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From Boss Crump to King Willie: How Race Changed Memphis Politics
From Boss Crump to King Willie offers an in-depth look at the vital role that race played in the political evolution of Memphis, from the rise of longtime political boss Edward Hull Crump to the election of Dr. Willie Herenton as the city's first black mayor. Filled with vivid details on the workings of municipal politics, this accessible account by veteran journalist Otis Sanford explores the nearly century-long struggle by African Americans in Memphis to secure recognition from local leaders and gain a viable voice in the city's affairs.
Sanford explains how, in 1909, Crump won his first election as mayor without black support but then immediately sought to woo and keep the black vote in order to maintain his political machine for the next two generations. The African American community overwhelmingly supported the Crump organization because he at least listened and responded to some of
their concerns, while other white leaders completely ignored them. The book probes Crump's hot-and-cold relationship with local newspaper editors, some of whom castigated his machine politics, and examines the press's influence on the political and civic life of the city. It also shows how, amid longstanding racism and poverty in Memphis, the black community nevertheless produced many prominent business, religious, and political leaders, most of whom had an amicable relationship with "Boss" Crump.
The book goes on to explore the political vacuum that ensued after Crump's death in 1954, and the factors that led to African Americans becoming the majority voting population in the city following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in 1968. Through the civil rights movement and beyond, black Memphians kept up their fight for recognition and inclusion.
That fight culminated in the election of Dr. Herenton, a well-educated native son who proved to be the right man at the right time to make racial and political history in the city. Additionally, the book compares the racial climate in Memphis with that in other southern cities during
the height of the civil rights movement.
OTIS SANFORD holds the Hardin Chair of Excellence in Economic/Managerial Journalism at the University of Memphis. He also serves as the political commentator for WREG-TV in Memphis. A former managing editor and current political columnist at the Memphis Commercial Appeal, he also worked for the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger, the Pittsburgh Press, and the Detroit Free Press. He was inducted into the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame in 2014.
Sanford explains how, in 1909, Crump won his first election as mayor without black support but then immediately sought to woo and keep the black vote in order to maintain his political machine for the next two generations. The African American community overwhelmingly supported the Crump organization because he at least listened and responded to some of
their concerns, while other white leaders completely ignored them. The book probes Crump's hot-and-cold relationship with local newspaper editors, some of whom castigated his machine politics, and examines the press's influence on the political and civic life of the city. It also shows how, amid longstanding racism and poverty in Memphis, the black community nevertheless produced many prominent business, religious, and political leaders, most of whom had an amicable relationship with "Boss" Crump.
The book goes on to explore the political vacuum that ensued after Crump's death in 1954, and the factors that led to African Americans becoming the majority voting population in the city following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in 1968. Through the civil rights movement and beyond, black Memphians kept up their fight for recognition and inclusion.
That fight culminated in the election of Dr. Herenton, a well-educated native son who proved to be the right man at the right time to make racial and political history in the city. Additionally, the book compares the racial climate in Memphis with that in other southern cities during
the height of the civil rights movement.
OTIS SANFORD holds the Hardin Chair of Excellence in Economic/Managerial Journalism at the University of Memphis. He also serves as the political commentator for WREG-TV in Memphis. A former managing editor and current political columnist at the Memphis Commercial Appeal, he also worked for the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger, the Pittsburgh Press, and the Detroit Free Press. He was inducted into the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame in 2014.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
276 pages, Hardcover
Published April 7, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 5, 2017
Otis Sanford has produced a highly readable and frequently entertaining account of two political giants in a Southern city.
The first giant is Edward Hull Crump, better known as "Boss Crump," a white man and leader of a political machine that curried favor among African-American voters to consolidate power during the Memphis, Tennessee of the early 20th century. The second political giant is Willie Herenton, or "King Willie," who would become the first black mayor of the city in a watershed election in 1991 and serve for several more terms.
The two men's lives overlapped by only a few years - Herenton was only 14 years old when Crump died in 1954 - yet Sanford skillfully sketches the political events and social context of their city and shows how their lives were part of the same mosaic.
One of Sanford's greatest gifts is his ability to pull colorful quotes and anecdotes out of the archives and bring this history to life. One memorable account comes late in the book: the city's key African-American leaders huddle in the upper room of a church and decide who will become the black community's consensus candidate. The losing candidate storms out, shouting "It ain't right! It ain't fair!" The other candidate, Herenton, goes on to his historical win.
I was also impressed with the book's beautiful prologue, in which Sanford describes his childhood as a farm boy in Mississippi who dreams of going to the big city to work for its major newspaper, The Commercial Appeal. Sanford eventually achieved that goal, and this account is in part the story of how the newspaper came to terms with the changing racial dynamic of its times.
I've lived in Memphis most of my life, and I've met many of the people whose names are included in these pages, yet many of the stories included in this book were new to me. I emerged with a deeper understanding of my city's racial history. This book will be valuable to anyone interested in Southern history and culture.
The first giant is Edward Hull Crump, better known as "Boss Crump," a white man and leader of a political machine that curried favor among African-American voters to consolidate power during the Memphis, Tennessee of the early 20th century. The second political giant is Willie Herenton, or "King Willie," who would become the first black mayor of the city in a watershed election in 1991 and serve for several more terms.
The two men's lives overlapped by only a few years - Herenton was only 14 years old when Crump died in 1954 - yet Sanford skillfully sketches the political events and social context of their city and shows how their lives were part of the same mosaic.
One of Sanford's greatest gifts is his ability to pull colorful quotes and anecdotes out of the archives and bring this history to life. One memorable account comes late in the book: the city's key African-American leaders huddle in the upper room of a church and decide who will become the black community's consensus candidate. The losing candidate storms out, shouting "It ain't right! It ain't fair!" The other candidate, Herenton, goes on to his historical win.
I was also impressed with the book's beautiful prologue, in which Sanford describes his childhood as a farm boy in Mississippi who dreams of going to the big city to work for its major newspaper, The Commercial Appeal. Sanford eventually achieved that goal, and this account is in part the story of how the newspaper came to terms with the changing racial dynamic of its times.
I've lived in Memphis most of my life, and I've met many of the people whose names are included in these pages, yet many of the stories included in this book were new to me. I emerged with a deeper understanding of my city's racial history. This book will be valuable to anyone interested in Southern history and culture.
September 15, 2018
Each chapter is an entertaining, interesting read in its own right, but Sanford skips around chronologically too often for my liking. It was difficult at times to see what events were happening simultaneously. I understand the choice to organize the book around different stories or themes, but I think it would have been more enlightening to tell the story more chronologically, and tie the different events together. Overall, though, a very informative book about Memphis's political history.
March 17, 2020
I really enjoyed this. As a Memphian born in the early 80's, it was very interesting to learn about characters and events that have shaped our city into what it is today. Many things and names I'd seen before, but didn't know the deep stories of. Mr Sanford clearly loves this city, but doesn't seem afraid to call problems from the past and present what they are. I would highly recommend this to any local or non-local who wants to learn about Memphis in the 20th century.
April 15, 2019
Wanting to learn about Memphis politics? Then this is the book.
December 7, 2023
Awesome book. Great history of Memphis from one who lived it and knows it
March 29, 2017
Otis Sanford provides a concise, well researched and convincing argument that race has played a decisive factor in Memphis politics from the early 1900s to the early 2000s. Samford traces the political evolution of the city beginning with the ways that E.H. "Boss" Crump paternalistically reached out to black voters and ending with the consensus voting that lead to the election of W.W. Herenton, the city's first elected black mayor.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews