Josiah William Bailey (September 14, 1873 – December 15, 1946) was an American politician who served as a

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 North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

from 1931 to 1946.

Early life and education

Born in

Warrenton, North Carolina Warrenton is a town in, and the county seat of, Warren County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 862 at the 2010 census. Warrenton, now served by U.S. routes 158 and 401, was founded in 1779. It became one of the wealthiest towns ...

, he grew up in Raleigh and graduated from Wake Forest College (now

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 ...

Career

Before turning to a career in law, Bailey was editor of the ''

Biblical Recorder ''The Biblical Recorder'' is a news organization owned by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC). Early history The newspaper was founded in 1833 by Thomas Meredith, a prominent Southern Baptist leader in North Carolina. Apart f ...

'', a newspaper for North Carolina

Baptists Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

. He was a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

. Elected to the

United States Senate 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 pow ...

in 1930, defeating longtime incumbent

Furnifold McLendel Simmons Furnifold McLendel Simmons (January 20, 1854April 30, 1940) was an American politicians who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1887 to March 4, 1889 and U.S. senator from the state of North ...

, Bailey earned a reputation as a conservative while in office. In 1937, he coauthored the bipartisan

Conservative Manifesto The Conservative Manifesto (officially titled "An Address to the People of the United States") was a position statement drafted in 1937 by a bipartisan coalition of conservative politicians in the United States. Those involved in its creation inc ...

, a document criticizing President

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

and proposing more conservative alternatives. Among other things, the Manifesto called for lower taxes and less spending. That same year, Bailey gave a rousing floor speech against President Roosevelt's court-packing bill, which convinced at least three freshman Republicans, thought by Majority Leader Joe Robinson to be definite supporters, to oppose the measure. A segregationist and white supremacist, Bailey filibustered anti-lynching legislation in 1938.Beauchamp, Zack (October 9, 2013)
How Racism Caused The Shutdown
''ThinkProgress''. Retrieved September 4, 2021. During his time in office, he served as chairman of the

Committee on Claims The United States Senate Committee on Claims was among the first standing committees established in the Senate. It dealt generally with issues related to private bills and petitions. After reforms in the 1880s that created judicial and administra ...

and

Committee on Commerce The United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is a standing committee of the United States Senate. Besides having broad jurisdiction over all matters concerning interstate commerce, science and technology policy, a ...

Death

Bailey died in office in 1946.

References

Sources

*Finley, Keith M. ''Delaying the Dream: Southern Senators and the Fight Against Civil Rights, 1938–1965'' (Baton Rouge, LSU Press, 2008).

External links

The "Conservative Manifesto" from the North Carolina History Project
*

by Troy Kickler, December 13, 2006

* ttp://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=bailey&GSfn=josiah&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=8091147& Josiah William Baileyat Find-A-Grave
Josiah Bailey papers
1773–1867. 2" linear. At th
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Josiah 1873 births 1946 deaths Democratic Party United States senators from North Carolina North Carolina Democrats Burials at Historic Oakwood Cemetery Wake Forest University alumni Baptists from North Carolina Old Right (United States) American white supremacists 1908 United States presidential electors