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William David McCain
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William David McCain
William David McCain (March 29, 1907 – September 5, 1993) was an American educator, archivist and college president. He was a recognized leader of the Mississippi political establishment and a leader in its struggle in the 1950s and 1960s to maintain racial segregationism and what he considered the "southern way of life". He served as Mississippi state archivist, a Major General in the Mississippi National Guard, a longtime leader and promoter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and as the fifth president and a major architect of Mississippi Southern College (now the University of Southern Mississippi).
McCain married the former Minnie Leicester Lenz on October 3, 1931, and they were parents of three children: William D., Jr., John W., and Patricia.
In 1924, McCain enlisted as a private in the Mississippi National Guard. He served with General Mark W. Clark in Italy during World War II, and also served during the Korean War. Remaining in the National Guard, he rose to the rank of Major General. As part of his military interest, McCain later very strongly promoted a large ROTC at the University of Southern Mississippi when he was president there. Over thirty officers were commissioned out of the 1970 class.
McCain attended Delta State University (then College), received an MA from The University of Mississippi, a Ph.D. from Duke, and an honorary Doctor of Letters from Mississippi College.
After teaching at several junior colleges and both Ole Miss and Mississippi State University (then College), he became director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, serving from 1938 to 1955. In addition, he worked as a historian at Morristown National Historical Park in Morristown, New Jersey (1935) and served as Assistant Archivist at the US National Archives in Washington, D.C. (1935–1937).
From the late 1930s onward he enjoyed a growing reputation as an archivist and regional historian. He was a founding member of the Society of American Archivists and wrote several genealogical volumes, including histories of the McCain, Fox, Shaw, and Vance families. In addition, he wrote The Story of Jackson: A History of the Capital of Mississippi 1821-1851 (1953) and The United States and the Republic of Panama (1937).
In the 1950s and 1960s he was also a staunch supporter of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, a government agency created to undermine the civil rights movement and support segregation in the wake of the Brown v. Board of Education U. S. Supreme Court decision. He was involved in many activities and decisions which will become more fully known as the commission's archives are made available,[when?] especially his part in the Clyde Kennard affair, where Kennard’s application to University of Southern Mississippi was denied because McCain refused to provide Kennard with a list of alumini to refer him as a student. Due to Kennard being unable to meet the requirements of the application, he was ultimately denied access to further his education.
McCain re-founded the dormant Sons of Confederate Veterans organization and researched Confederate history. He un-apologetically revered the Confederacy and its policies. Today the SCV honors him in various ways. Founded in 1896, the Sons of Confederate Veterans had its first period of growth and success around and after 1900. By the late 1930s it was dying. When McCain took it over and re-founded it in 1953, it was down to 30 chapters, 1,000 members and $1,053 in assets.
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William David McCain
William David McCain (March 29, 1907 – September 5, 1993) was an American educator, archivist and college president. He was a recognized leader of the Mississippi political establishment and a leader in its struggle in the 1950s and 1960s to maintain racial segregationism and what he considered the "southern way of life". He served as Mississippi state archivist, a Major General in the Mississippi National Guard, a longtime leader and promoter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and as the fifth president and a major architect of Mississippi Southern College (now the University of Southern Mississippi).
McCain married the former Minnie Leicester Lenz on October 3, 1931, and they were parents of three children: William D., Jr., John W., and Patricia.
In 1924, McCain enlisted as a private in the Mississippi National Guard. He served with General Mark W. Clark in Italy during World War II, and also served during the Korean War. Remaining in the National Guard, he rose to the rank of Major General. As part of his military interest, McCain later very strongly promoted a large ROTC at the University of Southern Mississippi when he was president there. Over thirty officers were commissioned out of the 1970 class.
McCain attended Delta State University (then College), received an MA from The University of Mississippi, a Ph.D. from Duke, and an honorary Doctor of Letters from Mississippi College.
After teaching at several junior colleges and both Ole Miss and Mississippi State University (then College), he became director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, serving from 1938 to 1955. In addition, he worked as a historian at Morristown National Historical Park in Morristown, New Jersey (1935) and served as Assistant Archivist at the US National Archives in Washington, D.C. (1935–1937).
From the late 1930s onward he enjoyed a growing reputation as an archivist and regional historian. He was a founding member of the Society of American Archivists and wrote several genealogical volumes, including histories of the McCain, Fox, Shaw, and Vance families. In addition, he wrote The Story of Jackson: A History of the Capital of Mississippi 1821-1851 (1953) and The United States and the Republic of Panama (1937).
In the 1950s and 1960s he was also a staunch supporter of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, a government agency created to undermine the civil rights movement and support segregation in the wake of the Brown v. Board of Education U. S. Supreme Court decision. He was involved in many activities and decisions which will become more fully known as the commission's archives are made available,[when?] especially his part in the Clyde Kennard affair, where Kennard’s application to University of Southern Mississippi was denied because McCain refused to provide Kennard with a list of alumini to refer him as a student. Due to Kennard being unable to meet the requirements of the application, he was ultimately denied access to further his education.
McCain re-founded the dormant Sons of Confederate Veterans organization and researched Confederate history. He un-apologetically revered the Confederacy and its policies. Today the SCV honors him in various ways. Founded in 1896, the Sons of Confederate Veterans had its first period of growth and success around and after 1900. By the late 1930s it was dying. When McCain took it over and re-founded it in 1953, it was down to 30 chapters, 1,000 members and $1,053 in assets.
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