Erle Johnston Oral History Appendix

Erle E. Johnston, Jr.

Erle E. Johnston, Jr., was born on October 10, 1917, to Erle E. Johnston and Grace Buchanan Johnston. He graduated in 1935 from Grenada High School in Mississippi and went on to a long career in journalism, political and public service, and public relations. From 1942 to 1979, Johnston owned and operated the award winning "Scott County Times" newspaper. His extensive public relations career included work on the campaigns of such notable Mississippians as: Senators James O. Eastland and John Stennis and Governors Mike Sennett Conner, Fielding Wright, Ross Barnett, Paul B. Johnson, Jr., John Bell Williams, and William Waller.

Johnston served on the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission from 1960 to 1968, the last five years as its Executive Director. From 1981 to 1985, he presided as the Mayor of Forest, Mississippi. Under his leadership the city's economy grew, and thousands of jobs were created when Hughes Aircraft and Sara Lee Bakeries moved to the city.

Johnston has authored a number of books dealing with Mississippi politics, including "I Rolled with Ross: A Political Portrait" (1980), "Mississippi's Defiant Years: 1953-1973" (1990), and "Politics: Mississippi Style", (1993).

Johnston died on September 27, 1995. He was survived by three children and five grandchildren.

Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission

The Mississippi Sovereignty Commission was created by legislative act in March of 1956, two years after the United States Supreme Court outlawed school segregation in the Brown v. Topeka Board of Education case. The mission of the commission was to "protect the sovereignty of the State of Mississippi and her sister states from federal interference." The commission engaged in activities designed to preserve Mississippi's segregated society. To this end, the commission and its staff compiled information on perceived racial activists within and outside the state. Using their own investigators, as well as a diverse network of spies, local and state law enforcement agencies, and private groups such as the Citizen's Councils, the commission harassed those they identified as agitators or "subversives." The commission also operated as a public relations agency, promoting Mississippi and her "way of life" in media markets across the country. The commission remained active throughout the 1960's and early 1970's. The commission officially closed its doors in 1977, four years after the state legislature cut its funding.