John C. Stennis

John Cornelius Stennis (August 3, 1901 - April 23, 1995) was a U.S. Senator from the state of Mississippi.

Related Topics:
August 3 - 1901 - April 23 - 1995 - U.S. Senator - Mississippi

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Born in Kemper County, Mississippi, Stennis received a bachelor's degree from Mississippi State University (then Mississippi A&M) in 1923, and a law degree from the University of Virginia, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Chi Rho, in 1928. While in law school, he won a seat in the Mississippi House of Representatives, where he served until 1932. Stennis served as a prosecutor from 1932-1937, and as circuit judge from 1937-1941, both for Mississippi's sixteenth judicial district.

Related Topics:
Kemper County, Mississippi - Mississippi State University - 1923 - University of Virginia - Phi Beta Kappa - Alpha Chi Rho - 1928 - Law school - Mississippi House of Representatives - 1932 - 1937 - Judge - 1941

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Upon the death of Senator Theodore Bilbo in 1947, Stennis won the special election to fill the vacancy, winning the seat from a field of five candidates (including two sitting Congressmen: John E. Rankin and William M. Colmer). He would remain in the Senate until 1989.

Related Topics:
Theodore Bilbo - 1947 - Special election - Congressmen - John E. Rankin - William M. Colmer - 1989

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A member of the Democratic party, Stennis was noted as the first of that party to publicly criticize Senator Joseph McCarthy on the Senate floor during the red scare. He also wrote the first code of ethics for the Senate, and was the first chair of the Senate Ethics Committee.

Related Topics:
Democratic - Joseph McCarthy - Red scare

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Stennis' record on civil rights was mixed throughout his long career: in the 1950s and 1960s he vigorously opposed such legislation as the Voting Rights Act, but by the 1980s he had come full circle and regularly voted for bills supporting the rights of women and minorities.

Related Topics:
Civil rights - 1950s - 1960s - Voting Rights Act - 1980s

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In 1973 Stennis was almost fatally wounded by two gunshots after being mugged outside his Washington home. In October 1973 during the Watergate scandal the Nixon administration proposed a plan wherein Stennis would listen to the contested Oval Office tapes and report on their contents, but this plan went nowhere.

Related Topics:
1973 - Watergate scandal - Nixon administration

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Stennis lost his left leg to cancer in 1984.

Related Topics:
Cancer - 1984

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He was unanimously selected President Pro Tempore of the Senate during the 100th Congress (1987-1989). During his Senate career he chaired, at various times, the Select Committee on Standards and Conduct, the Armed Services committee, and the Appropriations committee. It was due to his work with the Armed Services committee (1969-1980) that he became known as the "Father of America's Modern Navy."

Related Topics:
President Pro Tempore of the Senate - 100th Congress - 1987 - 1989 - Select Committee on Standards and Conduct - Armed Services committee - Appropriations committee - 1969 - 1980 - Navy

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Declining to run for re-election in 1988, Stennis retired from the Senate and took a teaching post at Mississippi State. He died in Jackson, Mississippi at the age of 93.

Related Topics:
1988 - Jackson, Mississippi

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Stennis had a political career spanning 60 years, and never lost an election. His was one of the longest Senate careers in history; his continuous tenure of 41 years and 2 months in the Senate was, at his retirement, second in longevity only to that of Carl T. Hayden. (It has since been surpassed by Strom Thurmond, Robert C. Byrd, Edward Kennedy, and Daniel K. Inouye, leaving Stennis sixth). The John C. Stennis Space Center, the John C. Stennis National Student Congress, the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, and the John C. Stennis Lock and Dam are named in his honor.

Related Topics:
Election - Carl T. Hayden - Strom Thurmond - Robert C. Byrd - Edward Kennedy - Daniel K. Inouye - John C. Stennis Space Center - John C. Stennis National Student Congress - USS ''John C. Stennis'' - John C. Stennis Lock and Dam

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John Stennis is buried at Pinecrest Cemetery in Kemper County, Mississippi. He and his wife, the former Miss Coy Hines, had two children, John Hampton and Margaret Jane.

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