Mike Espy

Mike Espy
25th United States Secretary of Agriculture
In office
January 22, 1993 – December 31, 1994
President Bill Clinton
Preceded by Edward Madigan
Succeeded by Dan Glickman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Mississippi's 2nd district
In office
January 3, 1987 – January 22, 1993
Preceded by Webb Franklin
Succeeded by Bennie Thompson
Personal details
Born Alphonso Michael Espy
(1953-11-30) November 30, 1953
Yazoo City, Mississippi, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Portia Ballard
Children 3
Education Howard University (BA)
Santa Clara University (JD)
Website Campaign website

Alphonso Michael Espy (born November 30, 1953) is an American politician who served as the 25th United States Secretary of Agriculture from 1993 to 1994. He was both the first African American and first person from the Deep South to assume the position. A member of the Democratic Party, Espy was the U.S. Representative for Mississippi's 2nd congressional district from 1987 to 1993.[1] He was indicted in 1997 for receiving improper gifts, but acquitted of all 30 charges in 1998.

On March 5, 2018, Espy announced his candidacy for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Thad Cochran.[2]

Early life

Espy was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi. He is the grandson of Thomas J. Huddleston Sr., founder of the Afro-American Sons and Daughters, a fraternal society that operated the Afro-American Hospital, a leading provider of health care for blacks in the state from the 1920s to the 1970s. Espy attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., and was active in student politics, holding several elective positions. He earned his Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law in California in 1978. He was an attorney with Central Mississippi Legal Services between 1978 and 1980 and was later the Assistant Secretary of State to Mississippi Legal Services. From 1980 to 1984, Espy was the Assistant Secretary of the State to the Public Lands Division.

Career

Espy with President Bill Clinton in 1993
Espy as Secretary of Agriculture

Espy became Assistant State Attorney General from 1984 to 1985, when he was elected as a Democrat to the 100th Congress in 1986 from Mississippi's 2nd congressional district. He defeated two-term Republican Webb Franklin to become the first African-American to represent Mississippi at the federal level since Reconstruction.[3] He was reelected three times. Espy was appointed by President-elect Bill Clinton to be Secretary of Agriculture in the Cabinet of President.[4] Just 20 days after taking office for his fourth term, Espy resigned after being confirmed by the Senate. He served as Secretary of Agriculture from 1993 to 1994. Espy announced his resignation as Secretary of Agriculture in October 1994 following questions over his use of government perks and acceptance of gifts.[5]

Espy crossed party lines to endorse Republican Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour in his 2007 reelection campaign.[6]

In 2008, Espy became an attorney at Morgan & Morgan law firm where he handles general plaintiff’s law, mass tort, bond and governmental finance, and international relations cases. One of his notable cases was the Pigford lawsuit, where Espy worked in conjunction with a black farmers advocacy group, the National Black Farmers Association, to represent those farmers.

2018 Senate campaign

On March 5, 2018, Senator Thad Cochran announced he would resign April 1, triggering a special election. Espy announced his intention to run for the seat that same day, becoming the first declared candidate in the race.[7][8]

He referred to Cochran as "a person I admire and respect, and who has done so much for Mississippi over his tenure."[9]

Political positions

CBS, reporting on the 2018 US Senate election in Mississippi, described Espy as a conservative Democrat.[10] Espy identified his own political positions as moderate.[11] He made a centrist pitch for his campaign.[12] In 1986, running for Congress, he was considered to be pro-choice on abortion.[13] Espy commented during his Senate campaign that he'll work with anyone regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.[14] The nonpartisan National Journal noted that his liberal social views are mixed with his support for cutting the federal budget and protecting Mississippi's defense and agricultural industries.[15] On fiscal issues, he has worked across the aisle. "In 1990, Espy helped expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, an important benefit to low- and moderate-income families, black and white, in his district."[16] In 2018, Espy said that he wants to cut the government's budget and that he supports free trade, a policy position traditionally shared with Republicans.[17][18]

Corruption trial and acquittal

On August 27, 1997, Espy was indicted on charges of receiving improper gifts, including sports tickets, lodging, and airfare. Espy refused to plea bargain and on December 2, 1998, he was acquitted of all 30 criminal charges in the trial. Independent Counsel Donald Smaltz presented more than 70 witnesses in the trial and spent more than $20 million preparing and trying the case.[19]

The defense rested without calling any witnesses, stating simply that the prosecution had not proved its case. The jury deliberated less than 10 hours before finding Espy not guilty on all charges. One of the jurors stated "This was the weakest, most bogus thing I ever saw. I can't believe Mr. Smaltz ever brought this to trial." At least four other jurors echoed this view, though with softer words.[20]

During testimony before the jury, the prosecution's star witness told Smaltz in front of the jury: "God knows, if I had $30 million, I could find dirt on you, sir."[21] During the trial, Smaltz protested that the defense was injecting race into the trial in what he saw as an appeal to a mostly black jury. Barbara Bisoni, the only white juror, said Smaltz's case "had holes" and that race never entered into the two days of deliberations.[20]

