David Curtiss Stephenson
| D. C. Stephenson | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
David Curtiss Stephenson 21 August 1891 Houston, Texas, United States |
| Died |
28 June 1966 (aged 74) Jonesborough, Tennessee, United States |
| Occupation | Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon |
| Criminal charge | Second-degree murder |
| Criminal penalty | Life in prison (1925) |
| Criminal status | Paroled (1950; 1956) |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Nettie Hamilton, (2) Violet Carroll, (3) Martha Dickenson, (4) Martha Murray Sutton |
| Children | Florence |
| Parent(s) | Andrew Monroe Stephenson |
David Curtiss "Steve" Stephenson (August 21, 1891 – June 28, 1966) was a terrorist, convicted rapist, and murderer, who in 1923 was appointed Grand Dragon (state leader) of the branch of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana and head of Klan recruiting for seven other states. Later that year, he led those groups to independence from the national KKK organization. Amassing wealth and political power in Indiana politics, he was one of the most prominent national Klan leaders. "He was viewed as responsible for reviving the Klan and widening its base, and considered the most powerful man in Indiana". He had close relationships with numerous Indiana politicians, especially Governor Edward L. Jackson.
In 1925 Stephenson was tried and convicted (Stephenson v. State) for the notorious abduction, rape, and murder of a young white woman, Madge Oberholtzer, a state education official. His trial, conviction and imprisonment ended the portrayal of Klan leaders as law abiding. "The case and its fallout effectively destroyed the Klan in Indiana, and it may have reversed its ascendency as a national political force." Denied a pardon by Governor Jackson, in 1927 he started talking with reporters for the Indianapolis Times and released a list of elected and other officials who had been in the pay of the Klan. This led to a wave of indictments in Indiana, more national scandals, the rapid loss of tens of thousands of members, and the end of the second wave of Klan activity in the late 1920s.
Stephenson was born in Houston, Texas on August 21, 1891, and moved as a child with his family to Maysville, Oklahoma. After some public schooling, he started work as a printer's apprentice and was active in the Socialist Party.
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