John Stewart Battle (July 11, 1890 – April 9, 1972) was an American lawyer and politician who served in both houses of the
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...
and as the
56th Governor of Virginia (from 1950 to 1954).
Early and family life
Battle was born in 1890 in New Bern,
Craven County, North Carolina to Rev. Henry Battle and his wife. His paternal grandfather, Alabama lawyer and former Confederate General
Cullen Battle, moved to North Carolina when John was a boy and became a newspaper editor as well the mayor of New Bern. He also lectured concerning his wartime experiences and the
Lost Cause
The Lost Cause of the Confederacy (or simply Lost Cause) is an American pseudohistorical negationist mythology that claims the cause of the Confederate States during the American Civil War was just, heroic, and not centered on slavery. Firs ...
at various locations in North Carolina and Virginia. General Battle moved in with his son's family after his wife died. Rev. Battle moved his family several times during John's childhood, including to
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...
. After graduating from high school, John Battle traveled to
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
and earned an
associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree.
The fi ...
from
Mars Hill College
Mars Hill University is a private Christian university in Mars Hill, North Carolina. The university offers 35 undergraduate majors and includes a school of nursing and graduate schools in education, criminal justice, and management. From 1859 t ...
(then a junior college). He then earned a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
from
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...
(then a college) and a law degree from the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
.
Political career
Battle won election to the
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...
in 1929, and was re-elected twice to the part-time position. A member of the
Byrd Organization
The Byrd machine, or Byrd organization, was a political machine of the Democratic Party led by former Governor and U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd (1887–1966) that dominated Virginia politics for much of the 20th century. From the 1890s until the l ...
, Battle began serving in the
Virginia State Senate
The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senate, senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor ...
in 1934, and that part-time service continued until 1949, when he resigned upon winning the
gubernatorial election
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
.
With the assistance of Virginia Beach boss
Sidney Kellam, Battle defeated "anti" Byrd Organization leader
Francis Pickens Miller
Francis Pickens Miller (June 5, 1895 – August 3, 1978) was an American military and intelligence officer and Virginia politician who served in the Virginia House of Delegates for two terms (from 1938 until 1942), representing Fairfax County, ...
in the Democratic primary, by depicting him as a liberal and controlled by labor unions, and nearly ignoring his other opponents (Horace Edwards and Petersburg businessman Remmie Arnold). Prominent Republican Henry Wise of the Virginia Eastern Shore even urged his supporters to vote for Battle in the Democratic Party to repel the "invasion by aliens." Battle won 43% of the vote; Miller 35%, Edwards 15% and Arnold 7%
During his gubernatorial term, Virginia's General Assembly approved $45 million for school construction, which barely kept pace with population increases. Per pupil expenditures and teacher salaries remained below national averages, and the state ranked last nationally in percentage of high school age children actually attending high school, and next-to-last in college age children going to college. Virginia also ranked 40th in appropriations to care for the mentally ill.
[Heinemann p. 317]
Battle was a Delegate to the
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...
in 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, and 1968. When the Virginia delegation was threatened with expulsion at the 1952 Democratic Party national convention for refusing to sign a loyalty oath to whomever the party nominated (U.S. Senator
Harry F. Byrd
Harry Flood Byrd Sr. (June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) was an American newspaper publisher, politician, and leader of the Democratic Party in Virginia for four decades as head of a political faction that became known as the Byrd Organization. ...
often disagreeing with President
Harry S Truman
Harry may refer to:
TV shows
* ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin
* ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons
* ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...
), Battle delivered a speech to the convention that forestalled expulsion and helped prevent a split like the Democrats experienced in 1948. In 1956, Battle became the
Dixiecrat candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination, eventually losing in floor voting to former
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
Governor
Adlai Stevenson.
After his term ended in 1954, Battle went into semi retirement in
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
, although he continued to practice law, including representing the Albemarle County public schools, who faced a desegregation lawsuit by the NAACP.
Battle's political ambitions continued, despite the national spotlight on Virginia and the
Massive Resistance
Massive resistance was a strategy declared by U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd Sr. of Virginia and his brother-in-law James M. Thomson, who represented Alexandria in the Virginia General Assembly, to get the state's white politicians to pass laws and p ...
declarations by incumbent Senator
Harry F. Byrd Sr.
Harry Flood Byrd Sr. (June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) was an American newspaper publisher, politician, and leader of the Democratic Party in Virginia for four decades as head of a political faction that became known as the Byrd Organization ...
after the U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 1954 and 1955 in
Brown v. Board of Education
''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segrega ...
. Battle was prepared to run for the U.S. Senate in 1958 if Senator Byrd chose not to run for reelection. Former Governor (and then Congressman)
William Tuck had similar ambitions and even more fiery rhetoric, and Byrd chose to run again to avoid the political infighting that would result from a Battle-Tuck primary fight.
In 1959,
President Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
called on Battle to serve on the
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) is a bipartisan, independent commission of the United States federal government, created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 during the Eisenhower administration, that is charged with the responsibility fo ...
, citing his moderate history on
racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
.
Death and legacy
Battle died in 1972, at the age of 81, and was buried in
Monticello Memorial Park in
Charlottesville
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
.
His two sons became lawyers and continued their father's public involvement:
William C. Battle
William Cullen Battle (October 9, 1920 – May 31, 2008) was an American diplomat, lawyer, businessman, United States Ambassador to Australia, and president of the United States Golf Association.
Early life and education
Battle was born in Char ...
, (1920–2008) became
United States Ambassador to Australia
The position of United States Ambassador to Australia has existed since 1940. U.S.–Australian relations have been close throughout the history of Australia. Before World War II, Australia was closely aligned with the United Kingdom, but it has ...
and president of the
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules ...
, as well as the Democratic candidate for Governor of Virginia in 1969. John S. Battle, Jr. (1919–1997) became a Founding Trustee of the Thomas Jefferson Center for Free Expression, as well as served two terms on the Board of Visitors at the University of Virginia (1982–1990).
John S. Battle High School in
Washington County, Virginia
Washington County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,935. Its county seat is Abingdon.
Washington County is part of the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statis ...
, built in 1959, bears his name. Battle Hall at the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind is also named for the former governor.
Election
1949; Battle was elected Governor of Virginia with 70.43% of the vote, defeating Republican Walter Johnson and Social Democrat Clark T. Robb.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle, John S.
1890 births
1972 deaths
Democratic Party governors of Virginia
Mars Hill University alumni
Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates
People from New Bern, North Carolina
Candidates in the 1956 United States presidential election
University of Virginia School of Law alumni
Democratic Party Virginia state senators
Virginia lawyers
Wake Forest University alumni
20th-century American politicians