James Plemon Coleman (January 9, 1914 – September 28, 1991) was an American judge, the 52nd

governor of Mississippi The governor of Mississippi is the head of government of Mississippi and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Mississippi National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either appro ...

, and a

United States circuit judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. Su ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: ...

. Coleman was a member of the Democratic Party and was the first Mississippi governor born in the 20th century.

Education and career

James Plemon Coleman was born on January 9, 1914, in

Ackerman Ackerman may refer to: Surname *Ackerman (surname), people with the surname Ackerman Places *Ackerman, Mississippi, town in Choctaw County, Mississippi, US *Ackerman, West Virginia, former unincorporated community in Mineral County, West Virgini ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. He was the son of Thomas Allen Coleman and Jennie Essie (Worrell) Coleman. He graduated from the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

and paid for his tuition by working. In 1935, he served on the staff of Mississippi Congressman Aaron L. Ford. Coleman received a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1939 from the

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest law school in Washington, D. ...

. He entered private practice in Ackerman from 1939 to 1946. He concurrently served as district attorney for the Fifth Judicial District of Mississippi from 1940 to 1946. He was a Judge of the Mississippi Circuit Court for the Fifth Judicial District from 1947 to 1950. He was a justice of the

Mississippi Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Mississippi is the highest court in the state of Mississippi. It was established in 1818 per the terms of the first constitution of the state and was known as the High Court of Errors and Appeals from 1832 to 1869. The court ...

in 1950. He was

Mississippi Attorney General The attorney general of Mississippi is a statewide elected office in the United States, U.S. state of Mississippi. The attorney general is a state constitutional officer, constitutional officer responsible for representing state agencies in lega ...

from 1950 to 1956. He was the 52nd

Governor of Mississippi The governor of Mississippi is the head of government of Mississippi and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Mississippi National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either appro ...

from 1956 to 1960. He was a Member of the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected for ...

from 1960 to 1964. He was in private practice in Choctaw County, Mississippi from 1960 to 1965.

Little Congress

During his service with Congressman Ford, in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, Coleman made a name for himself by challenging and defeating another young southern congressional staffer, future President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

, for Speaker of the Little Congress, a body that Johnson had dominated before Coleman's challenge. Coleman and Johnson became lifelong friends.

Gubernatorial service

Coleman became the

in 1956 as a moderate candidate in a campaign where he promised to uphold

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of human ...

. As Governor, he befriended Democratic presidential candidate, Senator

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

, but set up the

Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission (also called the MSSC or Sov-Com) was a state agency in Mississippi active from 1956 to 1973 and tasked with fighting integration and controlling civil rights activism. It was overseen by the List of G ...

. When Clennon Washington King, Jr. attempted to integrate the

, Coleman went to Oxford to prevent King's matriculation and fulfill his promise of segregation of all schools. He objected to being called a moderate by his critics, preferring to characterize himself as a "successful segregationist".

Unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign

In his subsequent campaign for governor in 1963, Coleman lost the Democratic nomination to Paul B. Johnson, Jr., a son of a former governor. Segregationist Johnson painted Coleman as a racial moderate and friend of the

Kennedy administration John F. Kennedy's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 35th president of the United States began with Inauguration of John F. Kennedy, his inauguration on January 20, 1961, and ended with Assassination of John F. Kennedy, his ...

. Paul Johnson's campaign staff charged that during the 1960 presidential campaign Coleman had allowed

Kennedy Kennedy may refer to: People * Kennedy (surname), including any of several people with that surname ** Kennedy family, a prominent American political family that includes: *** Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888–1969), American businessman, investor, ...

to sleep in the Governor's Mansion in the bed formerly used by the late Governor and

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

Theodore Bilbo Theodore Gilmore Bilbo (October 13, 1877 – August 21, 1947) was an American politician who twice served as governor of Mississippi (1916–1920, 1928–1932) and later was elected a U.S. Senator (1935–1947). Bilbo was a demagogue and filibus ...

. Johnson went on to defeat the Democrat-turned- Republican Rubel Phillips in the 1963

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 ...

, which presented Mississippi voters with a new-at-the-time opportunity to choose between candidates of different parties.

Federal judicial service

President Kennedy offered Coleman various posts, including

United States Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

and

United States Ambassador to Australia The position of United States Ambassador to Australia has existed since 1940. Australia–United States relations, U.S.–Australian relations have been close throughout the history of Australia. Before World War II, Australia was closely aligne ...

, but Coleman declined. Coleman was nominated by President

on June 22, 1965, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Benjamin Franklin Cameron. Even though controversy erupted over his pro-segregation positions such as his opposition to Blacks voting, he was confirmed by the

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

on July 26, 1965, and received his commission on July 26, 1965. He served as Chief Judge from 1979 to 1981. He assumed senior status on May 31, 1981. His service terminated on January 31, 1984, due to his retirement.

Post judicial service and death

After his retirement from the federal bench, Coleman returned to the private practice of law in Choctaw County and also farmed until he suffered a severe

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

on December 11, 1990. He died on September 28, 1991, in Ackerman.

Honor

J. P. Coleman State Park J.P. Coleman State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is located north of Iuka off Mississippi Highway 25, on the banks of the Tennessee River and Pickwick Lake. The park is named for James P. Coleman, a former governo ...

, a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

in Mississippi, is named after him.

Personal

Coleman married Margaret Janet Dennis on May 2, 1937, and they had one son, who is a lawyer. Coleman's grandson, Josiah D. Coleman is a justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court.

References

External links

Oral History Interview with James P. Coleman
a
Oral Histories of the American South
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, James P. 1914 births 1991 deaths Democratic Party governors of Mississippi Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Justices of the Supreme Court of Mississippi George Washington University Law School alumni Mississippi attorneys general 20th-century American lawyers People from Ackerman, Mississippi American segregationists 20th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature Neo-Confederates