William F. Winter and the New Mississippi: A Biography

Images

Morrison Heights, Grenada, Mississippi, 2008. William H. Winter, great-grandfather of William F. Winter, purchased this house in the 1850s so that his children could receive an education in town, since no schools existed near his plantation more than ten miles away. Photograph by author. William F. Winter on the knee of his grandfather, the Confederate veteran William B. Winter. The former Civil War soldier lived with William Winter and his parents until his death in 1929. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. William Winter playing with the livestock on the Winter farm, late 1920s. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. William Winter with his father, Aylmer Winter, a farmer and state legislator. In 1932, the nine-year-old boy spent three weeks attending the sessions of the Mississippi Senate with his father. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Jim Eastland and William Winter during the 1942 U.S. Senate campaign. Winter served as the driver for Eastland, who was making his first run for the U.S. Senate seat he would hold until 1978. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. William Winter with his mother, Inez, during World War II, on the family farm in Grenada County. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Second Lieutenant William Winter at Fort McClellan, Alabama, 1945. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. William Winter at the beginning of the 1948 legislative session. Elected to his first political office at the age of twenty-four while still at Ole Miss Law School, Winter served for nine years in the state legislature. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. William Winter in the Philippines, 1946. In connection with his military duties, Winter traveled across the island of Luzon as an officer in the Eighty-Sixth Infantry Division. He is pictured here holding the spear of an Igorot tribesman in the mountains north of Baguio. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. William Winter receiving his law degree at Ole Miss, May 1949. Courtesy of William F. Winter. Chief Justice Robert Gillespie of the Mississippi Supreme Court swears William Winter in as state tax collector, 1956. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The state tax collector and his young family in 1960. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. William Winter campaigning during the 1967 governor’s race. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Handbill created during the second primary campaign of the 1967 election for governor, suggesting that black voters favored Winter in the contest. Though unattributed, supporters of John Bell Williams distributed the document during the campaign in an effort to diminish support for Winter’s candidacy among white voters. Courtesy of William F. Winter. This picture of the Winter family walking across the lawn of their Jackson home was used in campaign ads for the 1967 gubernatorial campaign. Pictured left to right are Eleanor, Anne, William Winter, Elise, and Lele. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Campaigning at the Neshoba County Fair during the 1971 lieutenant governor’s contest. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Erle Johnston (left), Estelle Turner, and William Winter. Johnston and Winter, both from Grenada, gave a birthday party in 1973 for Turner, their favorite teacher from Grenada High School. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Lieutenant Governor Winter on his way to work at the Mississippi State Capitol, 1975. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Campaign ad, 1975 governor’s race. The photo in the ad shows Winter with a loosened tie, part of the effort during the campaign to “de-formalize” his public persona. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. William and Elise Winter talking to a worker at the Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula during the 1975 race for governor. Winter lost the election to Cliff Finch, who claimed the mantle of the workingman’s candidate during the contest. Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History. William and Elise Winter wave to supporters early on what proved to be a disappointing election night, August 1975. Inauguration Day, January 1980. Joining Governor and Elise Winter at...