Coleman L. Blease
Encyclopedia
Coleman Livingston Blease (October 8, 1868 January 19, 1942) was a politician from the U.S. state
of South Carolina
known for his populist appeals and racism. He served as a state legislator
, as the 90th Governor of South Carolina
, and as a U.S. Senator
.
, on October 8, 1868, the year that South Carolina's new Reconstruction constitution was adopted and black
s began participating in public life. Blease was educated at Newberry College
, the University of South Carolina
, and Georgetown University
, where he graduated from the law department in 1889. At the University of South Carolina, Blease was expelled for plagiarism and henceforth he carried a grudge against the University.
Blease returned to Newberry to practice law and enter politics. He began his political career in the South Carolina House of Representatives
in 1890 as a protege of Benjamin Ryan Tillman. But whereas Tillman drew his support from South Carolina's well-to-do white farmers, Blease recognized that the tenant farmers
and textile mill workers lacked a political voice. His own rise to power, as he moved from the South Carolina House of Representatives to the South Carolina Senate
in 1900, was built on the support of both the sharecroppers and mill workers, an increasingly important segment of the electorate in South Carolina in this period. His appeal to the millworkers and sharecroppers was based on his personality and his view that made the "inarticulate masses feel that Coley was making them an important political force in the state." This new era saw a sharp division within the state Democratic Party
(the Republican Party
being virtually non-existent in South Carolina and much of the rest of the South at this time), with the factions known for many years as being "Tillmanites" and "Bleaseites." Shortly before he was elected governor, he was elected as the Mayor of Newberry, South Carolina in 1910. He held this position until November 1910, when he became the governor of the state.
because he "knew how to play on race, religious, and class prejudices to obtain votes." His legislative program was erratic and entirely without consistency. Blease favored more aid to schools, yet opposed compulsory attendance. He abolished the textile mill of the state penitentiary for health reasons, yet opposed inspections of factories to ensure safety and healthful working conditions.
Blease acquired such a bad reputation that he was said to represent the worst aspects of Jim Crow
and Ben Tillman such that even Tillman branded Blease's style as "Jim Tillmanism", (Jim Tillman being Ben Tillman's nephew). Blease favored complete white supremacy
in all matters. He encouraged the practice of lynching, he was steadfastly against the education of blacks, and he even derided one of his opponents for being a trustee of a black school. Blease once buried the severed finger of a black man who had been lynched in the South Carolina gubernatorial garden. The newspapers did not escape Blease's scrutiny and he had praised Jim Tillman for the murder of The State editor N.G. Gonzales
in 1903. Blease recommended that imprisonment be given to reporters or editors who publish candidates' speeches.
In addition, Blease failed to enforce laws and even encouraged breaking the law. His black chauffeur was fined twice for speeding and both times Blease pardoned him. Blease enjoyed the use of the pardon and he stated that he wanted to pardon at least one thousand men before he exited office because he wanted "to give the poor devils a chance." He far exceeded his goal and it is estimated that he pardoned between 1,500 to 1,700 prisoners, some of whom were guilty of murder and other heinous crimes. It was rumored by his enemies that Blease received payments to pardon criminals.
Although the combined opposition of Tillman and the upper classes could not prevent his re-election in 1912
, he lost the U.S. Senate election of 1914 against incumbent Senator "Cotton Ed" Smith
. In a show of spite for progressive governor-elect Richard Irvine Manning III
, Blease resigned five days before the end of his second term on January 14, 1915, so that he did not have to attend Manning's inauguration. Charles Aurelius Smith
succeeded to the governorship and only performed ceremonial functions during his five days in office.
Afterward, Blease spent a decade outside the mainstream of politics. Manning's administration (1915–1919) brought many Progressive Era
reforms to the state, but as the political climate turned more reactionary after 1919, Blease's popularity rebounded. Blease lacked a constructive program and the prudence of a successful organizer. But his agitations had permanently quickened the political consciousness of the cotton-mill operatives and other poor whites.
