Sam Ervin
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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 1974. He was a native of Burke County, North Carolina.
Although he was eligible to serve as an Officer, Ervin served as an enlisted soldier in combat in France during WWI. 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.
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.
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.
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.
Senator Ervin made a deep impact on America 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."
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.
Sam Ervin will be remembered as one of the closest twentieth century figures to the founding fathers of America. His support for constitutional democracy, his opposition to tyranny and his exposure of corruption at the very pinnacle of American government assure his position in the pantheon of great constitutionalists.
External links
- Congressional Biography (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=E000211)
- Sen. Sam Ervin, Key Figure In Watergate Probe, Dies (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/watergate/stories/ervinobit.htm)
| Preceded by: Clyde Roark Hoey | Senators from North Carolina | Succeeded by: Robert Burren Morgan |
| Served alongside: Alton Asa Lennon, William Kerr Scott, B. Everett Jordan, Jesse Helms | ||