Historical Image of the Day

Sam Ervin, Democratic senator from North Carolina, 1954-74. Ervin was a pretty weird guy. He opposed civil rights legislation, but he claimed it was not in a racist way, but because he didn't believe the government had any role in such matters and because he feared federal power. I would say this was just a lame racist cover for a southern senator, but he also used the same principle to oppose Nixon during Vietnam, in particular over the Army's spying on American civilians. He also headed the Senate Watergate Committee.