Sam Bowers Papers
Scope and Contents
The Sam Bowers Papers contain correspondence, documents, media, and essays relating to Samuel Holloway Bowers, Jr. Box 1, Folders 1-19, contain general and personal correspondence between Bowers and fellow members of the Klan, Congressmen, and various others. Folders 20-27 are comprised of documents relating to Bowers’ occupation at the Sambo Amusement Company, his convictions, and his social involvement in Laurel and the surrounding area. Folder 28 contains six floppy disks pertaining to Bowers, and folders 29-34 hold Bowers’ writings. Boxes 2 and 3 contain Bowers’ essays and responses to various topics.
Bowers used several pseudonyms throughout his writings. Those found in the collection include J. Worthington Bancroft, J. Randall Hankins, R. Bennland Johnson, and Clyde Champion James.
Dates
- 1968
- circa 1986-2006
Creator
- Bowers, Samuel Holloway, 1924-2006 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Noncirculating; available for research.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).
Biographical / Historical
Samuel Holloway Bowers, Jr, was born August 25, 1924 in New Orleans, Louisiana to Samuel Bowers, Sr. and Evangeline Peyton Bowers. After attending high school in Jackson, Mississippi, he opened a small pinball and vending machine business in Laurel called Sambo Amusement Company. Bowers co-founded the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in 1964, and he was convicted of the 1964 murders of James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman in 1967. Released from prison in 1976, he was again convicted in 1998 for the 1966 murder of Vernon Dahmer and sentenced to life in prison. He died at the Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman Farm) in 2006.
Extent
1.25 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Sam Bowers) Sam Papers include the correspondence and writings of Ku Klux Klan Imperial Wizard and convicted murderer, Samuel Holloway Bowers, Jr. Bowers’ correspondence contains information concerning the Ku Klux Klan, as well as Bowers’ personal religiosity and philosophy. The writings in the collection are on a variety of topics, including the Medgar Evers assassination and the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. The collection is of particular interest for researchers studying secret societies, the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi, and the philosophical perspectives of anti-Civil Rights leaders.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into four series and divided by the following subjects: correspondence, documents, media, and writings.
Provenance
Purchased from Jason Nix, 2011.
Sources
Lee, Jennifer S. “Samuel Bowers, 82, Klan Leader, Convicted in Fatal Bombing, Dies.” The New York Times. 06 November 2006.
Marsh, Charles. God’s Long Summer: Stories of Faith and Civil Rights. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997.
Wexler, Stuart. “Mississippi Burning Killings: Religious Terrorism?” Clarion-Ledger. 08 July 2014.
- Bowers, Samuel Holloway, 1924-2006
- Civil rights. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Dahmer, Vernon Ferdinand, 1908-1966
- De La Beckwith, Byron, Jr., 1920-2001
- Essay. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Evers, Medgar Wiley, 1925-1963
- Fraternal organizations. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Ku Klux Klan (1915- ). Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Letter. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Manuscript. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Nix, Deavours
- Race relations. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Segregation. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Speech. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- White Citizens councils. Subject Source: Local sources
- White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. WKKKK (1964-)
- White supremacy movements. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Sam Bowers Papers
- Author
- Collection processed and finding aid written by Jonathan Puckett
- Date
- 07 May 2019
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Historical Manuscripts and Photographs Repository
118 College Drive - 5148
Hattiesburg MS 39406-0001
601.266.4345
