Shelby M. Jackson
Encyclopedia
Shelby M. Jackson was a Democratic
superintendent
of public education
in Louisiana
who served from 1948-1964. In the early 1960s, he tried in vain to block federally-authorized school desegregation
. Jackson was posthumously honored in 1994, by the naming of the "Shelby M. Jackson Memorial Campus" of Louisiana Technical College
in Ferriday
.
A former educator originally from Monterey
in Concordia Parish
, Jackson was elected four times as his state's school superintendent. In his first election in 1948 he ran on the unsuccessful Sam Houston Jones gubernatorial slate. In his last reelection in April 1960, he overwhelmed the first Republican
ever to seek the Louisiana superintendency, Donald Emerich, a professor at Centenary College
in Shreveport
. Jackson polled 86.7 percent of the two-party vote, to Emerich's 13.3 percent. Jackson became well-known politically through his tenure as superintendent. For sixteen years, nearly every child's report card in the state bore Jackson's stenciled signature.
Jackson, as superintendent, advocated increased state spending on education, but not federal financing. In a 1962 address in Minden
, he said that inadequate financing and federal control of education were great dangers to public schools. He said that local administrators should not be burdened with finances but instead focus their time on strengthening instruction. He claimed that the interest group, the NAACP, followed 14-point goals set by the Communist Party of the United States. "It is important that we unite, work on this problem together, and return to constitutional government. We must do everything we can to place the United States first over all other nations and maintain our sovereignty
."
in Orleans Parish, where the first race-mixing was implemented in Louisiana schools. The legislature in special session passed twenty-nine segregation laws, all struck down by U.S. District Judge J. Skelly Wright
. The legislature also named Risley C. Triche
of Napoleonville
to head an eight-member committee to supervise the Orleans Parish schools and to maintain segregation. Wright's rulings however, were upheld, and desegregation proceeded.
Jackson was hospitalized in 1961 for several weeks but recovered. A journalist described him as "a militant anti-communist . . . whose speeches run pretty long and are sometimes repetitive. He does not have good relations with some of the press. He can be pretty stubborn. He rarely seems relaxed."
As expected, Jackson entered the 1963 Democratic gubernatorial primary. He campaigned on an intraparty "ticket" with New Orleans attorney Harry R. Cabral (1926–1998), who sought the position of lieutenant governor against the incumbent conservative Clarence C. Aycock
of Franklin
in St. Mary Parish
. Jackson was said to represent "dissent against the 'liberal' tendencies in both state and national government" and seemingly expected to "ride the current wave of 'conservative' protest into office."
Jackson finished fifth with 103,945 votes (11.5 percent).
Had he run for a fifth term as superintendent and not for governor, it has been speculated that a clear majority of his votes would have otherwise gone to the fourth-place candidate, former Governor Robert F. Kennon
of Minden
, the seat of Webster Parish
. Therefore, with more than half of Jackson's votes added to his total, Kennon, not fellow Democrat John Julian McKeithen
, would have entered the party runoff primary with the Number 1 candidate, former New Orleans Mayor deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison, Sr.
One may indeed argue that Jackson had little chance of being governor, but he inadvertently denied Kennon the likelihood of a second nonconsecutive term. Jackson endorsed the successful McKeithen in the runoff with Morrison. Cabral finished far behind in the lieutenant governor's race as well, with victory going to the conservative
Aycock.
Dodd said that Jackson had tried to capitalize on the desegregation crisis: "Shelby Jackson was too dumb and schoolteacherish to use his great opportunities effectively. Too, my being on the [state education] board and gigging him quietly didn't help his cause much."
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
superintendent
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
of public education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
who served from 1948-1964. In the early 1960s, he tried in vain to block federally-authorized school 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...
. Jackson was posthumously honored in 1994, by the naming of the "Shelby M. Jackson Memorial Campus" of Louisiana Technical College
Louisiana Technical College
Louisiana Technical College is an institute for professional technical education in the state of Louisiana, with campuses across the state. Louisiana Technical College has no affiliation to Louisiana Tech University.-History:...
in Ferriday
Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday is a town in Concordia Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population, which is three-fourths African American, was 3,723 at the 2000 census....
.
A former educator originally from Monterey
Monterey, Louisiana
Monterey is an unincorporated community in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The community is located near the junction of Louisiana Highways 129 and 565 in west central Concordia Parish, southwest of Ferriday...
in Concordia Parish
Concordia Parish, Louisiana
Concordia Parish borders the Mississippi River in eastern Louisiana. The parish seat is Vidalia. As of 2000, the population was 20,247. It is part of the Natchez, MS–LA Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Prehistory:...
, Jackson was elected four times as his state's school superintendent. In his first election in 1948 he ran on the unsuccessful Sam Houston Jones gubernatorial slate. In his last reelection in April 1960, he overwhelmed the first Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
ever to seek the Louisiana superintendency, Donald Emerich, a professor at Centenary College
Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana is a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college in Shreveport, Louisiana. The college is one of the founding members of the Associated Colleges of the South, a pedagogical organization consisting of sixteen Southern liberal arts colleges...
in Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. Jackson polled 86.7 percent of the two-party vote, to Emerich's 13.3 percent. Jackson became well-known politically through his tenure as superintendent. For sixteen years, nearly every child's report card in the state bore Jackson's stenciled signature.
