Sam J. Ervin, Jr.
| Sam Ervin | |
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United States Senator from North Carolina |
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In office June 5, 1954 – December 31, 1974 |
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| Preceded by | Clyde R. Hoey |
| Succeeded by | Robert B. Morgan |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 10th district |
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In office January 22, 1946 – January 3, 1947 |
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| Preceded by | Joseph W. Ervin |
| Succeeded by | Hamilton C. Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Samuel James Ervin, Jr. September 27, 1896 Morganton, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | April 23, 1985 (aged 88) Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Bell Ervin |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina Harvard Law School |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
Samuel James "Sam" Ervin, Jr. (September 27, 1896 – April 23, 1985) was an American politician. A Democrat, he served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina from 1954 to 1974. A native of Morganton, he liked to call himself a "country lawyer," and often told humorous stories in his Southern drawl. During his Senate career, Ervin was a legal defender of the Jim Crow laws and racial segregation, as the South's constitutional expert during the congressional debates on civil rights. Unexpectedly, he became a liberal hero for his support of civil liberties. He is remembered for his work in the investigation committees that brought down Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1954 and especially for his investigation of the Watergate scandal in 1972 and 1973 that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974.
Ervin was born in Morganton, North Carolina, the son of Laura Theresa (Powe) and Samuel James Ervin. He served in the US Army in combat in France during World War I with the First Division at Cantigny and Soissons, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star and two Purple Hearts. He graduated from the University of North Carolina, where he was a member of The Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies, in 1917 and from Harvard Law School in 1922. Ervin was fond of joking that he was the only student ever to go through Harvard Law "backwards", because he took the third-year courses first, then the second-year courses, and finally the first-year courses.
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