Fielding Lewis Wright (May 16, 1895 – May 4, 1956) was a Democratic politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from 1944 to 1946, then as Governor after the incumbent, Thomas L. Bailey, died in office in 1946. Wright was elected Governor in his own right in 1947 and served a full four year term. In 1948 Wright was nominated as the vice-presidential candidate of the State's Rights Party (Dixiecrats), running alongside South Carolina's Governor J. Strom Thurmond. May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... A Lieutenant Governor is a government official who is the subordinate or deputy of a Governor or Governor-General. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 32nd 125,546 km² 275 km 545 km 3 30°13N to 35°N 88°7W to 91°41W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 31st 2,697,243 23. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... HI A governor is also, a monkey who is smart and can fly like a penguin is a device that regulates the speed of a machine. ... Thomas Lowry Bailey (January 6, 1888 - November 2, 1946) was a politician from the state of Mississippi. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... A vice president is an officer in government or business who is next in rank below a president. ... The States Rights Democratic Party, usually known as the Dixiecrat Party, was a short-lived splinter group that broke from the Democratic Party in 1948. ... Official language(s) English Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 40th 82,965 km² 320 km 420 km 6 32°430N to 35°12N 78°030W to 83°20W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 26th 4,012... James Strom Thurmond (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to April 1956 and November 1956 to 1964 as a Democrat and from 1964 to 2003 as a Republican. ...

Early life

Wright was born into a politically active family in the town of Rolling Fork, in Sharkey County Mississippi, on May 16th 1895. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War I he returned home vowing that he would never become a "dang politician". Wright studied law at the University of Alabama, then went on to open a law office in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, in partnership with his uncle. Rolling Fork is a city located in Sharkey County, Mississippi. ... Sharkey County is a county located in the state of Mississippi. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 32nd 125,546 km² 275 km 545 km 3 30°13N to 35°N 88°7W to 91°41W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 31st 2,697,243 23. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Combatants Allies: • Serbia, • Russia, • France, • Belgium, • British Empire and Dominions, • United States, • Italy, • ...and others Central Powers: • Germany, • Austria-Hungary, • Ottoman Empire, • Bulgaria Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 5 million military, 3 million civilian (full list) 3 million military, 3 million civilian (full list) {{{notes}}} World War I... University of Alabama The University of Alabama (also known as Alabama, UA, or colloquially as Bama) is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. ...

Political career

Wright turned down several opportunities to run for public office before finally agreeing to run for the Mississippi Senate in 1928. He won that election and four years later was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives. In his second term as a representative he was elected Speaker of the House, and used his position to promote and support industrialization, commercial development and highway construction, issues of great importance to a traditionally agricultural state struggling to modernize its economy. The Mississippi Senate, in American politics, is the upper house of the state legislature of Mississippi. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Mississippi House of Representatives , in American politics, is the lower house of the state legislature of Mississippi. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative body with the power to adopt laws. ... The term Speaker is usually the title given to the presiding officer of a countrys lower house of parliament or congress (ie: the House of Commons or House of Representatives). ... Commerce is the trading of something of value between two entities. ... A highway is a major road within a city, or linking several cities together. ...

In 1943 Wright was elected Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi. As Lieutenant Governor he was presiding officer of the Mississippi Senate, one of only two 20th century politicians to chair both houses of the legislature (Sam Lumpkin of Tupelo, Mississippi being the other). Following the death in office of Governor Thomas Lowry Bailey on November 2nd 1946, Wright filled the remainder of Bailey's term as 49th Governor of Mississippi. Wright's strong stand on hotly debated issues such as racial segregation, civil rights and state's rights, combined with the advantages of incumbency, won his re-election as the 50th Governor of Mississippi in 1947. Wright won the governorship in the first primary, defeating four opponents. 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... A Lieutenant Governor is a government official who is the subordinate or deputy of a Governor or Governor-General. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 32nd 125,546 km² 275 km 545 km 3 30°13N to 35°N 88°7W to 91°41W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 31st 2,697,243 23. ... The Mississippi Senate, in American politics, is the upper house of the state legislature of Mississippi. ... A politician is an individual involved in politics, sometimes this may include political scientists. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ... Tupelo, birthplace of Elvis Presley and the seventh largest city in Mississippi, is located in northeast Mississippi between Memphis, Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabama. ... Thomas Lowry Bailey (January 6, 1888 - November 2, 1946) was a politician from the state of Mississippi. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The Rex Theatre for Colored People, Leland, Mississippi, June 1937 Racial segregation is a kind of formalized or institutionalized discrimination on the basis of race. ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... In American politics and constitutional law, states rights are guaranteed by the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, (i. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ...

