Sam Ervin

Samuel James Ervin Jr. (September 27, 1896 - April 23, 1985) was a Democratic United States Senator from the state of North Carolina from 1954 to 1975. He was a native of Burke County, North Carolina.

Related Topics:
September 27 - 1896 - April 23 - 1985 - Democratic - United States - Senator - North Carolina - 1954 - 1975 - Burke County, North Carolina

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Although he was eligible to serve as an Officer, Ervin served as an enlisted soldier in combat in France during World War I. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star and two Purple Hearts. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1917 and from Harvard Law School in 1922, with his military service sandwiched between his academic studies.

Related Topics:
Officer - France - World War I - Distinguished Service Cross - Silver Star - Purple Heart - University of North Carolina - 1917 - Harvard Law School - 1922

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Ervin was serving as an associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court when he was appointed by the governor to fill the U.S. Senate seat of Clyde Hoey, who had died in office.

Related Topics:
North Carolina Supreme Court - Clyde Hoey

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Senator Ervin made a deep impact on American history through his work on two separate committees at the beginning and ending of his career that were critical in bringing down two powerful opponents: Senator Joe McCarthy in 1954 and President Richard M. Nixon in 1974. The Senate Select Committee to Investigate Campaign Practices, which investigated Watergate, was popularly known as the "Ervin Committee."

Related Topics:
Senator Joe McCarthy - 1954 - President Richard M. Nixon - 1974 - Watergate

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Senator Ervin condemned the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision allowing desegregation of schools when he signed The Southern Manifesto in 1956. He later changed his mind on the Brown decision, but continued to oppose forced desegregation by the federal government, on 'state's rights' grounds.

Related Topics:
1954 - Brown v. Board of Education - Supreme Court - The Southern Manifesto

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Senator Ervin's opposition to most civil rights legislation was based on his commitment to the preservation of the constitution in its pristine formulation that he repeatedly stated encapsulated civil, human and equal rights for all. There is little if any evidence that he engaged in the racial demagoguery of many of his Southern colleagues. Some historians consider Ervin's position to be one of "cognitive dissonance" because he opposed federal legislation to combat race-based discrimination, but did not do so in harsh, ugly terms.

Related Topics:
Civil rights - Legislation - Constitution - Human - Equal rights

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Meanwhile, Senator Ervin's strict construction of the constitution also made him a liberal darling for his support of civil liberties, his opposition to "no knock" search laws, the growing intrusions of data banks and lie-detector tests as invasions of privacy. In 1966, Senator Ervin played a major role in the defeat of a constitutional amendment to make prayer in public schools compulsory.

Related Topics:
Constitution - Liberal - Civil liberties - Data bank - Lie-detector - Invasions of privacy - 1966 - Prayer in public schools

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Ervin gained lasting fame through his stewardship of the Senate Select Committee to Investigate Campaign Practices from the 1972 presidential election. Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield chose Ervin because it was unlikely Ervin was going to run for reelection in 1974, because he had no aspirations beyond his office, and because he was an even-keeled, conservative Democrat. President Nixon thought for a time that Ervin might potentially be partial to him, but that was not the case.

Related Topics:
Senate Select Committee to Investigate Campaign Practices - Mike Mansfield

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After retirement, Ervin practiced law, wrote his memoirs and appeared in various commercials for products. His son, Samuel J. Ervin III, was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. The senior Ervin died in 1985 at a hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina from complications of emphysema. He was 88 years old.

Related Topics:
United States Court of Appeals - Jimmy Carter - 1985 - Winston-Salem, North Carolina - Emphysema

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