Furnifold McLendel Simmons, Marker C-30
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showbizkid
N 35° 06.534 W 077° 02.130
18S E 314490 N 3887015
Furnifold McLendel Simmons (January 20, 1854 - April 30, 1940) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1887 to 1889 and U.S. senator from the state of North Carolina between 1901 and 1931. In 1920 he was an unsuccessful contender for the Democratic Party nomination for President.
Waymark Code: WMG9V
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 07/03/2006
Views: 19
After losing statewide elections in 1894 and 1896 to the Populist-Republican fusion ticket (African Americans and white Republicans), North Carolina Democrats turned to Furnifold Simmons for help. The Jones County native was the architect of the Democrats' 1898 campaign, and was widely acclaimed for his skills as a political organizer. He was named chairman of the state Democratic party and began working with party leaders, developing local political organizations that he would rely on for the rest of his career. Simmons's most significant contribution to the campaign was his decision to focus nearly all of the party's efforts on a single issue. He wrote, "While we dealt with graft and advocated the free coinage of silver, the keynote of the campaign was White Supremacy, and I believe I was chiefly responsible for the choice of the issue."
Simmons kept the issue of African American officeholders, whom he portrayed as corrupt and unqualified for office, at the forefront of the campaign. He even arranged for photographs of African American civic leaders to be sent to party officials in western North Carolina who were skeptical of the claims of "negro domination" in the east. He made few speeches during the campaign, concentrating his efforts on party organization and publications.
When the Democrats swept to victory, Simmons led efforts to ensure a Democratic majority by disfranchising African American voters. He drafted the amendment to the state constitution that would impose new limits on suffrage and helped to lead it through the legislature.
In recognition of his political skills, and as a reward for his service to the party, Simmons was nominated by the Democrats for a senatorial seat in 1900. He was elected and would serve until 1930, becoming one of the most powerful figures in the U.S. Senate.
As a Senator, Simmons wielded great authority. Simmons served on the Committee on Commerce and obtained funding for the Intercoastal Waterway from Boston to Wilmington, considered his crowning achievement. He also served as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, 1913-19, and played a major role in securing lower tariff rates and the passage of the Underwood-Simmons Tariff Act. Although a fiscal conservative, he helped pass bills regarding increased taxes on incomes, corporations, and excess profits to fund American participation in World War I.
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