Governor Wright's 1946-1952 administration concentrated largely on urbanization and industrialization, issues of increasing importance to rural states struggling to modernize their economies at the end of World War II. Fielding L. Wright governed Mississippi at a time when the state's economy, social customs and race relations were undergoing slow but significant changes. 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Public administration is, broadly speaking, the implementation of policy within a state framework. ... Combatants Allies: • Soviet Union, • UK & Commonwealth, • USA, • France/Free France, • China, • Poland, • ...and others Axis: • Germany, • Japan, • Italy, • ...and others Commanders Strength Casualties Full list Full list World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a large scale military conflict that took place between 1939 and 1945. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 32nd 125,546 km² 275 km 545 km 3 30°13N to 35°N 88°7W to 91°41W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 31st 2,697,243 23. ... Race relations are relations between races, sometimes involving racism. ...

A 'friend of education'

During the 1940s Wright was widely known as a 'friend of education'. During his governorship the University of Mississippi Medical Center was established in Jackson and the Mississippi Vocational College (now Mississippi Valley State University) was founded in Itta Bena. In 1969 Delta State University's Roberts Library was renovated and became the Fielding L. Wright Art Center, with a spacious art gallery created in the old reading room. Mississippi Valley State University's Department of Mathematics, Computer and Information Sciences is housed in the Fielding L. Wright Science Complex, and the Fielding L. Wright Memorial Health Fund was established in 1972. // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... The University of Mississippi (also known as Ole Miss) is a public, coeducational research university located near Oxford, Mississippi. ... Jackson skyline Motto: Nickname: The Best of the New South and The Bold, New City Map Political Statistics Founded 1822 Incorporated Hinds County Mayor Frank Melton Geographic Statistics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 276. ... Mississippi Valley State University is a historically black university located in Itta Bena, Mississippi. ... Itta Bena is a city located in Leflore County, Mississippi. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ... Delta State University is a regional public university located in Cleveland, Mississippi, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta; one of eight publicly funded universities in the state. ... Mississippi Valley State University is a historically black university located in Itta Bena, Mississippi. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Tuesday. ...

Vice-Presidential candidate

The Democratic Party nominated Harry S. Truman in the 1948 U.S. presidential election, whose platform was strongly in favor of civil rights. In opposition to this, Governor James Strom Thurmond of South Carolina helped organize walkout delegates from the 1948 Democratic Convention into a separate party, the State's Rights Democratic Party (popularly known as the 'Dixiecrats'). The party held their own Convention in Birmingham, Alabama, where they nominated Thurmond for president with Governor Wright as his running mate. State's Rights Party leaders worked to have Thurmond and Wright declared the official Democratic candidates. Their efforts succeeded in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina but in all other states Thurmond and Wright were forced to run as third party candidates. On election day the State's Rights Party carried the four solidly Democratic states mentioned previously, with 1,169,021 popular votes and 39 electoral votes. The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972) was the thirty-fourth Vice President (1945) and the thirty-third President of the United States (1945–1953), succeeding to the office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... James Strom Thurmond (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to April 1956 and November 1956 to 1964 as a Democrat and from 1964 to 2003 as a Republican. ... Official language(s) English Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 40th 82,965 km² 320 km 420 km 6 32°430N to 35°12N 78°030W to 83°20W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 26th 4,012... The States Rights Democratic Party, usually known as the Dixiecrat Party, was a short-lived splinter group that broke from the Democratic Party in 1948. ... Nickname: The Magic City, Pittsburgh of the South, BHam Motto: Official website: http://www. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 30th 52,423 mi²/135,775 km² 190 mi/306 km 330 mi/531 km 3. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last census; probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 31st 134,382 km² 210 km 610 km 16 29°N to 33°N 89°W to 94°W Population... Official language(s) English Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 32nd 125,546 km² 275 km 545 km 3 30°13N to 35°N 88°7W to 91°41W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 31st 2,697,243 23. ... Official language(s) English Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 40th 82,965 km² 320 km 420 km 6 32°430N to 35°12N 78°030W to 83°20W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 26th 4,012... In any two-party system of politics, a third party is a party other than the two dominant ones. ... The United States Electoral College is the electoral college that chooses the President and Vice President of the United States at the conclusion of each Presidential election. ...

