Eugene "Bull" Connor
| Bull Connor | |
|---|---|
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| President of the Alabama Public Service Commission | |
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In office January 18, 1965 – January 17, 1972 |
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| Preceded by | Jack Owen |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Hammond |
| Birmingham Commissioner of Public Safety | |
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In office 1957–1963 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Lindbergh |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
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In office 1937–1952 |
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| Preceded by | W. O. Downs |
| Succeeded by | Robert Lindbergh |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Theophilus Eugene Connor July 11, 1897 Selma, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | March 10, 1973 (aged 75) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic, States' Rights Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Beara |
| Children | 2 |
Theophilus Eugene Connor, known as Bull Connor (July 11, 1897 – March 10, 1973), was an American politician who served as an elected Commissioner of Public Safety for the city of Birmingham, Alabama, for more than two decades. He strongly opposed activities of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Under the city commission government, Connor had responsibility for administrative oversight of the Birmingham Fire Department and the Birmingham Police Department, which also had their own chiefs.
A Democrat, Connor enforced legal racial segregation and denied civil rights to black citizens, especially during the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's Birmingham campaign of 1963. He became an international symbol of institutional racism. Bull Connor directed the use of fire hoses and police attack dogs against civil rights activists; children protestors were also subject to these attacks. These tactics to continue white supremacy were covered by national media and broadcast on national television, horrifying much of the nation. The outrages served as catalysts for major social and legal change in the Southern United States and contributed to passage by the United States Congress of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Connor was born in 1897 in Selma, Alabama, the son of Molly (Godwin) and Hugh King Connor, a train dispatcher and telegraph operator. Connor entered politics as a Democrat in 1934 (and never left the DNC), winning a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives. As a legislator, he supported populist measures and pro-union issues for white people. He voted for extending the poll tax, which served as a barrier to voter registration by poor blacks and whites, and against an anti-sedition bill intended to stifle union activity. He did not stand for a second term in 1936, instead running for Commissioner of Public Safety for the City of Birmingham. Concurrently during this period, Connor served as the radio play-by-play broadcaster of the minor league Birmingham Barons baseball club spanning the 1932 through 1936 seasons.
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