In December 1997, Tyson Foods Inc., the nation's largest poultry processor, pleaded guilty to felony charges of giving Espy gifts.[22]

In a similar case, Sun-Diamond was fined $1.5 million for giving $6,000 in gifts to Espy.[23] Sun-Diamond won a reversal at the Court of Appeals. Independent Counsel appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeals, finding that the gratuities statute requires a link between a gift and an official act. Unable to make such a link, Independent Counsel dismissed the gratuities charge against Sun-Diamond. The unanimous opinion of the court, written by Justice Antonin Scalia, stated that the prosecutor's interpretation of the law was so broad that even a high school principal could be in legal trouble for giving a souvenir baseball cap to a visiting Secretary of Education.[24] The Sun-Diamond decision played a pivotal role in the later acquittal of Espy because the Independent Counsel was unable to link gifts received by him to any official act.

In a separate case during the same investigation, Espy's Chief of Staff Ronald Blackely was convicted of making a false statement, and was sentenced to 27 months in prison.[25]

Electoral history

Mississippi's 2nd congressional district: results 1986–1992
Election results
Year Democrat Votes % Republican Votes % Other Party Votes %
1986[26] Mike Espy 73,119 51.71% Webb Franklin 68,292 48.29%
1988[27] Mike Espy 112,401 64.74% Jack Coleman 59,827 34.46% Dorothy Benford Independent 1,403 0.81%
1990[28] Mike Espy 59,393 84.11% Dorothy Benford 11,224 11.89%
1992[29] Mike Espy 135,162 77.97% Dorothy Benford 38,191 22.03%

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mike Espy". www.nndb.com.
  2. ↑ "Espy announces run for Cochran Senate seat". Clarion Ledger. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  3. ↑ Hall, Carla (December 19, 1986). "Espy's Mississippi Milestone". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  4. ↑ Locin, Mitchell (December 25, 1992). "Clinton Finishes Cabinet Of Diversity". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  5. ↑ Devroy, Ann; Schmidt, Susan (October 4, 1994). "Agriculture Secretary Espy Resigns". The Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  6. ↑ Kittredge, Brett (October 10, 2007). "Text of Mike Espy's Endorsement of Haley Barbour". Majority in Mississippi. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
  7. ↑ McCarthy, Waverly (March 5, 2018). "Mike Espy to run for Thad Cochran's Senate seat". Mississippi News Now. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  8. ↑ "The Latest: Former ag secretary Espy running for Senate". The Sacramento Bee. March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  9. ↑ L, Megha (March 6, 2018). "Who Is Mike Espy? Thad Cochran's Senate Seat Bid By Clinton-Era Official". International Business Times. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  10. ↑ "The big seven races that will (probably) decide who controls the Senate". Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  11. ↑ Elliott, David. "Senatorial candidate Mike Espy says he'll 'Put Mississippi First'". Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  12. ↑ Sullivan, Sean (April 6, 2018). "Democrat Mike Espy announces bid for Senate seat in Mississippi". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  13. ↑ Greenhouse, Linda. "WASHINGTON TALK; A Turning Point On the Abortion Issue?". Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  14. ↑ Elliott, David. "Senatorial candidate Mike Espy says he'll 'Put Mississippi First'". Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Can Mike Espy Win in Mississippi? | Tribune Content Agency (April 13, 2018)". Tribune Content Agency. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  16. ↑ Hinton, Karen. "A black Democratic senator in Ole Miss? Meet Mike Espy - NY Daily News". nydailynews.com. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Senator candidate Mike Espy aims for Mississippi's African-American base". Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Trump's Trade Approach Diverges Sharply from Free Trade Republicans". Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 2, 2003. Retrieved May 3, 2003.
  20. 1 2 Espy Acquitted in Gifts Case. Washingtonpost.com (December 5, 1998). Retrieved on September 14, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Was this a bad idea? - December 14, 1998". www.cnn.com.
  22. ↑ M. Alex Johnson, Walking the walk, on the assembly line , NBC News, March 24, 2005
  23. ↑ Sun Diamond, Court Sets Aside Fine Against Sun-Diamond , Los Angeles Times, March 21, 1998
  24. ↑ Supreme Court rules Sun Diamond Growers did not violate federal law in Espy case - April 27, 1999. Cnn.com (April 27, 1999). Retrieved on September 14, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Donald Smaltz - Ron Blackley - Secrets Of An Independent Counsel - FRONTLINE - PBS". www.pbs.org.
  26. ↑ "Federal Elections 86: Election Results for U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. May 1987. p. 57. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Federal Elections 88: Election Results for U.S. President, U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. June 1988. p. 51. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Federal Elections 90: Election Results for U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. April 1991. p. 31. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Federal Elections 92: Election Results for U.S. President, U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. June 1993. p. 72. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  • Phelps, Shirelle (ed.), Who's Who Among African Americans, Gale Research, Detroit; London, 1998 (Eleventh Edition)
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Webb Franklin		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Mississippi's 2nd congressional district
1987–1993		 Succeeded by
Bennie Thompson
Political offices
Preceded by
Edward Madigan		 United States Secretary of Agriculture
1993–1994		 Succeeded by
Dan Glickman
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