Anti-Klan Activism in Missouri, 1921-1928
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A CALL TO CITIZENSHIP: ANTI-KLAN ACTIVISM IN MISSOURI, 1921-1928 _______________________________________ A Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri-Columbia _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy _____________________________________________________ by SEAN ROST Dr. Catherine Rymph, Dissertation Supervisor July 2018 © Copyright by Sean Rost 2018 All Rights Reserved The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the dissertation entitled A CALL TO CITIZENSHIP: ANTI-KLAN ACTIVISM IN MISSOURI, 1921-1928 presented by Sean Rost, a candidate for the degree of doctor of philosophy, and hereby certify that , in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. ___________________________________________________ Assoc. Professor Catherine Rymph ___________________________________________________ Adj. Asst. Professor Larry Brown ___________________________________________________ Asst. Professor Keona Ervin ___________________________________________________ Professor Jeffrey Pasley ___________________________________________________ Professor John Wigger DEDICATION To My Family ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Acknowledgements can be tricky. On the one hand, you want to thank individuals who helped the project to completion. On the other hand, you constantly worry that someone will get left out. Needless to say, in writing the acknowledgement, one realizes just how many people contributed to the overall project. While the author receives the attention, those who worked behind the scenes deserve recognition. But before I dispense with the long list of thank you’s, I want to thank you, the reader, for finding this work. It is my hope that the story interwoven in the following pages will not end at the conclusion of this project, but will go forth to aid countless other projects that tackle difficult historical topics. The research and writing time necessary for this dissertation would not have been possible without fellowships and grants from generous institutions. I would like to thank the following for their support of this project: Dissertation Fellowship and William Wilcher Endowment Grant from the Department of History at the University of Missouri, James S. Rollins Slavery Atonement Endowment from the Black Studies Department at the University of Missouri, Graduate Fellowship in American Political History and Research Grant from the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy, Research Grant from the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame, and the John Tracy Ellis Dissertation Award from the American Catholic Historical Association. ii Though historians sometimes get attention for “uncovering” new materials, there are archivists, librarians, and scholars around the world who deserve immense credit for collecting and processing these collections for the general public. With this in mind, I would like to thank the staff of the University of Notre Dame Archives, Special Collections Research Center at the University of Chicago, Indiana Historical Society, Archives & Special Collections at Ball State University, Library & Research Center of the Missouri Historical Society, Archdiocese of St. Louis’ Office of Archives and Records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Duke University, Missouri State Archives, Pius XII Memorial Library at St. Louis University, Missouri River Regional Library, Ellis Library’s Special Collections & Rare Books at the University of Missouri, and the Library of Congress. Of particular note were Rod Chapel, President of the Missouri NAACP; Gary Cox of the University of Missouri Archives; Janet Olson of the Frances Willard House Museum & Archives; and VivianLea Solek of the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council Archives. Finally, I’d like to thank my amazing colleagues at the State Historical Society of Missouri and the Missouri Humanities Council, especially Gary Kremer and Steve Belko, who helped this project in innumerable ways from start to finish. While deserved credit goes to those both on and off campus, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the scholarly community of faculty, staff, and graduate students that exists in Read Hall and at the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy. A graduate student writing group that featured Craig Forrest, Chris Deutsch, Carey Kelly, and Sam Rogers helped the structure, formatting, argument, and resources of each chapter immensely. You all helped this project in more ways than you realize. Additionally, iii since there was a significant overlap between our projects, Mary Beth Brown provided exceptional guidance on a number of subjects, including research collections to review, scholarly literature to read, and individuals to contact during the dissertation. Several components of this project were made fuller after conversations about her own dissertation. Finally, I found tremendous scholarly and morale support from Sarah Lirley McCune, Brandon Flint, Luke Schleif, Caitlin Lawrence, Danielle Griego, Zach Dowdle, Jonathan Jones, Will Mountz, Josh Nudell, Hunter Hampton, Jonathan Root, Darin Tuck, Jenna Rice, Lawrence Celani, and Cassie Yacovazzi. My dissertation committee was the best. Each member provided valuable and essential contributions that guided this project from a small study of a few Missouri counties to a wide-sweeping look at the entire state. Keona Ervin’s coursework on African American History shaped my understanding of how civil rights activism took on many forms. John Wigger’s graduate classes on American Religious History peaked an interest in the subject that I never knew existed. Larry Brown guided me through the specifics of white supremacist organizations and ideologies in United States History, especially those that continue to dwell within Missouri. Jeff Pasley constantly challenged me to do better. Not only did he suggest a state-wide study, but he made sure that this project did not come to simple conclusions. Finally, Catherine Rymph served as my advisor and one of my most ardent supporters. This dissertation would not have been possible without her guidance and wisdom. I am a better scholar, teacher, and person because of my time as her student. There is not enough space in this acknowledgement to thank her properly. iv Last, but certainly not least, I must thank my amazing family. You all were always there for me and never gave up on this dream. You showed support, and at times, even tough love. My parents, David and Pam, offered substantial help during my lengthy time in graduate school, including my father serving as my research assistant at the Library of Congress. My in-laws, Tim & LaDonne, Paige & Dan, Kayla & Jordan, were ready and willing to assist my wife when it came to childcare and playdates so I could research, write, and teach. With the exception of my daughter, my remaining children were all born at some point during the dissertation process. You offered me smiles, laughs, and comfort while Dad had “work” to do. Finally, my wife, Adrienne, was essential to this project. Her love and support put every single word on all these pages. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………………ii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS……………………………………………………………vii ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………….viii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 1. The Dead Men…………………………………………………………………….20 2. “Silence gives consent” ...........................................................................................77 3. “Catching Hell From All Quarters” ......................................................................116 4. “The Eyes of the Nation are upon Missouri” ........................................................176 5. “Vote for Visible Government” ............................................................................226 6. “Seeds of Death” ...................................................................................................283 7. “Candidate Hoover and His Buddies”...................................................................325 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................358 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................370 VITA................................................................................................................................390 vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Map of Missouri Counties ........................................................................................10 2. Klan activity in Missouri (July 1923-December 1924) ............................................11 vii A CALL TO CITIZENSHIP: ANTI-KLAN ACTIVISM IN MISSOURI, 1921-1928 Sean Rost Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Catherine Rymph ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the efforts of anti-Klan activists in Missouri to challenge the growth, recruitment, and political ambitions of the Ku Klux Klan during the 1920s. As a nation-wide organization, the Klan made major inroads in Missouri and built a substantial membership population that replicated similar growth in other states. However, as this dissertation argues, the Klan was unable to translate its recruiting success in Missouri into political power due to significant local opposition. These anti-Klan activists