme."
Smith was elected to the United States Senate
in 1908. He was re-elected five times, although from 1920 until 1944, Smith had four close elections, with three of them leading to run-off elections. Smith never won more than 61% in Democratic party primaries in this time. During his time in Congress, he had a goal to "keep the Negroes down and the price of cotton up." He also developed a reputation for standing on his feet and try to get the floor speaker's attention by repeatedly hacking his armchair with a penknife whenever the speaker angered him. In the 1930's, Smith became Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry and would imperiously summon the fellow Senators on the Committee by saying "tell those butt-heads we will assemble tomorrow morning."
Smith was described as a person who "could never join the twentieth century." In the 1930s, Smith emerged as an opponent to the New Deal
, which he dubbed as "the Jackass Age," leading President Franklin Roosevelt to try unsuccessfully to have Smith defeated in the 1938 primary. Smith won re-election in a close election in that year; it was also believed that the people of South Carolina at the point in time were fed up with Smith and that he would have lost the primary if Roosevelt had not interfered. Cotton Ed Smith lost renomination for the Senate in 1944 to Olin D. Johnston
, a pro-Roosevelt New Dealer who had previously challenged Smith in 1938, and he died soon afterward, even before his Senate term had expired.
Smith opposed the woman's suffrage movement, and specifically the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Tying the amendment to black suffrage, he warned on the Senate floor "Here is exactly the identical same amendment applied to the other half of the Negro race. The southern man who votes for the Susan B. Anthony Amendment votes to ratify the Fifteenth Amendment."
At the 1936 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Smith walked out of the convention hall once he saw that a black minister was going to deliver the invocation. Smith recalled, "He started praying and I started walking. And from his great plantation in the sky, John C. Calhoun
bent down and whispered in my ear – 'You done good, Ed.
In 1944, Johnston again challenged Smith in the Democratic Primary. During the campaign, Johnston, now Governor of South Carolina, was strongly supportive of Roosevelt's foreign policy, but was now lukewarm towards the New Deal and was able to the snatch the "flag of white supremacy" from Smith by boasting how he changed the state's laws to keep blacks from voting. During the campaign, presented himself as an aged and tired old man and during at least one debate with Johnston, he spoke for only a few minutes and then played a recording of a speech he had made six years earlier. After hearing word of his defeat on his 2,500 acre farm near Lynchburg, Smith stood up in frustration and said "Well, I guess I better go out and look at the pigs."
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. He represented South Carolina in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from 1909 until 1944.
Smith was born in Lynchburg, South Carolina
Lynchburg, South Carolina
Lynchburg is a town in Lee County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 588 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lynchburg is located at ....
. Smith attended the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, and graduated from Wofford College
Wofford College
Established in 1854 and related to the United Methodist Church, Wofford College is an independent, Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts college of 1,525 students located in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. The historic campus is recognized as a national arboretum and features “The...
in 1889. Smith served in the South Carolina House of Representatives
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the upper house being the South Carolina Senate. It consists of 124 Representatives elected to two year terms at the same time as US Congressional elections...
from 1896 to 1900. Smith was unsuccessful in his bid to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1900. Smith then worked in the Agriculture industry, becoming a figure in the cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
industry. Smith received the nickname "Cotton Ed" after he declared "Cotton is king and white is supreme."
Smith was elected to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in 1908. He was re-elected five times, although from 1920 until 1944, Smith had four close elections, with three of them leading to run-off elections. Smith never won more than 61% in Democratic party primaries in this time. During his time in Congress, he had a goal to "keep the Negroes down and the price of cotton up." He also developed a reputation for standing on his feet and try to get the floor speaker's attention by repeatedly hacking his armchair with a penknife whenever the speaker angered him. In the 1930's, Smith became Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry and would imperiously summon the fellow Senators on the Committee by saying "tell those butt-heads we will assemble tomorrow morning."
Smith was described as a person who "could never join the twentieth century." In the 1930s, Smith emerged as an opponent to the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
, which he dubbed as "the Jackass Age," leading President Franklin Roosevelt to try unsuccessfully to have Smith defeated in the 1938 primary. Smith won re-election in a close election in that year; it was also believed that the people of South Carolina at the point in time were fed up with Smith and that he would have lost the primary if Roosevelt had not interfered. Cotton Ed Smith lost renomination for the Senate in 1944 to Olin D. Johnston
Olin D. Johnston
Olin DeWitt Talmadge Johnston was a Democratic Party politician from the US state of South Carolina. He served as the 98th Governor of South Carolina, 1935–1939 and 1943–1945, and represented the state in the United States Senate from 1945 until his death in 1965.-Early Life, Military Involvement,...
, a pro-Roosevelt New Dealer who had previously challenged Smith in 1938, and he died soon afterward, even before his Senate term had expired.
Smith opposed the woman's suffrage movement, and specifically the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Tying the amendment to black suffrage, he warned on the Senate floor "Here is exactly the identical same amendment applied to the other half of the Negro race. The southern man who votes for the Susan B. Anthony Amendment votes to ratify the Fifteenth Amendment."
At the 1936 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Smith walked out of the convention hall once he saw that a black minister was going to deliver the invocation. Smith recalled, "He started praying and I started walking. And from his great plantation in the sky, John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun
John Caldwell Calhoun was a leading politician and political theorist from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. Calhoun eloquently spoke out on every issue of his day, but often changed positions. Calhoun began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent...
bent down and whispered in my ear – 'You done good, Ed.
In 1944, Johnston again challenged Smith in the Democratic Primary. During the campaign, Johnston, now Governor of South Carolina, was strongly supportive of Roosevelt's foreign policy, but was now lukewarm towards the New Deal and was able to the snatch the "flag of white supremacy" from Smith by boasting how he changed the state's laws to keep blacks from voting. During the campaign, presented himself as an aged and tired old man and during at least one debate with Johnston, he spoke for only a few minutes and then played a recording of a speech he had made six years earlier. After hearing word of his defeat on his 2,500 acre farm near Lynchburg, Smith stood up in frustration and said "Well, I guess I better go out and look at the pigs."