In virtually all of his campaigns, Blease used a catchy, nonsensical, non-specific campaign jingle that became well known to virtually every voter in South Carolina in the era: "Roll up your sleeves, say what you please...the man for the job is Coley Blease!"
s and gave voice to his beliefs in his gubernatorial inaugural address in 1911.
in the Democratic primary and was elected to the U.S. Senate. His campaign showed that he was the same politician he had always been and foreshadowed his style as Senator. Blease's defeat of Byrnes was widely credited to a rumor campaign that Byrnes, who was raised a Roman Catholic
in Charleston
had not really left that faith when he entered politics. Such an assertion in an overwhelmingly Protestant state in the years when the Ku Klux Klan
was at the height of its power ruined Byrnes's hopes that year, though it was Byrnes who defeated Blease in his 1930 run for re-election.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
known for his populist appeals and racism. He served as a state legislator
South Carolina General Assembly
The South Carolina General Assembly, also called the South Carolina Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and the upper South Carolina Senate. Altogether, the General...
, as the 90th Governor of South Carolina
Governor of South Carolina
The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio...
, and as a U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
Early life and career
Coleman Livingston Blease was born near the town of Newberry, South CarolinaNewberry, South Carolina
Newberry is a city in Newberry County, South Carolina, 43 miles west -northwest of Columbia. The charter was adopted in 1894. In 1890, 3,020 people lived in Newberry, South Carolina; in 1900, 4,607; in 1910, 5,028; and in 1940, 7,510. The population was 10,580 at the 2000 census. It is the county...
, on October 8, 1868, the year that South Carolina's new Reconstruction constitution was adopted and black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s began participating in public life. Blease was educated at Newberry College
Newberry College
Newberry College is a liberal-arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located on a historic campus in Newberry, South Carolina.The college has 1,025 students and a 19:1 student-teacher ratio...
, the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
, and Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, where he graduated from the law department in 1889. At the University of South Carolina, Blease was expelled for plagiarism and henceforth he carried a grudge against the University.
Blease returned to Newberry to practice law and enter politics. He began his political career in the South Carolina House of Representatives
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the upper house being the South Carolina Senate. It consists of 124 Representatives elected to two year terms at the same time as US Congressional elections...
in 1890 as a protege of Benjamin Ryan Tillman. But whereas Tillman drew his support from South Carolina's well-to-do white farmers, Blease recognized that the tenant farmers
Sharecropping
Sharecropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land . This should not be confused with a crop fixed rent contract, in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a fixed amount of...
and textile mill workers lacked a political voice. His own rise to power, as he moved from the South Carolina House of Representatives to the South Carolina Senate
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives...
in 1900, was built on the support of both the sharecroppers and mill workers, an increasingly important segment of the electorate in South Carolina in this period. His appeal to the millworkers and sharecroppers was based on his personality and his view that made the "inarticulate masses feel that Coley was making them an important political force in the state." This new era saw a sharp division within the state Democratic Party
South Carolina Democratic Party
The South Carolina Democratic Party is the South Carolina affiliate of the United States Democratic Party. The Democratic party thrived during the Second Party System between 1832 and the mid-1850s and was one of the causes of the collapse of the Whig Party....
(the Republican Party
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...
being virtually non-existent in South Carolina and much of the rest of the South at this time), with the factions known for many years as being "Tillmanites" and "Bleaseites." Shortly before he was elected governor, he was elected as the Mayor of Newberry, South Carolina in 1910. He held this position until November 1910, when he became the governor of the state.
Blease as Governor
Blease was elected governor in 1910South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1910
The 1910 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1910 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Coleman Livingston Blease won the Democratic primary and ran unopposed in the general election to become the 90th governor of South Carolina.-Democratic primary:By...
because he "knew how to play on race, religious, and class prejudices to obtain votes." His legislative program was erratic and entirely without consistency. Blease favored more aid to schools, yet opposed compulsory attendance. He abolished the textile mill of the state penitentiary for health reasons, yet opposed inspections of factories to ensure safety and healthful working conditions.
