Billy Mitts Explained

F. W. "Billy" Mitts
State Senate:Mississippi
District:40th
Term Start:1960
Term End:1964
Birth Date:1919
Birth Place:Clarke County, Mississippi, U.S.
Death Place:Meridian, Mississippi, U.S.
Spouse:Lugennia Mitts
Father:F. W. "Buddy" Mitts

Fielden William "Billy" Mitts[1] (1919–1973) was an American attorney and Democratic Party 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.[2] He attended Mississippi State University, where he was a cheerleader and the student body president.[3] He graduated from Mississippi State in 1942.

In 1959, he was elected as the state senator for Clarke and Jasper counties.[4] He ran for re-election in 1963, when the 40th district had been redrawn to include Wayne County in place of Jasper County.[5] [2] He lost in the first round of primary elections to W. Vol "Bill" Jones.[6] [7]

Mitts was opposed to racial integration of schools in Mississippi.[8] 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.[9] Mitts and another state senator, B. W. Lawson, obtained a temporary injunction to restrain the team within the state ahead of gameday.[10] However, this injunction was never served before the team's plane departed for the game, and it was later dissolved for lacking legal basis.[11] The game between the Bulldogs and the Ramblers thus went on as planned, and is now known as the Game of Change.

Mitts died on April 1, 1973, in Meridian Hospital. His funeral was held on April 3, and he was buried in Enterprise Cemetery in Enterprise, Mississippi.[12]

Personal life

He married Lugennia White from Macon, Georgia.[2] He had one son and three daughters, including Chandler Mitts, who ran for the Mississippi House of Representatives twice in the 1990s.[13] [12]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Resolutions Regarding Late F.W. Mitts, Jr. . The Clarke County Tribune . 64 . 50 . Newspapers.com . 1 June 1973 . 6 . en.
  2. News: F.W. (Billy) Mitts Is Candidate for Re-election . 5 October 2020 . . 22 February 1963 . 1 . en.
  3. News: West . Gary . Landmark game had Kentucky connections . 5 October 2020 . . 10 March 2013 . en.
  4. News: Cooper, Culpepper, Ramsey, Mitts, Meadows Win in County Races . 5 October 2020 . The Clarke County Tribune . 28 August 1959 . 1 . en.
  5. News: Sample Ballot for State Senator, Fortieth District . 5 October 2020 . The Clarke County Tribune . 2 August 1963 . 1 . en.
  6. News: Official Returns from Clarke—First Primary . 5 October 2020 . The Clarke County Tribune . 9 August 1963 . 1 . en.
  7. News: Jones . W. Vol (Bill) Jr. . To the Citizens of Clarke County . 5 October 2020 . The Clarke County Tribune . 16 August 1963 . 7 . en . Advertisement.
  8. News: State Senator Unleashes GOP, Demo Battle . 5 October 2020 . . Associated Press . 28 February 1963 . . 1 . en.
  9. News: MSU Entry Brings Additional Criticism . 10 June 2020 . The Clarion-Ledger . Newspapers.com . 5 March 1963 . 1.
  10. News: Bulldogs Head for Tournament . 10 June 2020 . Enterprise-Journal . Associated Press . Newspapers.com . 14 March 1963 . 9.
  11. Book: Lenehan, Michael . Ramblers: Loyola Chicago 1963—The Team That Changed the Color of College Basketball . 2013 . . 1572841400 . en . 211–214.
  12. News: F. W. (Billy) Mitts . The Clarke County Tribune . 64 . 42 . Newspapers.com . 6 April 1973 . 2 . en . Obituary.
  13. News: Hammons . Randall . Meridian area residents tickled to attend Trump inauguration . 5 October 2020 . . Jan 16, 2017 . en.