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YAPPING DOGS: JOE T. PATTERSON AND THE LIMITS OF MASSIVE RESISTANCE by ROBERT E. LUCKETT, JR. (Under the Direction of Robert A. Pratt) ABSTRACT This dissertation focuses on Joe T. Patterson, Attorney General of the State of Mississippi from 1956 until his death in office in 1969. As a prominent white politician in the Deep South, he was an outspoken segregationist. At the same time, he was a “man of the law.” As Attorney General, Patterson defended the legal implementations of Jim Crow in the state, but he also had to enforce federal law, as interpreted by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. Those interpretations undermined segregation and black disfranchisement during Patterson’s four terms in office, which forced him to both defend and attack the foundations of Jim Crow. For his efforts, Patterson reaped criticism from each side of the civil rights movement. To the most adamant racists like Mississippi’s Governor, Ross Barnett, he was a traitor—a “Kennedy liberal” and the man responsible for James Meredith’s successful integration of the University of Mississippi. In fact, Patterson opposed Meredith’s admission with the full force of his office, but, once all legal barriers had been removed, he played a key, albeit unwanted, role in getting Meredith safely to Oxford. For those sympathetic to the civil rights movement, Patterson was a daunting foe. His ability to claim Barnett as a political enemy and his law-and-order record allowed him leeway in the eyes of the national media and the federal government, which made his brand of segregation quite effective. While Patterson claimed to enforce the letter of federal law, he forestalled its spirit through his dedication to a type of “color-blind” politics that explicitly ignored race as a determining factor but implicitly was all about the maintenance of white power. Difficult to define and undermine, his ideas were at the forefront of a burgeoning conservative movement throughout the nation. Rejecting racial demagogues and violence, the white voters of the state turned to Patterson in order to better forestall the encroachments of the civil rights movement. INDEX WORDS: Joe T. Patterson, Civil Rights Movement, Segregation, Disfranchisement, Ross Barnett, Paul Johnson, James P. Coleman, John McLaurin, Mississippi, Brown v. Board of Education, Citizens’ Council, Sovereignty Commission, Erle Johnston, Robert Kennedy, John Kennedy, Burke Marshall, James Meredith, University of Mississippi, Voting Rights Act, Civil Rights Act, Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, Clyde Kennard YAPPING DOGS: JOE T. PATTERSON AND THE LIMITS OF MASSIVE RESISTANCE by ROBERT E. LUCKETT, JR. B.A., Yale University, 1999 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2009 © 2009 Robert E. Luckett, Jr. All Rights Reserved YAPPING DOGS: JOE T. PATTERSON AND THE LIMITS OF MASSIVE RESISTANCE by ROBERT E. LUCKETT, JR. Major Professor: Robert A. Pratt Committee: James C. Cobb Edward Larson Derrick Alridge Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2009 DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my father, Robert E. Luckett, who believed in the value of education and in its power to help people achieve their dreams. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It’s hard to know where to begin when it comes to acknowledging those people who made it possible for me to get where I am today. The journey that has brought me to this point was unforeseeable when I left Mississippi for Yale in 1995. Little did I know at the time, but I was entering a world, where I would learn to think for myself, which thankfully led me away from law school. My experiences over six years in New Haven changed me for the better, and the people I lived and learned with there informed the person I became. First, my college roommate and best friend for the past fifteen years, Danny Sims, has been a constant source of encouragement and fun. Without his example and presence in my life, I may not have made it through my undergraduate days. There were so many friends at Yale, though, who pushed me down this path that it would be impossible to name them all. A few must be recognized: Freddy Sheahan, Ryan Joelson, Katy Grubbs, Hugh Flick, Kelly Brownell, Robyn Harris Stout, Mike May, Nathan Gault, and the list could go on. All of them have made my life richer. I also must thank Glenda Gilmore because, if it had not been for her, I would have never applied to graduate school and specifically to the University of Georgia. For that, I am eternally grateful. As for my grad school experience, I could not have been luckier than to have spent eight years with the company of scholars and friends I found in Athens. From the beginning, I was challenged to become the best historian I could be, and I thank the faculty there for all that they did to make me realize what the study of history could contribute to the world around me. Jim Cobb, John Inscoe, Ed Larson, Kathleen Clark, Paul Sutter, Derrick Alridge, and Bryant Simon v all had an indelible impact, but in particular Robert Pratt accepted me under his tutelage and turned out to be the best advisor this grad student could have imagined. His door was always open, and he provided anything and everything that I ever needed or even asked for. I learned more about scholarship and teaching from him than I could possibly recount here. I am deeply indebted to his example. There were other scholars and archivists of course whose help was immeasurable in the pursuit of a PhD. I’d particularly like to thank my high school history teacher and basketball coach, Richard Wilkinson, who first inspired my love of history and had as big of an impact on my life as anyone outside my own parents. Bill Patterson and the entire Patterson family made this dissertation a possibility. Laurie Kane and Vici Payne literally make the history department at UGA run and were always there for me when I needed them. Joe Crespino’s scholarship and willingness to encourage a no-name grad student were extremely influential. And, then, there was John Dittmer. His book Local People made me want to become a civil rights historian. In the archives, where projects like this one either live or die, so many people provided essential assistance that I cannot remember them all. The entire staff at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History helped me at one point or another, and Mattie Sink in the Mitchell Library at Mississippi State as well as Jennifer Ford and Leigh McWhite at Ole Miss were indispensable in their knowledge and support. Various staff members at the National Archives in College Park and the Library of Congress were also immensely helpful as were the people at the Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, where a research grant made it possible for me to spend time in its incredible collections. With that said, the people that I met in Athens, especially graduate students, saw me safely through the best and worst times of my life. All the nights I spent at Foxz and on my front vi porch swing were highlighted by the company of great friends. In this case, the list is not a small one: Ivy Holliman, Bert Way, Judkin Browning, Bruce Stewart, Chris Manganiello, Chris and Allison Huff, Ichiro Miyata, John and Kim Turner, Sara Sylvester, Betty Thomas, Justin Nystrom, Anita Kishore, Anne Marshall, Jim Giesen, Cassie Sheldon, Daniel Seaton, Marija Bekafigo, Matt Stambaugh, and Alex Hayes all made for an incomparable amount of good times. But, far and away, the boys of Local 578 were the ones who made my days in Athens special. John Hayes and Frank Forts are two of the best people I know, and their friendship will forever be cherished. I also have been lucky enough to have had the constant support and love of my family. From the Lucketts to Bee, Rick, Taylor, and Mae, my extended family is the best anyone could ask for. Most of all, I have my parents to thank. I cannot put into words all that my mother and father have meant to me. I will never be able to fill his shoes, but Dad’s example is the only inspiration I will ever need. I miss him every day but know that he has seen me through all that’s brought me here. As for Mom, she has wanted nothing but the best for me. She has worked tirelessly toward that end and never asked for anything but my love in return. I owe her the world and can only strive to be half the human being she is. I am so thankful that C.B. Carroll has come into her life to be her rock. Finally, I have Serenity, Rhett, and Eva to thank for bringing long lost fulfillment to my life. Along with Molly and Jackson, our family means the world to me. I hope that I can prove to be a father and husband that they will be proud of. Thank you, Serenity. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................................v INTRODUCTION: The Mississippian’s Dilemma ........................................................................1 CHAPTER 1 The Road to Attorney General.....................................................................................30 2 Brown and the Sovereignty Commission.....................................................................69 3 Clyde Kennard and an Expanding Movement...........................................................104 4 Ross Barnett and the Hardliners ................................................................................140
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