Blease acquired such a bad reputation that he was said to represent the worst aspects of Jim Crow
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
and Ben Tillman such that even Tillman branded Blease's style as "Jim Tillmanism", (Jim Tillman being Ben Tillman's nephew). Blease favored complete white supremacy
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
in all matters. He encouraged the practice of lynching, he was steadfastly against the education of blacks, and he even derided one of his opponents for being a trustee of a black school. Blease once buried the severed finger of a black man who had been lynched in the South Carolina gubernatorial garden. The newspapers did not escape Blease's scrutiny and he had praised Jim Tillman for the murder of The State editor N.G. Gonzales
Narciso Gener Gonzales
Narciso Gener Gonzales was born in St. Paul's Parish, South Carolina, South Carolina. He and his brother, Ambrose E. Gonzales, were the founders of The State newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina....
in 1903. Blease recommended that imprisonment be given to reporters or editors who publish candidates' speeches.
In addition, Blease failed to enforce laws and even encouraged breaking the law. His black chauffeur was fined twice for speeding and both times Blease pardoned him. Blease enjoyed the use of the pardon and he stated that he wanted to pardon at least one thousand men before he exited office because he wanted "to give the poor devils a chance." He far exceeded his goal and it is estimated that he pardoned between 1,500 to 1,700 prisoners, some of whom were guilty of murder and other heinous crimes. It was rumored by his enemies that Blease received payments to pardon criminals.
Although the combined opposition of Tillman and the upper classes could not prevent his re-election in 1912
South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1912
The 1912 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1912, to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Governor Coleman Livingston Blease won the Democratic primary and won the general election to earn a second two-year term....
, he lost the U.S. Senate election of 1914 against incumbent Senator "Cotton Ed" Smith
Ellison D. Smith
Ellison DuRant "Cotton Ed" Smith was a Democratic Party politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina. He represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1909 until 1944....
. In a show of spite for progressive governor-elect Richard Irvine Manning III
Richard Irvine Manning III
Richard Irvine Manning III was a politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina. He served as a state legislator and as the 92nd Governor of South Carolina.-Early life and career:...
, Blease resigned five days before the end of his second term on January 14, 1915, so that he did not have to attend Manning's inauguration. Charles Aurelius Smith
Charles Aurelius Smith
Charles Aurelius Smith was the 91st Governor of South Carolina from January 14, 1915, to January 19, 1915. His term of five days stands as the shortest for any governor in South Carolina....
succeeded to the governorship and only performed ceremonial functions during his five days in office.
Afterward, Blease spent a decade outside the mainstream of politics. Manning's administration (1915–1919) brought many Progressive Era
Progressive Era
The Progressive Era in the United States was a period of social activism and political reform that flourished from the 1890s to the 1920s. One main goal of the Progressive movement was purification of government, as Progressives tried to eliminate corruption by exposing and undercutting political...
reforms to the state, but as the political climate turned more reactionary after 1919, Blease's popularity rebounded. Blease lacked a constructive program and the prudence of a successful organizer. But his agitations had permanently quickened the political consciousness of the cotton-mill operatives and other poor whites.
In virtually all of his campaigns, Blease used a catchy, nonsensical, non-specific campaign jingle that became well known to virtually every voter in South Carolina in the era: "Roll up your sleeves, say what you please...the man for the job is Coley Blease!"
Blease and soft drinks
Governor Blease disliked carbonated soft drinkSoft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
s and gave voice to his beliefs in his gubernatorial inaugural address in 1911.
Blease as Senator
In 1924, Blease defeated James F. ByrnesJames F. Byrnes
James Francis Byrnes was an American statesman from the state of South Carolina. During his career, Byrnes served as a member of the House of Representatives , as a Senator , as Justice of the Supreme Court , as Secretary of State , and as the 104th Governor of South Carolina...
in the Democratic primary and was elected to the U.S. Senate. His campaign showed that he was the same politician he had always been and foreshadowed his style as Senator. Blease's defeat of Byrnes was widely credited to a rumor campaign that Byrnes, who was raised a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
had not really left that faith when he entered politics. Such an assertion in an overwhelmingly Protestant state in the years when the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
was at the height of its power ruined Byrnes's hopes that year, though it was Byrnes who defeated Blease in his 1930 run for re-election.