Karl Oliver

Last updated
Karl Oliver
Member of the MississippiHouseofRepresentatives
from the 46th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
2016
Personal details
Born (1963-03-24) March 24, 1963 (age 61) [1]
Winona, Mississippi, U.S.
Political party Republican
SpouseLynn Kellum Glenn [1]
Alma mater Northwest Mississippi Community College [1]
Occupation Funeral director [1]
Website billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/members/house/oliver.xml

Karl Oliver (born March 24, 1963) is a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives for District 46, which encompasses Carroll, Grenada, Leflore, Montgomery, and Webster counties in the north central portion of his state. [2] [3]

Contents

Oliver resides in his native Winona in Montgomery County. He is a 1981 graduate of Winona High School and Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia. A funeral home director, [2] he has formerly lived in Grenada, Amory, Starkville, Tupelo, and Brandon, Mississippi. [4]

Political career

On August 26, 2015, Oliver defeated Shed Hunger in the Republican primary runoff election for House District 46. [5] Then in the general election, Oliver defeated the Democrat Ken Strachan with 57 percent of the ballots cast. [6]

Taxpayer Pay Raise Act of 2016

Oliver supported the Taxpayer Pay Raise Act of 2016, and suggested to an Illinois-born Mississippian who was critical of the bill that she might consider returning to her native state. [7] [8]

Statement in favor of lynching

On May 20, 2017, Oliver submitted a Facebook post stating that the Louisiana lawmakers who supported the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials in their state "should be LYNCHED". [9] [10] He made the statement following the removal of the Robert E. Lee Monument, the last of a group of Confederate monuments removed from New Orleans, Louisiana. [11] His statement compared the removal of monuments to Nazi book burnings. [9] House Speaker Philip Gunn condemned Oliver's statement, and stripped him of his vice-chairmanship of the House Forestry Committee. [12] [13]

On May 22, 2017, Oliver apologized, after his statement caused national outrage. [14] Oliver's district includes the town of Money, where African American teenager Emmett Till was lynched. [11]

The Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus, Mississippi NAACP, Mississippi Clarion-Ledger newspaper, and the Southern Poverty Law Center have called for Oliver to resign for his statements. The ACLU of Mississippi has called for Oliver's statement to be investigated for violations of either the state Code of Ethics or the rules of the legislature. [15] [16] [17] [18]

War on Terror

Oliver has stated his perspective that the policies of the Obama Administration made the US less secure against terrorism, and accused the Administration of "aiding in transporting these same Muslim extremist into our nation". [19]

School choice

Oliver has supported school choice, and was given an "A" ranking on the issue by Enpower Mississippi in the group's 2016 Education Report Card. [20] [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leflore County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Leflore County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,339. The county seat is Greenwood. The county is named for Choctaw leader Greenwood LeFlore, who signed a treaty to cede his people's land to the United States in exchange for land in Indian Territory. LeFlore stayed in Mississippi, settling on land reserved for him in Tallahatchie County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carroll County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Carroll County is a county in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,998. Its county seats are Carrollton and Vaiden. The county is named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signatory of the Declaration of Independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duck Hill, Mississippi</span> Town in Mississippi, United States

Duck Hill is a town in Montgomery County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 619 at the 2020 census, down from 732 in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick McHenry</span> American politician (born 1975)

Patrick Timothy McHenry is an American politician currently serving as U.S. representative for North Carolina's 10th congressional district since 2005, which includes the communities of Hickory and Mooresville. He is also chair of the House Financial Services Committee since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for one term before being elected to Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Mississippi</span> US state flag

The flag of Mississippi consists of a white magnolia blossom surrounded by 21 stars and the words "In God We Trust" written below, all put over a blue Canadian pale with two vertical gold borders on a red field. The topmost star is composed of a pattern of five diamonds, an Indigenous symbol; the other 20 stars are white, as Mississippi was the 20th state to join the Union. The flag was adopted on January 11, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert E. Lee Monument (New Orleans)</span> United States historic place

The Robert E. Lee Monument, formerly in New Orleans, Louisiana, is a historic statue dedicated to Confederate General Robert E. Lee by American sculptor Alexander Doyle. It was removed (intact) by official order and moved to an unknown location on May 19, 2017. Any future display is uncertain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Franson</span> American politician

Mary Franson is a Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, she represents District 12B, which includes portions of Douglas, Stearns and Pope counties in the west central part of the state. She is also a licensed child care provider and a former employee of AT&T.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Yoho</span> American politician (born 1955)

Theodore Scott Yoho is an American politician, veterinarian, and businessman, who served as the U.S. representative from Florida's 3rd congressional district from 2013 until 2021. He is a member of the Republican Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Gunn</span> American politician

Philip Anthony Gunn is an American politician from the U.S. state of Mississippi. A member of the Republican Party, Gunn was the Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives and represented the 56th district. He served in the Mississippi House beginning in 2004 and became Speaker in 2012. Gunn was the first Republican to serve as Speaker of the Mississippi House since 1976. He left office in 2024.

