Billy Mitts
F. W. "Billy" Mitts | |
---|---|
Member of the Mississippi Senate from the 40th district | |
In office 1960–1964 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1919/1920[1] Clarke County, Mississippi |
Political party | Democratic Party |
Spouse(s) | Lugennia Mitts |
Parent(s) |
|
Alma mater | Mississippi State University |
F. W. "Billy" Mitts is an American attorney and Democratic politician from Mississippi. He served in the Mississippi State Senate from 1960 to 1964.
Biography[]
Mitts was born to F. W. "Buddy" Mitts and his wife, and grew up in Clarke County, Mississippi.[1] He attended Mississippi State University, where he had been a cheerleader and the student body president.[2]
In 1959, he was elected as the state senator for Clarke and Jasper counties.[3] He ran for re-election in 1963, when the 40th district had been redrawn to include Wayne County in place of Jasper County.[4][1] He lost in the first round of primary elections to W. Vol "Bill" Jones.[5][6]
Mitts was opposed to racial integration of schools in Mississippi.[7] He is known for his role in trying to prevent the 1962–63 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team from playing in the NCAA tournament against the Loyola Ramblers, a team from Chicago which featured four black starting players, in an NCAA tournament game which is now known as the Game of Change.[8] Mitts and another state senator, , obtained a temporary injunction to restrain the team within the state ahead of gameday.[9] However, this injunction was never served before the team's plane departed for the game, and it was later dissolved for lacking legal basis.[10]
Personal life[]
He married Lugennia White from Macon, Georgia.[1] He has a daughter, Chandler Mitts, who ran for the Mississippi House of Representatives twice in the 1990s.[11]
References[]
- ^ a b c d "F.W. (Billy) Mitts Is Candidate for Re-election". . February 22, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ West, Gary (March 10, 2013). "Landmark game had Kentucky connections". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "Cooper, Culpepper, Ramsey, Mitts, Meadows Win in County Races". The Clarke County Tribune. August 28, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "Sample Ballot for State Senator, Fortieth District". The Clarke County Tribune. August 2, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "Official Returns from Clarke—First Primary". The Clarke County Tribune. August 9, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Jones, W. Vol (Bill), Jr. (August 16, 1963). "To the Citizens of Clarke County". The Clarke County Tribune (Advertisement). p. 7. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "State Senator Unleashes GOP, Demo Battle". The Greenwood Commonwealth. Jackson, Mississippi. Associated Press. February 28, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "MSU Entry Brings Additional Criticism". The Clarion-Ledger. March 5, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved June 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bulldogs Head for Tournament". Enterprise-Journal. Associated Press. March 14, 1963. p. 9. Retrieved June 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Lenehan, Michael (2013). Ramblers: Loyola Chicago 1963—The Team That Changed the Color of College Basketball. Agate Publishing. pp. 211–214. ISBN 1572841400.
- ^ Hammons, Randall (January 16, 2017). "Meridian area residents tickled to attend Trump inauguration". The Meridian Star. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
See also[]
- , a state representative who also opposed NCAA tournament participation
- Walter Hester, a state representative who also opposed NCAA tournament participation
- People from Clarke County, Mississippi
- Mississippi state senators
- 20th-century births
- Mississippi politician stubs