Product Description

Many Americans remember Senator Sam Ervin (1896-1985) as the affable, Bible-quoting, old country lawyer who chaired the Senate Watergate hearings in 1973. Yet for most of his 20 years in the Senate, Ervin was Jim Crow's most talented legal defender as the South's constitutional expert during the congressional debates on civil rights. The paradox of the senator's opposition to civil rights and defense of civil liberties lies at the heart of this biography of Sam Ervin. Karl Campbell illuminates the character of the man and the historical forces that shaped him. The senator's distrust of centralized power, Campbell argues, helps explain his ironic reputation as a foe of civil rights and a champion of civil liberties.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #282064 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 448 pages

Review
"Campbell's compact description of Ervin's pre-Senate life is interesting and entertaining." -- Chapel Hill News

Review
"Contributes to the growing scholarship on the southern white response to the civil rights era. . . . [An] excellent study."
— Journal of American History

"Campbell succeeds splendidly in threading the historical needle. . . . A sophisticated, clear-eyed and evenhanded biography . . . that is likely to stand the test of time as the best work on one of North Carolina's most famous sons. . . . Adds immeasurably to our understanding of the state and its politics."
— The News and Observer

"Excellent. . . . Highly recommend[ed]. . . . Extensively researched and documented, gracefully written, and includes a variety of photographs and illustrations."
— Winston-Salem Journal

"An excellent biography that captures much of the essence of one of the prominent mid-20th-century senators. . . . A welcome addition to the understanding of Ervin's southern mind as it sought to cope with changing conditions in region and the nation caused by changing dynamics in US society. Highly recommended."
— CHOICE

"A welcome addition to the understanding of Ervin’s southern mind. . . . Highly recommended."
— Choice



Campbell has so skillfully shown the culture of Ervin's lifetime and how it shaped him and his generation.
-Dan T. Carter, author of The Politics of Rage: George Wallace, the Origins of the New Conservatism, and the Transformation of American Politics

About the Author
Karl E. Campbell is associate professor of history at Appalachian State University.

Customer Reviews

senator sammy
dr campbell did excellent research on this old school southern democrat and his book extolls the senator's virtues, reveals his segregationist flaws and most importantly demonstrates his charming wit. an excellent read!

gary e

The unlikely rise of Senator Sam Ervin!
SENATOR SAM ERVIN:
LAST OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS (2007)
by Karl Campbell

This is an interesting new biography of the legendary North Carolina senator Sam Ervin. While it does contain a great deal of biographical information, it does not attempt to be a complete account of his life. Rather the purpose of the book is to document his interpretation of law and his positions on civil liberties versus civil rights.

The story starts out with the young Ervin concentrating on law books just like his dad. He became a well known judge in North Carolina, making powerful allies with what was called the "progressive plutocracy". He was more interested in getting a position on the state supreme court than a career in politics, but various circumstances gave him the opportunity to do experience each of these things.

Ervin is famous for various incidents in his political life, such as helping to confront Sen. Joe McCarthy and of course the Watergate hearings. He is also known for his rejection of portions of civil rights bills on the grounds that they gave the federal government too much power. Ervin never used hateful rhetoric and (naively) thought that blacks in North Carolina were happy with the status quo. He also helped pass an "Indian Bill of Rights" to extend constitutional protections to Native Americans and fought against government surveillance (although this second point was later in his career). He defended the rights of war protesters even though he supported the actions in Vietnam. Sam Ervin believed that he was fighting to preserve the constitution. The author states that over time he came to believe in a "colorblind" USA, although he remained fiercely critical of the federal government.

The book is a great effort and I enjoyed almost every page of it. I have only two issues with it. First, the writing is sometimes repetitive in how various things are overemphasized. My other problem is that in many places the author does not even attempt to humor Ervin's point of view, assuming that the only reason he would oppose something is due to his reluctance to change. I agree that was a key part of his worldview, but he also raised legitimate concerns about the centralization of power in the executive branch. A great book nonetheless, and recommended for fans or critics of the colorful senator.

New Biography
Prof. Campbell succeeded in bringing out an excellent biography which is a pleasure to read. The work is scholarly and well researched. What emetges is as objective as possible portrait of (to me) a perfect Southern anachronism: how a small town lawyer, by dint of regional circumstances, drawing on local connections and personal charm became a national figure of measurable prominence.
At the same time, the book is very well written and will delight both a student of NC history and any dedicated reader (are not all readers dedicated?). While personal opinions of Sen. Ervin may vary, the picture which emerges from the book is a clear and sharply drawn portrait of a honest man dedicated to long-gone ideals, a slightly bigoted reactionary with excellent manners and a great dose of personal charm, and moderate scholarly resources. In other words, a perfect Southern gentleman of the old school.
I do have a slight doubt if Sam Ervin would actually feel very comfortably in the company of Jefferson, Madison and Franklin. He most certainly would gain their understanding and perhaps some tolerance and by a sligt stretch of imagination could easily be counted among the founding fathers.