Denmark Groover Jr. (June 30, 1922 – April 18, 2001) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

politician who served in the state of Georgia's House of Representatives.

Early life

Groover was born in

Quitman, Georgia Quitman is a city in and the county seat of Brooks County, Georgia, Brooks County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 4,064 in 2020. The Quitman Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places ...

, on June 30, 1922, to Mary Porter McCall and Denmark Groover Sr. He was educated in the public schools in Quitman. His father was a salesman who sold mules, insurance, and watermelons. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

who flew with the so-called

Black Sheep Squadron ''Baa Baa Black Sheep'' (renamed ''Black Sheep Squadron'' for the second season) is an American television series that aired on NBC from September 23, 1976, until April 6, 1978. It was part period military drama, part comedy. In the final seve ...

, which was commanded by Major

Pappy Boyington Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (December 4, 1912 – January 11, 1988) was an American combat pilot who was a United States Marine Corps fighter ace during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. A Marine aviator with ...

Political career

Groover graduated from the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

with a degree in law which helped him reach his political roles. He was a member of the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...

from 1953–57, 1963–65, 1971–75, and 1983–95. He supported the 1956 change to the Georgia state flag but in 1993 he acknowledged it was offensive to some and worked for a compromise design. He became infamous when in 1964 during a congressional redistricting bill, he hung from a wall and tried to stop a clock before it signaled the formal end of a session. A photographer captured a photo of the incident, and the photo was printed throughout newspapers which made him an embarrassing icon for Georgia politics. Groover also authored the 1964 law which moved Georgia elections from plurality to the

two-round system The two-round system (TRS or 2RS), sometimes called ballotage, top-two runoff, or two-round plurality, is a single-winner electoral system which aims to elect a member who has support of the majority of voters. The two-round system involves one ...

, in response to the end of the

county unit system The county unit system was a voting system used by the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to determine a victor in statewide primary elections, as well as some Congressional elections, from 1917 until 1962. History Though the county unit ...

and the feared rise of African-American voting power in the state. Later he admitted to federal investigators that this means to dilute Black voting power has been racially motivated and that he has been a

segregationist Racial segregation is the separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, such as schools and hospitals by peopl ...

.Georgia’s runoff system was created to dilute Black voting power
Washington Post. December 5, 2022. He died in 2001 and was buried in

Riverside Cemetery (Macon, Georgia) Riverside Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Macon, Georgia established in 1887. It is approximately in size and privately owned. Over 18,000 people are interred here. History Riverside Cemetery Corporation was founded in 1887 to create ...

. In 2002, Groover was posthumously inducted into the

Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame The Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame recognizes aviation pioneers and contributors associated with the U.S. state, state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The museum was created in 1989 by Governor Joe Frank Harris signing House Bill 110. The law cal ...

References

2001 deaths Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives 1922 births People from Quitman, Georgia United States Marine Corps officers United States Naval Aviators United States Marine Corps pilots of World War II 20th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly {{GeorgiaUS-politician-stub