F. M. B. "Marsh" Cook was a political candidate in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

who was murdered by white supremacists for campaigning for a seat at Mississippi's 1890 Constitutional Convention. A white Republican, he was campaigning in

Jasper County, Mississippi Jasper County is located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. At the 2010 census, the population was 17,062. In 1906, the state legislature established two county courts, one at the first county seat of Paulding in the eastern part of the county ...

. He was ambushed by six men and shot 27 times. A historical marker commemorates his death.

History

Congress election campaign

Cook was an 1888 Republican candidate for a seat in the U.S. Congress. Democrats had retaken control of Mississippi after the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

. "“Our chief duty when we meet in Convention is to devise such measures . . . as will enable us to maintain a home government, under the control of the white people of the State."United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Case: 19-60632 Document: 00516445896 Page: 37 Date Filed: 08/24/2022 https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/19/19-60632-CV2.pdf Cook contested his election loss to

Chapman L. Anderson Chapman Levy Anderson (March 15, 1845 – April 27, 1924) was a U.S. Representative from Mississippi, serving two terms from 1887 to 1891. A Confederate Army veteran, he was a member of the Democratic Party. Biography Born near Macon, Mississi ...

. Anderson recorded about five times as many votes as Cook in the November 1889 election.

Mississippi Constitutional Convention

Mississippi's 1890 Constitutional Convention was organized to disenfranchise African American voters. Cook campaigned for a seat on the position that he would oppose attempts to limit Black voting rights. He also encouraged Black people to organize against the discrimination. Democrats threatened him after his two public speeches.

Attack

On July 25, 1890, Cook was assassinated as he approached a log schoolhouse in a rural area near Mount Zion Church. His body was found hours later by a woman.

Aftermath

Cook's murder received national news coverage. Some editorials blamed Cook for his "incendiary" speeches. The ''Jackson Daily Clarion-Ledger'' wrote, "Cook was slain because of his inflammatory speeches and efforts to stir up strife and bad blood between the races." In another article, the ''Clarion-Ledger'' said, "The ''Clarion-Ledger'' regrets the manner of his killing as assassinations cannot be condoned at any time. Yet the people of Jasper are to be congratulated that they will not be further annoyed by Marsh Cook." The ''Pascagoula Democrat Star'' called Cook a "scalawag". ''Terre Haute Daily News'' wrote that Cook "had the reputation of being a turbulent spirit in the community, and his chief desire seemed to be to antagonize and engender all the race prejudices possible." The ''Grenada Sentinel'' wrote, "While we have the utmost detestation for such characters as Marsh Cook, we have a greater of assassination." Other editorials reacted to claims that it was not a "political" murder; the ''Eau Claire Free Press Weekly'' wrote, "Yet we all know, and those who are honest admit, that such murders are political. The murderers are always democrats... But it is a way of giving the public notice that freedom of speech is not tolerated in democratic Mississippi." Cook's brother, Dr. J.H. Cook, denied that the speeches were incendiary and claimed it was a political murder. The ''Davenport Morning Tribune'' reported'','' "The '' Memphis Avalanche'' agrees that Marsh Cook was murdered because he was brave enough to publicly proclaim his convictions. Those whom Mr. Cook opposed, were not able to keep him quite '' ic' so they killed him." Governor John Marshall Stone offered a $500 reward for apprehending the perpetrators. No one was ever prosecuted for it. The convention moved forward in August with a state constitution that included tactics to disenfranchise Black voters, including

literacy tests A literacy test assesses a person's literacy skills: their ability to read and write have been administered by various governments, particularly to immigrants. In the United States, between the 1850s and 1960s, literacy tests were administered t ...

and poll taxes. This became known as the

Mississippi Plan The Mississippi Plan of 1875 was developed by white Southern Democrats as part of the white insurgency during the Reconstruction Era in the Southern United States. It was devised by the Democratic Party in that state to overthrow the Republican Pa ...

and other Southern states followed by rewriting their state constitutions with similar disenfranchisement clauses. Mississippi adopted its constitution on November 1, 1890 and it went into effect immediately, rather than being ratified by the voters.

References

{{Reflist Deaths by firearm in Mississippi 1890 murders in the United States 1890 in Mississippi