Political Career
Eastland was first appointed to the Senate in 1941 by Governor Paul B. Johnson, Sr., following the death of Senator Pat Harrison, but Eastland did not run in the special election for the seat later in the year; it was won by 2nd District Congressman Wall Doxey. In 1942, Eastland was one of three candidates who challenged Doxey for a full term. Even though Doxey had the support of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Mississippi's senior U.S. Senator, Theodore G. Bilbo, Eastland defeated him in the Democratic primary. In those days, winning the Democratic nomination was tantamount to election in Mississippi, and Eastland returned to the Senate on January 3, 1943.
FDR and Eastland developed a working relationship that enabled Eastland to oppose New Deal programs unpopular in Mississippi while he supported FDR's agenda on many other issues. This type of arrangement became the norm with presidents of both parties during his tenure in the Senate. As a result he was able to provide federal largess for Mississippi (including the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway and federal relief after Hurricane Camille) throughout his career.
In 1956, Eastland was appointed as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Under the Senate's seniority rules, he was next in line for the chairmanship and there was no significant effort to deny him the post, which he held until his retirement.
He was re-elected five times, facing substantive GOP opposition only twice. In 1966, freshman congressman Prentiss Walker, the first Republican to represent Mississippi at the federal level since Reconstruction, ran against him. Former Republican Party state chairman Wirt Yerger had considered running against Eastland, but bowed out after Walker announced his candidacy. Walker ran well to Eastland's right, accusing him of not having done enough to keep integration-friendly judges from being confirmed by the Senate. As is often the case when a one-term representative runs against a popular incumbent senator or governor, Walker was soundly defeated. Years later, Yerger said that Walker's decision to relinquish his House seat after one term for the vagaries of a Senate race against Eastland was "very devastating" to the growth of the Mississippi GOP.
In 1972, Eastland was reelected with 58% of the vote in his "closest" contest ever. His Republican opponent, Gil Carmichael an automobile dealer from Meridian, might have been aided by President Richard Nixon's landslide reelection in 49 states, including 78% of Mississippi's popular vote. However, Nixon worked "under the table" to support Eastland, who was a long-time personal friend. Nixon and other Republicans provided little support for Carmichael to avoid alienating conservative Southern Democrats though the GOP did work to elect two House candidates who later became influential U.S. senators, Trent Lott and Thad Cochran. Eastland recognized that Nixon would handily carry Mississippi and did not endorse the national Democratic candidate, George McGovern of South Dakota. Four years later, Eastland supported the candidacy of fellow Southern Democrat Jimmy Carter of Georgia, rather than Nixon's heir, Gerald Ford.
During his last Senate term, he served as President pro tempore of the Senate since he was the longest-serving Democrat in the Senate.
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