Fielding Lewis Wright was an American politician who served as the 19th Lieutenant Governor and 49th and 50th Governor of Mississippi. During the 1948 presidential election he served as the vice presidential nominee of the States' Rights Democratic Party (Dixiecrats) alongside presidential nominee Strom Thurmond. During his political career he fought to maintain racial segregation, fought with President Harry S. Truman over civil rights legislation, and held other racist views.
Richard Henderson Molpus Jr. is an American businessman and Democratic Party politician who served as Secretary of State of Mississippi from 1984 until 1996. He unsuccessfully ran for governor in 1995 against Republican incumbent Kirk Fordice. He later established a timberland management company. Throughout his public life he has pushed for reforms to support public education and promote racial reconciliation.
Edgar Ray Killen was an American Ku Klux Klan organizer who planned and directed the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, three civil rights activists participating in the Freedom Summer of 1964. He was found guilty in state court of three counts of manslaughter on June 21, 2005, the forty-first anniversary of the crime, and sentenced to 60 years in prison. He appealed the verdict, but the sentence was upheld on April 12, 2007, by the Supreme Court of Mississippi. He died in prison on January 11, 2018, six days before his 93rd birthday.
Jackson Academy is a private school in Jackson, Mississippi founded by Loyal M. Bearrs in 1959. Bearss claimed he established the school to teach using an accelerated phonics program he developed, but the school remained completely racially segregated until 1986, including foregoing tax exemption in 1970 to avoid accepting Black students.
Frank Manning "Bruiser" Kinard Sr. was an American football tackle and coach and university athletic administrator. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1951 and into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
William Madison Whittington was an American politician from Mississippi. Whittington was a Representative to the 69th United States Congress in 1925, and the twelve succeeding Congresses as a Democrat. In Congress, his nickname was "Mr. Flood Control."
Robert Montgomery Dearing was an American politician, educator, and businessman who served in the Mississippi Senate as a member of the Democratic Party.
The 1984 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils team represented the Mississippi Valley State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1984 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Archie Cooley, the Delta Devils played their home games at Magnolia Stadium—now known as Rice–Totten Stadium—in Itta Bena, Mississippi. Mississippi Valley finished the season with an overall record of 9–2 and a mark of 6–1 in conference play, placing second in the SWAC. The team qualified for the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, losing to Louisiana Tech in the first round. With an offense led by quarterback Willie Totten and wide receiver Jerry Rice, the Delta Devils scored 628 points on the season, averaging more than 57 points per game.
Frank Perry Gates was an American architect. He designed buildings in Mississippi, especially in Clarksdale and Jackson, some of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He also designed 18 buildings on the campus of the University of Mississippi.
East Holmes Academy (EHA) was a segregation academy in West, Mississippi. The school was founded in 1965 and closed in 2006. In 1989, EHA received national attention after two incidents involving alleged racial discrimination.
A special election to determine the member of the United States House of Representatives for Mississippi's 4th congressional district was held on June 23, 1981, with a runoff held two weeks later on July 6. Democrat Wayne Dowdy defeated Republican Liles Williams in the runoff by 912 votes. Dowdy replaced Republican U.S. Representative Jon Hinson, who resigned from Congress following his arrest for engaging in sodomy.
Clarence Benton "Buddie" Newman was an American farmer and politician who served as Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1976 to 1988. He was elected to one term in the state senate before beginning his 36-year career in the House, representing his native Issaquena County.
Malcolm Norwood was an American painter, ceramist and educator. He taught at Delta State University from 1962 to 1990, and he was the recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts in 1991.
Russell Carlos Davis was an American politician and the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, from 1969 to 1977. He was a Democrat.
John Lumpkin was an American college football coach and politician. He was the head football coach at Mississippi State Teachers College—now known as University of Southern Mississippi—in Hattiesburg, Mississippi for one season, in 1930, compiling a record of 3–5–1. Lunpkin served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1928 to 1932 and the Mississippi State Senate from 1932 to 1936.
Adam Daniel Beittel was a minister, academic and supporter of civil rights. He was president of Talladega College from 1945 to 1952 and Tougaloo College from 1960 to 1964.
Thomas "T. C." Taylor is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach for the Jackson State Tigers. He played college football for the school as a quarterback and wide receiver, and after graduating had stints in the National Football League (NFL) with the New England Patriots and Detroit Lions, as well as in NFL Europe with the Frankfurt Galaxy and Amsterdam Admirals. He later served as a coach at Coahoma Community College, Texas Southern, and North Carolina Central, before joining Jackson State in 2019.
Robert Lee Vaughan is an American politician. He served as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives.
Charles Kistner Pringle is an American politician. He served as a Republican member of the Mississippi House of Representatives.
William DeLoach Cope was an American politician. He served as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives.
