John C. Satterfield Notebook (Z/2342)

Dates: 1923-1976.

Biography:

John Creighton Satterfield was born in Port Gibson, Claiborne County, Mississippi, on July 25, 1904, to Milling Marion Satterfield (b. July 11, 1869 – d. July 5, 1946) and Laura Stephenson (Drake) Satterfield (b. December 12, 1878 – d. July 24, 1967). John C. Satterfield was the second of Milling and Laura’s three children including: Ellen Steele (b. August 21, 1902 – d. June 21, 1995) and Laura Drake Satterfield (b. August 31, 1913 – d. December 31, 1979). John C. Satterfield’s early education was obtained in Port Gibson. Afterwards, Satterfield attended Millsaps College, Jackson, Mississippi, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1926. Next, Satterfield enrolled at the University of Mississippi, Oxford, where he obtained his Bachelor of Laws in 1929. That same year, Satterfield passed the Mississippi Bar Examination.

In 1933, Satterfield married Sarah Ruth Quin (b. ca. 1908) of Jackson. The couple had two children: John C. Satterfield, Jr. (b. January 28, 1935) and Ellen Drake Satterfield (b. January 26, 1939 – d. April 2, 2010). Sarah Ruth Satterfield died on August 21, 1942. The following year, John C. Satterfield married Mary Virginia Fly (b. November 7, 1908 – d. January 21, 2003) on September 5, 1943. The couple had one child, Mary Laura Satterfield (b. September 1, 1946).

In 1929, John C. Satterfield began practicing law as an associate with the law firm Alexander and Alexander, which later became the law firm of Alexander and Satterfield. At the same time, Satterfield was elected to the Mississippi legislature, where he served in the House of Representatives (1928-1932). During his legislative tenure, Satterfield helped draft the law which modernized Mississippi’s highways. In 1935, Satterfield became a member of Shell, Williams and Buford and eventually a senior partner (1943-1976) of Satterfield, Shell, Williams, and Buford. Satterfield also functioned as general counsel to Mississippi Chemical Corporation, Yazoo City, Mississippi (1948-1976). Satterfield was president of both the Mississippi State Bar Association (1955-1956) and the American Bar Association (1961-1963). Moreover, Satterfield served as legal advisor to Governor Ross Barnett – especially in relationship to the desegregation of the University of Mississippi by James Meredith.

John C. Satterfield was a member of Galloway Memorial Methodist Church. He served as a delegate (1952, 1960, 1964, and 1966) to the United Methodist General Conference. Moreover, he was a delegate (1952, 1956, 1960, and 1964) to the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. An ardent segregationist, Satterfield opposed the evolving position of the United Methodist Church in regards to integration. Furthermore, Satterfield proposed that the Methodist churches throughout the state should withhold funds from the United Methodist Church whose views towards integration reflected the changing attitudes brought forth by the Civil Rights Movement. From 1964 through 1968, Satterfield was the principal voice advocating for the maintenance of separate churches, conferences, and organizations for white and black members of the Methodist Church. Moreover, Satterfield petitioned for the withdrawal of the Mississippi and North Mississippi Annual Conferences from the Methodist Church, while advocating for the creation of a church body in Mississippi consisting of several local churches of the two Mississippi Conferences, with the goal of establishing a new Methodist Church in the south.

On May 5, 1981, John Creighton Satterfield died at his Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi, home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Satterfield was buried at Lakewood Memorial Park, Jackson, Mississippi.

The Coordinating Committee for Fundamental American Freedoms was created through the leadership of the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission in 1963. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the organization lobbied members of Congress to oppose the civil rights legislation. The group’s sole objective was to combat the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In conjunction with the Virginia Commission on Constitutional Government, the Louisiana and Mississippi Sovereignty Commissions and other entities critical of advancements made in the arena of civil rights, the Coordinating Committee for Fundamental American Freedoms surmised that widespread knowledge of the true impact of the civil rights legislation was sufficient enough to defeat the bill. The organization’s officers included: John J. Synon, Director; William Loeb, Chairman; James J. Kilpatrick, Vice chairman; and John C. Satterfield, Treasurer.

In addition to lobbying members of Congress, the Coordinating Committee for Fundamental American Freedoms depended on a propaganda campaign aimed at communicating directly to the American public. The organization pursued this objective by publishing editorials, speeches, and advertisements critical of the proposed Civil Rights Act of 1964 in 1,800 daily and 8,000 weekly newspapers. Through these efforts, the Coordinating Committee for Fundamental American Freedoms publicized what it perceived as the legislation’s devastating impact on the United States’ free enterprise system and the legislation’s potential of curtailing individuals’ rights to self-determination. Despite these efforts, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After suffering this political defeat, the Coordinating Committee for Fundamental American Freedoms disbanded in 1964.

Scope and Content Note:

The John C. Satterfield Notebook includes reprinted map prints of the lower Mississippi River Basin, items relating to Satterfield’s early educational and professional career, and organizational records pertaining to the Coordinating Committee for Fundamental American Freedoms. The six map prints were given as gifts to Satterfield by Prescott Follett in 1976 for legal assistance that Satterfield provided. Originally prepared in 1796 as a result of a survey conducted by the French General, G.H.V. Collot, these engravings are considered as the earliest detailed geographical information depicting the lower Mississippi River Basin. 

The John C. Satterfield Notebook also contains a campaign flyer, possibly from John C. Satterfield’s initial candidacy to the Mississippi State Legislature. The announcement invites the public to an address Satterfield was to deliver concerning his candidacy. Moreover, the collection includes a 1926 State of Mississippi Railroad and Mineral Resource Map developed by Dr. Henry Mace Payne, consulting engineer, of the American Mining Congress. Of note is a June 1923 souvenir bulletin from the University of Mississippi highlighting the school’s history, on campus organizations, buildings and grounds, and programs of study. Of particular interest are copies of typescript editorials and speeches submitted to various publications during the debate over the civil rights legislation from 1963 through 1964. Moreover, the collection contains advertisements, pamphlets, and newsletters authored by the Coordinating Committee for Fundamental American Freedoms articulating the group’s disapproval of the proposed civil rights legislation. 

Of additional interest are two blank petitions and correspondence suggesting ways that supporters can ensure the defeat of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by lobbying their elected officials. Lastly, the section of the notebook entitled “future projects” documents the organization’s priorities prior to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Drafted by Satterfield in March 1964, this seventeen page proposal was designed to inform the public of the differences between the races through the development of a more efficient public relations campaign.

Series Identification:

Series 1: Notebook. 1923-1976.

Box 1, folders 1-20
Box 2, folders 1-14