J. Thomas Heflin

James Thomas Heflin (April 9, 1869 – April 22, 1951), nicknamed "Cotton Tom", was a leading proponent of white supremacy, most notably as a Democratic United States Senator from Alabama. Born in Louina, Alabama, he attended the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College, and was admitted to the bar in 1893, practicing law in La Fayette, Alabama. Heflin first rose to political prominence as a delegate who helped to draft the 1901 Alabama state constitution. Heflin argued, successfully, for completely excluding Black Alabamans from voting, stating that he truly believed that "God Almighty intended the negro to be the servant of the white man." As Secretary of State in 1903, Heflin was an outspoken supporter of men put on trial for...