Walter Sillers Jr.

Walter Sillers Jr. (April 13, 1888 – September 24, 1966) was an American lawyer and legislative leader from Mississippi.

Walter Sillers Jr.
56th Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives
In office
January 4, 1944 – September 24, 1966
Preceded bySam Lumpkin
Succeeded byJohn Junkin
Member of the
Mississippi House of Representatives
from Bolivar County
In office
January 4, 1916 – September 24, 1966
Preceded byGeorge Shelby
Succeeded byJohn L. Pearson
Personal details
Born(1888-04-13)April 13, 1888
Rosedale, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedSeptember 24, 1966(1966-09-24) (aged 78)
Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Lena Roberts (m. 1911)
Alma materUniversity of Mississippi

Sillers was born in Rosedale, Mississippi. He was a brother of Florence Sillers Ogden. Originally an attorney, he served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1916–1966. He served as Speaker of that body from January 4, 1944 until his death on September 24, 1966.[1] He was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1916, 1924, 1944, 1948, 1952, and 1956.[2][3]

He has been called "one of the most racist political leaders in Mississippi's history."[4] A building was named after him, for political reasons, at the historically black Mississippi Valley State University.

References
  1. Sillers Mississippi Bluebook 2004, p. 145
  2. "Sillers Is Taken By Death," Biloxi Daily Herald, September 24, 1966, pp. 1–2
  3. Walter Sillers and His Fifty Years Inside Mississippi Politics
  4. Loewen, James W. (1999). Lies Across America : what our historic sites get wrong. The New Press. p. 236. ISBN 1565843444.
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