Civil rights issues

Fielding L. Wright's run as vice-presidential candidate was largely a protest against the nomination of President Truman and the inclusion of civil rights proposals in the Democratic Party platform. In his 1948 inaugural address, Wright described racial segregation as an "eternal truth" that "transcends party lines". Wright was a product of his era and the prevailing social attitudes of that time, which are well summed up in a paragraph from the Washington Post, (December 21st, 2001), which reported that: For the victim of Mt. ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... The Rex Theatre for Colored People, Leland, Mississippi, June 1937 Racial segregation is a kind of formalized or institutionalized discrimination on the basis of race. ... ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

'Negroes made up half the population. Their Governor, Fielding Wright, told them: "If any of you have become so deluded as to want to enter our white schools, patronize our hotels and cafes, enjoy social equality with the whites, then true kindness and sympathy requires me to advise you to make your homes in some other state."'.

Social attitudes were changing however, and the editor of the Arkansas Gazette, in the aftermath of the 1948 election, noted that "Unpleasant as all this was, the Dixiecrats inadvertently performed a great service for the South by demonstrating that the race issue is no longer a certain ticket to public office for any demagogue who cares to use it." The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is a daily newspaper published in Little Rock, Arkansas. ... The States Rights Democratic Party, usually known as the Dixiecrat Party, was a short-lived splinter group that broke from the Democratic Party in 1948. ...

After politics

Wright left office in 1952, after holding the title of Governor for six consecutive years, and opened a law office in Jackson, Mississippi. He made one last attempt at running for Governor in 1955 but was defeated by J.P. Coleman, and after that defeat returned to practicing law full time. Fielding L. Wright died on May 4th 1956 in Jackson, Mississippi and was buried in his home town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi. 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... HI A governor is also, a monkey who is smart and can fly like a penguin is a device that regulates the speed of a machine. ... Jackson skyline Motto: Nickname: The Best of the New South and The Bold, New City Map Political Statistics Founded 1822 Incorporated Hinds County Mayor Frank Melton Geographic Statistics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 276. ... 1955 (MCMLV in Roman) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jackson skyline Motto: Nickname: The Best of the New South and The Bold, New City Map Political Statistics Founded 1822 Incorporated Hinds County Mayor Frank Melton Geographic Statistics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 276. ... Rolling Fork is a city located in Sharkey County, Mississippi. ...

Thomas Lowry Bailey (January 6, 1888 - November 2, 1946) was a politician from the state of Mississippi. ... Governors of Mississippi Territory, 1801–1817 Winthorp Sargent (Federalist) (7 May 1798–25 May 1801) William C. C. Claiborne (Democrat) (25 May 1801–1 March 1805) Robert Williams (Democrat) (1 March 1805–7 March 1809) David Holmes (Democrat) (7 March 1809–10 December 1817) Governors of the State of Mississippi... Official language(s) English Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 32nd 125,546 km² 275 km 545 km 3 30°13N to 35°N 88°7W to 91°41W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 31st 2,697,243 23. ... Hugh Lawson White (August 19, 1881–September 20, 1965) was an American politician from Mississippi. ...

References

• Mississippi History Now, publication of the Mississippi History Society
• Mississippi Code of 1972, Fielding L. Wright Health Fund Established
• Federal Register of Electoral College Votes, 1948 Election
• The Dixiecrat Revolt & The End Of The Solid South, University of North Carolina Press