Dale W. Zorn is an American politician. He is currently serving in the Michigan Senate for the 17th district, having previously served 4 years in the Michigan House of Representatives, 20 years on the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, 6 years as a Raisinville Township trustee, and 4 years as a township constable. He is a member of the Republican Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Hill (American politician)</span> American politician (born 1958)

Walter Bryan "Mike" Hill is a Republican politician from Florida. He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2014 to 2016 and 2018 to 2020, representing the Pensacola area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Baldasaro</span> American politician from New Hampshire

Alfred P. Baldasaro is a Republican politician from the state of New Hampshire. He is a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Baldasaro lives in Londonderry and represents District 5 in Rockingham County. He is known for his strongly conservative views and provocative remarks, including one in 2016 where he called for Hillary Clinton to be "put in the firing line and shot" for which he was widely rebuked and investigated by the Secret Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Bacon</span> American politician (born 1963)

Donald John Bacon is an American politician and retired military officer serving as the U.S. representative for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district since 2017. Before holding public office, he was a United States Air Force officer, retiring as brigadier general with time as wing commander at Ramstein Air Base, Germany and Offutt Air Force Base south of Omaha, Nebraska, prior to his retirement from the military in 2014. His district includes all of Omaha and the areas surrounding the Offutt base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Pittman</span> American politician from North Carolina (born 1954)

Larry Graham Pittman is a former Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. He represented the 83rd district from 2011 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Chase</span> American politician from Virginia

Amanda Chase is an American far-right politician and conspiracy theorist. From 2016 to 2024, she was a member of the Virginia Senate for the 11th District and represented Amelia County, the city of Colonial Heights, and part of Chesterfield County. Chase, self-described as "Trump in heels" was narrowly defeated in the primary of her reelection campaign for a redrawn 12th District in June 2023 and left office in January 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials</span> Ongoing development in the United States

There are more than 160 Confederate monuments and memorials to the Confederate States of America and associated figures that have been removed from public spaces in the United States, all but five of which have been since 2015. Some have been removed by state and local governments; others have been torn down by protestors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynching of Roosevelt Townes and Robert McDaniels</span> 1937 lynching in the United States

On April 13, 1937, Roosevelt Townes and Robert McDaniels, two black men, were lynched in Duck Hill, Mississippi by a white mob after being labeled as the murderers of a white storekeeper. They had only been legally accused of the crime a few minutes before they were kidnapped from the courthouse, chained to trees, and tortured with a blow torch. Following the torture, McDaniels was shot to death and Townes was burned alive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Spencer</span> American politician from Georgia

Jason Chauncey Spencer is an American physician assistant and Republican politician.

