Bryant Bowles
Encyclopedia
Bryant William Bowles Jr. (March 1920 in Alford, Florida
– April 13, 1997 in Tampa, Florida
) was a white supremacist bitterly opposed to racial integration
of public schools in the United States
.
Bowles joined the Marine Corps
in 1939, was trained as a bugler
, and served during World War II
and the Korean War
as a corporal
. He was discharged from active duty in 1951.
In May 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court
ruled that racially segregated
public schools were unconstitutional
. Bowles raised $6,000 and founded the National Association for the Advancement of White People
to oppose the ruling.
During the latter half of 1954, Bowles held rallies and gave speeches in several different states. At one such rally Bowles is reported to have said that his daughter "will never attend a school with Negro
es as long as there is breath in my body and gunpowder will burn." He briefly attracted nationwide attention for leading a pro-segregation
boycott
of Milford High School in Milford, Delaware
. The ensuing unrest, which included cross burning
s, contributed to desegregation
in some parts of Delaware being delayed for another ten years.
Charged for making inflammatory statements, Bowles was tried in 1955 in Dover
before Judge Charles Sudler Richards. After brief deliberation the jury found Bowles not guilty. A 1999 article in Delaware Lawyer states that "many years later it was learned that one of the jurors was a member of Bowles' organization."
In 1958, while living near Beaumont, Texas
, Bowles shot and killed his brother-in-law following a family argument. According to Texas Department of Criminal Justice records, he was sentenced to a life term for premeditated murder
but was parole
d in March 1973. In 1994 Bowles returned to prison in Texas for a year for having violated the terms of his parole.
Bowles died at age 77 of congestive heart failure in Tampa, two years after gaining parole a second time. He was buried in Florida National Cemetery
in Bushnell, Florida
.
Alford, Florida
Alford is a town in Jackson County, Florida, United States. It is located in the Florida Panhandle near Marianna. The population was 466 at the 2000 census. According to the 2004 U.S...
– April 13, 1997 in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
) was a white supremacist bitterly opposed to racial integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
of public schools in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Bowles joined the Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
in 1939, was trained as a bugler
Bugle (instrument)
The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure, since the bugle has no other mechanism for controlling pitch. Consequently, the bugle is limited to notes within the harmonic series...
, and served during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
as a corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
. He was discharged from active duty in 1951.
In May 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
ruled that racially segregated
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
public schools were unconstitutional
Constitutionality
Constitutionality is the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution. Acts that are not in accordance with the rules laid down in the constitution are deemed to be ultra vires.-See also:*ultra vires*Company law*Constitutional law...
. Bowles raised $6,000 and founded the National Association for the Advancement of White People
National Association for the Advancement of White People
The National Association for the Advancement of White People is a white nationalist organization in the United States which primarily advocates racial segregation. It was originally incorporated on December 14, 1953 in Delaware by Bryant Bowles. The following year an article was written on the...
to oppose the ruling.
During the latter half of 1954, Bowles held rallies and gave speeches in several different states. At one such rally Bowles is reported to have said that his daughter "will never attend a school with Negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
es as long as there is breath in my body and gunpowder will burn." He briefly attracted nationwide attention for leading a pro-segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
of Milford High School in Milford, Delaware
Milford, Delaware
Milford is a city in Kent and Sussex counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 9,559....
. The ensuing unrest, which included cross burning
Cross burning
Cross burning or cross lighting is a practice widely associated with the Ku Klux Klan, although the historical practice long predates the Klan's inception...
s, contributed to desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
in some parts of Delaware being delayed for another ten years.
Charged for making inflammatory statements, Bowles was tried in 1955 in Dover
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
before Judge Charles Sudler Richards. After brief deliberation the jury found Bowles not guilty. A 1999 article in Delaware Lawyer states that "many years later it was learned that one of the jurors was a member of Bowles' organization."
In 1958, while living near Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
, Bowles shot and killed his brother-in-law following a family argument. According to Texas Department of Criminal Justice records, he was sentenced to a life term for premeditated murder
Premeditated murder
Premeditated murder is the crime of wrongfully causing the death of another human being after rationally considering the timing or method of doing so, in order to either increase the likelihood of success, or to evade detection or apprehension.State laws in the United States vary as to definitions...
but was parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
d in March 1973. In 1994 Bowles returned to prison in Texas for a year for having violated the terms of his parole.
Bowles died at age 77 of congestive heart failure in Tampa, two years after gaining parole a second time. He was buried in Florida National Cemetery
Florida National Cemetery
Florida National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located near the city of Bushnell in Sumter County, Florida. It encompasses , and began interments in 1988.-History:...
in Bushnell, Florida
Bushnell, Florida
Bushnell is a city in Sumter County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,050 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 2,119...
.