Wilbur Mills

Wilbur Daigh Mills

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Former U.S. Representative from Arkansas's 2nd Congressional District
From: January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1977
Predecessor | John E. Miller
Successor | Jim Guy Tucker
Information

Party  | Democrat

Spouse(s)  | Clarine Billingsley

Wilbur Daigh Mills (May 24, 1909 – May 2, 1992), often referred to as Wilbur D. Mills, was a powerful Democrat segregationist from Arkansas who served for nearly four decades in the United States House of Representatives. His reputation sunk very abruptly after a sex scandal surfaced, and Mills declined to seek re-election in 1976.[1][2]

## U.S. House of Representatives[edit]

Mills was a signatory to the 1956 Southern Manifesto in opposition to Brown v. Board of Education which ordered the desegregation of all U.S. public schools.[3] He voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,[4] 1960,[5] 1964,[6] and 1968.[7] He also voted against approving the 24th Amendment, which banned the use of poll taxes in federal elections.[8]

During the presidency of Lyndon Johnson, Mills played a crucial role in the establishment of Medicare and later supported its expansion.[9] Despite initially opposing a single-payer healthcare system,[10] he ultimately sponsored legislation to enact such along with Ted Kennedy in 1974.[11]

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Smith, Laura (September 18, 2017). In 1974, a stripper known as the “Tidal Basin Bombshell” took down the most powerful man in Washington. Timeline. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
2. ↑ Budryk, Zack (February 24, 2021). Fanne Foxe dies at 84, gained notoriety in Wilbur Mills sex scandal. The Hill. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
3. ↑ GPO-CRECB-1956-pt4-3.pdf. Congressional Record. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
4. ↑ HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
5. ↑ HR 8601. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1960. APPROVAL BY THE HOUSE OF THE SENATE'S AMENDMENTS.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
6. ↑ H.R. 7152. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964. ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION (H. RES. 789) PROVIDING FOR HOUSE APPROVAL OF THE BILL AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
7. ↑ TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES FOR INTERFERENCE WITH CIVIL RIGHTS. INTERFERENCE WITH A PERSON ENGAGED IN ONE OF THE 8 ACTIVITIES PROTECTED UNDER THIS BILL MUST BE RACIALLY MOTIVATED TO INCUR THE BILL'S PENALTIES.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
8. ↑ S.J. RES. 29. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF POLL TAX AS A REQUIREMENT FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
9. ↑ The Cost of the Benefit: How Wilbur Mills's Expansion of Medicare Led to Escalating Medical Costs. East Tennessee State University. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
10. ↑ Martin, Jim (September 15, 2018). OPINION: Socialized Medicine — The Orphan Of The New Deal. Daily Caller. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
11. ↑ A Timeline of Kennedy’s Health Care Achievements And Disappointments. KHN. Retrieved April 28, 2021.

## External links[edit]

* Profile at history.house.gov
* Biography at Hendrix College
* Profile at Find A Grave