Paul Sherrell is an American politician. A Republican, he represents District 43 in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Karl Oliver". Mississippi House of Representatives . Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Karl Oliver". Mississippi House of Representatives. Archived from the original on May 22, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Rep. Karl Oliver apologizes for saying "They should be lynched" in Facebook post". WJTV. May 22, 2017. Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. The Facebook Post that was made on May 20, addressed the recent removal of Confederate monuments in Louisiana. The Republican represents District 46 – Carroll, Grenada, Leflore, Montgomery, Webster counties.
  4. ↑ "Karl Oliver". Intelius.org. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  5. ↑ The Associated Press (August 26, 2015). "The Latest: 3 House primary runoffs too close to call". The Washington Times . Retrieved May 22, 2017. Karl Oliver has won the Republican primary runoff in House District 46 in parts of Carroll, Grenada, Leflore, Montgomery and Webster counties. Oliver defeated Shed Hunger on Tuesday and will face Democrat Ken Strachan in the general election.
  6. ↑ Ferguson, Amanda Sexton; Butts, Tish (November 6, 2015). "Karl Oliver wins house seat". Winona Times. Retrieved May 22, 2017. In the highly-contested race for the District 46 House of Representatives seat, Republican Karl Oliver won the seat over Democratic challenger Ken Strachan with 57 percent of the vote.
  7. ↑ "State Rep. tells Mississippi resident 'I could care less'". WJTV. March 18, 2017. Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Rep. Oliver replied to her note and said "I could care less" in his response. He also mentioned that Guidry is not a Mississippi native and he "recommended that there are a rather large number of like-minded citizens in Illinois that would love to see [her] return."
  8. ↑ Guidry, Becky (March 17, 2016). "Becky Guidry - I have never been much involved in politics, but I..." Facebook. Well, today I got a whopper of a response from an email I sent out to the MS Reps last week. It seems that I don't count since I was not born & bred here.
  9. 1 2 Dreher, Arielle; Ladd, Donna. "UPDATED: State Rep. Karl Oliver Calls for Lynching Over Statues, Now Apologizes". Jackson Free Press . Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. "The destruction of these monuments, erected in the loving memory of our family and fellow Southern Americans, is both heinous and horrific. If the, and I use this term extremely loosely, "leadership" of Louisiana wishes to, in a Nazi-ish fashion, burn books or destroy historical monuments of OUR HISTORY, they should be LYNCHED! Let it be known, I will do all in my power to prevent this from happening in our State," the Winona Republican wrote.
  10. ↑ Rhodan, Mary (May 22, 2017). "Politicians Who Destroy Confederate Symbols 'Should Be Lynched,' a Mississippi Lawmaker Says". Time . Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017. A Mississippi State Legislator wrote an incendiary Facebook post over the weekend in response to the removal of Confederate symbols in New Orleans. Rep. Karl Oliver, a Republican from Winona, Miss. suggested leaders of the city "should be lynched" if they intend to "destroy historical monuments of OUR HISTORY."
  11. 1 2 Pilkington, Ed (May 22, 2017). "Mississippi lawmaker calls for lynchings after removal of Confederate symbols". The Guardian . Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  12. ↑ Dreher, Arielle (May 22, 2017). "Speaker Strips Karl Oliver of Vice-Chairmanship After 'Lynched' Facebook Post". Jackson Free Press. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  13. ↑ Pettus, Emily Wagster (May 22, 2017). "Mississippi lawmaker apologizes for calling for lynching". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  14. ↑ Wang, Amy B. (May 22, 2017). "Lawmaker apologizes after saying leaders 'should be LYNCHED' for removing Confederate statues". The Washington Post . I, first and foremost, wish to extend this apology for any embarrassment I have caused to both my colleagues and fellow Mississippians. In an effort to express my passion for preserving all historical monuments, I acknowledge the word "lynched" was wrong. I am very sorry. It is in no way, ever, an appropriate term. I deeply regret that I chose this word, and I do not condone the actions I referenced, nor do I believe them in my heart. I freely admit my choice of words was horribly wrong, and I humbly ask your forgiveness.
  15. ↑ "Rep. Karl Oliver should resign after lynching comment: Our View". Mississippi Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  16. ↑ "MS NAACP says lawmaker Karl Oliver should resign for "lynching" remark". Clarion-Ledger.
  17. ↑ "Mississippi black caucus: Rep. Karl Oliver should resign over lynch comment". Denver Post. 24 May 2017.
  18. ↑ Owens II, Jody (May 22, 2017). "Miss. lawmaker who called to 'lynch' Confederate monument opponents should resign". Southern Poverty Law Center . Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  19. ↑ Sisson, Gwen (September 11, 2016). "Remembering 9-11". Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Mississippi District 46 Representative Karl Oliver said the nation is less secure and national leadership has failed to take an attitude of war with terrorists. "As a community and state, the men and women of our Mississippi Army National Guard (SARNG) have served, protecting our nation both here and abroad after this heinous and cowardly attack on innocent lives, providing a blanket of protection from Muslim extremist terrorism post 9/11 without hesitation, while we sleep comfortably and securely in our beds at night," said Oliver. "Sadly however, our current national leaders refuse to address these same Muslim extremist as enemies. They have caused our nation to be less secure, and now are actually aiding in transporting these same Muslim extremist into our nation. Make no mistake we are still and will continue to be at war with Muslim extremist, and in war you must hate those you are at war against with as much heart as you love those you are fighting to protect. Our leader has failed to recognize this."
  20. ↑ Empower Mississippi. "2016 Education Report Card". Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Karl Oliver, Republican, A
  21. ↑ "School choice group grades legislators". Webster Progress Times. July 6, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2017. Sen. Gary Jackson (District 15) and Reps. Joey Hood (District 35) and Karl Oliver (District 46) received an "A" on Empower Mississippi's 2016 Education Report Card, which grades every member of the Legislature on key school choice and education reform votes from the past legislative session.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.