Furnifold McLendel Simmons (January 20, 1854April 30, 1940) was an American politician who served as a Democratic 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 March 4, 1887, to March 4, 1889, and

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

from the state of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

between March 4, 1901, and March 4, 1931. He served as chairman of the powerful Committee on Finance from March 4, 1913, to March 4, 1919. He was an unsuccessful contender for the 1920 Democratic Party nomination for

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

. Simmons was a staunch segregationist and white supremacist, and a leading perpetrator of the

Wilmington insurrection of 1898 Wilmington may refer to: Places Australia *Wilmington, South Australia, a town and locality **District Council of Wilmington, a former local government area **Wilmington railway line, a former railway line United Kingdom *Wilmington, Devon *Wi ...

Life and career

Simmons was born in

Pollocksville, North Carolina Pollocksville is a town in Jones County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 268 at the 2020 census. It is part of the New Bern, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is situated on US 17 and Highway 58. History The ...

, the son of Mary McLendel (Jerman) and Furnifold Greene Simmons. After Republicans won control of the North Carolina legislature in 1894, Simmons led efforts to disenfranchise black voters and return Democrats to power across the state. He allied with

white supremacist White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

newspapers to stoke fears of black men as predators of white women and too incompetent to be trusted as office holders or voters. Simmons also set up hundreds of "White Government Unions," which aimed to "announce on all occasions that they would succeed if they had to shoot every negro in the city." As a result, Democrats swept the 1898 election, and the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898 broke out the following day. In 1901 Simmons won the Democratic nomination for the US Senate. From his Senate seat, he then ran a powerful political machine, using A. D. Watts "to keep the machine oiled back home," in the words of one journalist. Simmons remained in office for the next thirty years. Senator Simmons refused to endorse

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was the 42nd governor of New York, serving from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1923 to 1928. He was the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party's presidential nominee in the 1 ...

, the Democratic nominee for president in 1928 and the first Catholic nominated by a major party, winning him praise from members of the

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, ...

. Still, rejecting the Democratic nominee in 1928, together with the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, led to Simmons being defeated in the 1930 Democratic primary by Josiah W. Bailey, who was backed by Governor

O. Max Gardner Oliver Max Gardner (March 22, 1882February 6, 1947) was an American politician who served as the 57th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1929 to 1933. A member of the Democratic Party, Gardner worked in the administrations of Pr ...

References

External links

North Carolina History Project
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 Politics of the United States, American political figures and List of United States political families, political families, along with other informa ...

* 1854 births 1940 deaths Democratic Party United States senators from North Carolina North Carolina Democratic Party chairs Candidates in the 1920 United States presidential election Wake Forest University alumni Politicians from New Bern, North Carolina Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina Activists from North Carolina People from Jones County, North Carolina 20th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub Wilmington massacre conspirators