Furnifold McLendel Simmons (January 20, 1854April 30, 1940) was an American politicians who served as a

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

member of the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1887 to March 4, 1889 and

U.S. senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from the state of North Carolina between March 4, 1901 and March 4, 1931. He served as chairman of the powerful Committee on Finance from March 4, 1913 to March 4, 1919. He was an unsuccessful contender for the 1920 Democratic Party nomination for president. Simmons was a staunch segregationist and white supremacist, and a leading perpetrator of the

Wilmington insurrection of 1898 The Wilmington insurrection of 1898, also known as the Wilmington massacre of 1898 or the Wilmington coup of 1898, was a coup d'état and massacre carried out by white supremacists in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States, on Thursday, Novem ...

Life and career

Simmons was born in Pollocksville, North Carolina, the son of Mary McLendel (Jerman) and Furnifold Greene Simmons. After Republicans won control of the North Carolina legislature in 1894, Simmons led efforts to disenfranchise black voters and return Democrats to power across the state. He allied with white supremacist newspapers to stoke fears of black men as predators of white women and too incompetent to be trusted as office holders or voters. Simmons also set up hundreds of "White Government Unions," which aimed to "announce on all occasions that they would succeed if they had to shoot every negro in the city." As a result, Democrats swept the 1898 election, and the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898 broke out the following day. In 1901 Simmons won the Democratic nomination for the US Senate. From his Senate seat, he then ran a powerful political machine, using

A. D. Watts Alston Davidson "Aus" Watts (1867–1927) was a North Carolina politician. A Democrat, Watts represented Iredell County, North Carolina in the North Carolina House of Representatives (1901 and 1903) and in the North Carolina Senate. In 1912, Wa ...

"to keep the machine oiled back home," in the words of one journalist. Simmons remained in office for the next thirty years. Senator Simmons refused to endorse

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928. The son of an Irish-American mother and a C ...

, the Democratic nominee for president in 1928 and the first Catholic nominated by a major party, winning him praise from members of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

. Still, rejecting the Democratic nominee in 1928, together with the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, led to Simmons being defeated in the 1930 Democratic primary by

Josiah W. Bailey Josiah William Bailey (September 14, 1873 – December 15, 1946) was an American politician who served as a U.S. senator from the state of North Carolina from 1931 to 1946. Early life and education Born in Warrenton, North Carolina, he grew ...

, who was backed by Governor

O. Max Gardner Oliver Max Gardner (March 22, 1882February 6, 1947) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of North Carolina, 57th Governor of North Carolina, governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1929 to 1933. A member of the ...

References

External links

North Carolina History Project
at The Political Graveyard * 1854 births 1940 deaths American proslavery activists Democratic Party United States senators from North Carolina North Carolina Democratic Party chairs Candidates in the 1920 United States presidential election 20th-century American politicians Wake Forest University alumni Politicians from New Bern, North Carolina Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina Activists from North Carolina Wilmington insurrection of 1898 People from Jones County, North Carolina American white supremacists History of racism in North Carolina Political violence in the United States {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub