Samuel James Ervin jr

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United States Senator and jurist (1896–1985)

Sam Ervin

United States Senator

from North Carolina In office
June 5, 1954 – December 31, 1974Preceded byClyde R. Hoey Succeeded byRobert B. Morgan

Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court In office
February 3, 1948 – June 5, 1954Nominated byR. Gregg Cherry Preceded byMichael Schenck Succeeded byCarlisle W. Higgins Member of the U.S. House of Representatives

from North Carolina 's 10th districtIn office
January 22, 1946 – January 3, 1947Preceded byJoseph Wilson Ervin Succeeded byHamilton C. Jones Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives

from the Burke County districtIn office
1931–1933Preceded byJohn MullSucceeded byFrancis GarrouIn office
1923–1927Preceded byJoseph CooperSucceeded byJohn GilesPersonal detailsBornSamuel James Ervin Jr.
(1896-09-27)September 27, 1896

Morganton, North Carolina , U.S.

DiedApril 23, 1985(1985-04-23) (aged 88)

Winston-Salem, North Carolina , U.S.

Party Democratic Spouse

Margaret Bruce Bell

​

(m. 1924)​

Children3, including Samuel EducationUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BA )
Harvard University (LLB )Military serviceAllegiance United States Branch/service United States Army

Years of service

1917–1919RankPrivate UnitCompany I, 28th Infantry Regiment , 1st Infantry Division Battles/warsWorld War I Awards

• Distinguished Service Cross

• Silver Star

• Purple Heart (2)

Samuel James Ervin Jr. (September 27, 1896 – April 23, 1985) was an American politician who served as a U.S. senator from North Carolina from 1954 to 1974. A Southern Democrat , he liked to call himself a "country lawyer ", and often told humorous stories in his Southern drawl . During his Senate career, Ervin was at first a staunch defender of Jim Crow laws and racial segregation , as the South's constitutional expert during the congressional debates on civil rights .

However, 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 leadership of the Senate committee's investigation of the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974.

Early life and education

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Ervin was born in Morganton, North Carolina , the son of Laura Theresa (Powe) and Samuel James Ervin. He served in the U.S. 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.

Already admitted to the bar in 1919, before completing law school (later calling himself "a simple country lawyer "), Ervin entered politics straight out of Harvard. Even before he had received his degree, Democrats in Burke County had nominated him in absentia for the North Carolina House of Representatives , to which he was elected in 1922, 1924, and 1930. [

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