Jackson, as superintendent, advocated increased state spending on education, but not federal financing. In a 1962 address in Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
, he said that inadequate financing and federal control of education were great dangers to public schools. He said that local administrators should not be burdened with finances but instead focus their time on strengthening instruction. He claimed that the interest group, the NAACP, followed 14-point goals set by the Communist Party of the United States. "It is important that we unite, work on this problem together, and return to constitutional government. We must do everything we can to place the United States first over all other nations and maintain our sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
."
Jackson runs for governor, 1963
Continuing his strong segregationist position, Jackson had on November 13, 1960, declared a school holiday in an attempt to thwart court-ordered school desegregationDesegregation
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 Orleans Parish, where the first race-mixing was implemented in Louisiana schools. The legislature in special session passed twenty-nine segregation laws, all struck down by U.S. District Judge J. Skelly Wright
J. Skelly Wright
James Skelly Wright was a judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and anti-segregationist. The J...
. The legislature also named Risley C. Triche
Risley C. Triche
Risley Claiborne Triche, also known as Pappy Triche , is an attorney in Napoleonville, Louisiana, who served as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1955-1976...
of Napoleonville
Napoleonville, Louisiana
Napoleonville is a village in and the parish seat of Assumption Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 686 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Pierre Part Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
to head an eight-member committee to supervise the Orleans Parish schools and to maintain segregation. Wright's rulings however, were upheld, and desegregation proceeded.
Jackson was hospitalized in 1961 for several weeks but recovered. A journalist described him as "a militant anti-communist . . . whose speeches run pretty long and are sometimes repetitive. He does not have good relations with some of the press. He can be pretty stubborn. He rarely seems relaxed."
As expected, Jackson entered the 1963 Democratic gubernatorial primary. He campaigned on an intraparty "ticket" with New Orleans attorney Harry R. Cabral (1926–1998), who sought the position of lieutenant governor against the incumbent conservative Clarence C. Aycock
Clarence C. Aycock
Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock , a conservative Democrat from Franklin in St. Mary Parish, was the only three-term lieutenant governor in modern Louisiana history. He served from 1960 to 1972. Aycock failed in his only bid for governor in the 1971 Democratic primary...
of Franklin
Franklin, Louisiana
Franklin is a city in and the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in St. Mary Parish
St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
St. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.-Geography:...
. Jackson was said to represent "dissent against the 'liberal' tendencies in both state and national government" and seemingly expected to "ride the current wave of 'conservative' protest into office."
Jackson finished fifth with 103,945 votes (11.5 percent).
Had he run for a fifth term as superintendent and not for governor, it has been speculated that a clear majority of his votes would have otherwise gone to the fourth-place candidate, former Governor Robert F. Kennon
Robert F. Kennon
Robert Floyd Kennon, Sr., known as Bob Kennon , was the 48th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1952-1956. He failed to win a second non-consecutive term in the 1963 Democratic primary....
of Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
, the seat of Webster Parish
Webster Parish, Louisiana
Webster Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Minden. In 2010, its population was 41,207....
. Therefore, with more than half of Jackson's votes added to his total, Kennon, not fellow Democrat John Julian McKeithen
John McKeithen
John Julian McKeithen was the 49th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1964 to 1972. A Democrat from the town of Columbia, he was the first governor of his state in the twentieth century to serve two consecutive terms...
, would have entered the party runoff primary with the Number 1 candidate, former New Orleans Mayor deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison, Sr.
One may indeed argue that Jackson had little chance of being governor, but he inadvertently denied Kennon the likelihood of a second nonconsecutive term. Jackson endorsed the successful McKeithen in the runoff with Morrison. Cabral finished far behind in the lieutenant governor's race as well, with victory going to the conservative
Canadian conservatism
Conservatism in Canada is generally considered to be primarily represented by the Conservative Party of Canada at the federal level, and by various right-wing parties at the provincial level...
Aycock.
Dodd's dirty trick on Jackson
Jackson was succeeded as superintendent by his fellow Democrat, William J. "Bill" Dodd, who served from 1964-1972. Dodd claimed in his memoirs Peapatch Politics: The Earl Long Era in Louisiana Politics that he and his friends encouraged Jackson to run for governor to clear the way for Dodd to seek the superintendency. Dodd said that many of his own backers sent personal letters to Jackson with $1 bills as campaign contributions to demonstrate "grass-roots" support for the segregationist candidate. And Jackson fell for Dodd's bait—entering a gubernatorial race that he could not win and surrendering his superintendency, which he may well have retained had he sought a fifth term. It was a "dirty trick" to which Dodd confesses in his memoirs.Dodd said that Jackson had tried to capitalize on the desegregation crisis: "Shelby Jackson was too dumb and schoolteacherish to use his great opportunities effectively. Too, my being on the [state education] board and gigging him quietly didn't help his cause much."