Earle Bradford Mayfield (April 12, 1881June 23, 1964) was a Texas lawyer who, from 1907 to 1913, was a Texas State Senator. In 1922, he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. He was the first U.S. Senator to be widely considered by the voters to be a member of the revived

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

in the 1920s. Mayfield quietly accepted KKK support but never said he had joined. He was defeated for reelection in 1928 when his opponent attacked his links to the KKK.

Early life

Mayfield was born in

Overton, Texas Overton is a city in Rusk County, Texas, Rusk and Smith County, Texas, Smith counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Overton lies in two counties as well as two metropolitan areas. The Rusk County portion of the city is part of the Longview, Tex ...

, April 12, 1881, to the marriage of John Blythe Mayfield (1857–1921) and Mary Ellen DeGuerin (; 1859–1886). He graduated from high school in

Timpson, Texas Timpson is a city in Shelby County, Texas, United States. The population was 989 at the 2020 census. The community is named after T.B Timpson, a railroad engineer. History Timpson was founded in 1885 upon the arrival of the Houston, East an ...

, and then from Tyler Business College. In 1900, Mayfield graduated from

Southwestern University Southwestern University (Southwestern or SU) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Georgetown, Texas. Formed in 1873 from a revival of collegiate charters granted in 1840, Southwester ...

, and he studied law at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

from 1900 to 1901. He continued to study law, was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

in 1907, and practiced in

Meridian Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to Science * Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon * ...

Bosque County Bosque County ( ) is a county located in the greater Waco area. The county sits just northwest of Waco in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,235. Its county seat is Meridian, while Clifton is the largest c ...

. Mayfield was also involved in several business ventures including the wholesale grocery industry and operation of several farms.

Political career

State politics

Mayfield, a

, was elected to the

Texas State Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate is made up of 31 members, where eac ...

, where he served from 1907 to 1913. He was also a member of the

Texas Railroad Commission The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC; also sometimes called the Texas Railroad Commission, TRC) is the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and s ...

from 1913 to 1923.

United States Senate

In 1922, Mayfield was one of six candidates who challenged five-term United States Senator

Charles A. Culberson Charles Allen Culberson (June 10, 1855 – March 19, 1925) was an American political figure and Democrat who served as the 21st governor of Texas from 1895 to 1899, and as a United States senator from Texas from 1899 to 1923. According to one ...

for the Democratic senatorial nomination. In the ensuing runoff between Mayfield and former

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

James E. Ferguson James Edward Ferguson Jr. (August 31, 1871 – September 21, 1944), known as Pa Ferguson, was an American Democratic politician and the 26th governor of Texas, in office from 1915 to 1917. He was indicted and impeached during his second term ...

, Mayfield was openly allied with the

in support of

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

and continued segregation of Whites and Blacks, while Ferguson spoke-out against the Klan and was strongly against prohibition. At the time, the sale of alcoholic beverages was illegal throughout the United States under the

Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Eighteenth Amendment (Amendment XVIII) to the United States Constitution established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States. The amendment was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and ratified by the requisite number of sta ...

. After securing the endorsement of the other U.S. Senator from Texas,

Morris Sheppard John Morris Sheppard (May 28, 1875April 9, 1941) was a Democratic United States Congressman and United States Senator from Texas. He authored the Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition) and introduced it in the Senate, and is referred to as "the f ...

Texarkana The Texarkana metropolitan statistical area (MSA), as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is a two-county region anchored by the Twin cities (geographical proximity), twin cities of Texarkana, Texas (population 37,33 ...

, Mayfield won the Democratic nomination. In the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

held on November 7, 1922, Mayfield faced the

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

candidate

George Peddy George Peddy (August 22, 1892 - June 13, 1951) was an American attorney, military officer, and political figure from Texas. A 1920 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, he practiced law in Houston with the prominent firm of Vinson, ...

, who also had the backing of the Republican Party. Because Peddy's name was not on the ballot, his supporters waged a

write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

campaign. Peddy's write-in effort netted him a third of the vote. After the election, Peddy challenged the results on the grounds of disputes over filing deadlines and other technical issues. A Senate committee ruled in Mayfield's favor, and the full Senate voted to seat him, but his swearing in was delayed. He took office on December 3, 1923. in 1928, Mayfield faced a large field of candidates, and was defeated in the runoff by

Tom Connally Thomas Terry Connally (August 19, 1877October 28, 1963) was an American politician, who represented Texas in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, as a member of the Democratic Party. He served in the U.S. House of Represe ...

, a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

McLennan County McLennan County is a County (United States), county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 260,579. Its county seat and largest city is Waco, Texas, Waco. The U.S. c ...

; winning the Democratic nomination was tantamount to winning the overall election. Connally went on to win the seat, succeeding Mayfield. In 1930, Mayfield sought the Democratic nomination for governor, but finished seventh among eleven candidates. Ross Sterling won the election.

Retirement and death

After losing his Senate seat, Mayfield moved to Tyler. He continued to practice law and manage his business interests until retiring in 1952. Mayfield died in Tyler on June 23, 1964, and was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Tyler.

Family

On June 10, 1902, in

Bosque County, Texas Bosque County ( ) is a county located in the greater Waco area. The county sits just northwest of Waco in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,235. Its county seat is Meridian, while Clifton is the largest ...

, Mayfield married Ora Lumpkin (1882–1979). They were the parents of three sons. Mayfield's uncle, Allison Mayfield (1860–1923), had been the

Texas Secretary of State The secretary of state of Texas is one of the six members of the executive department of the State of Texas in the United States. Under the Constitution of Texas, the appointment is made by the governor of Texas, with confirmation by the Texas ...

and, from January 5, 1897, Chairman of the Railroad Commission until his death, January 23, 1923.

Legacy

Mayfield received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

of doctor of humane letters from

John Brown University John Brown University (JBU) is a private interdenominational Christian university in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Founded in 1919, JBU enrolls 2,343 students from 33 states and 45 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online, and c ...

Siloam Springs, Arkansas Siloam Springs is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, Benton County, Arkansas, United States, and located on the western edge of the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers metropolitan area, Northwest Arkansas metropolitan area. As of the 2020 Unite ...

Bibliography

Notes

References and further reading

* Brown, Norman D. ''Hood, Bonnet, and Little Brown Jug: Texas Politics, 1921–1928'' (Texas A&M University Press, 1984) * , , . * * , . * (publication), (article). * pp
6097327421242

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayfield, Earle B. 1881 births 1964 deaths Democratic Party Texas state senators Members of the Railroad Commission of Texas American Ku Klux Klan members Southwestern University alumni Democratic Party United States senators from Texas Texas lawyers People from Overton, Texas People from Meridian, Texas People from Tyler, Texas University of Texas School of Law alumni 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the Texas Legislature 20th-century United States senators