- William Winter (politician)
Infobox Governor
name= William Winter
imagesize= 100px
caption=
order=58th
office= Governor of Mississippi
term_start= January1980
term_end= January1984
lieutenant=Brad Dye
predecessor=Cliff Finch
successor= Bill Allain
birth_date= birth date and age|1923|02|21
birth_place=Grenada, Mississippi
death_date=
death_place=
party= DemocraticWilliam Forrest Winter (b.
Grenada, Mississippi ,February 21 1923 ) is an American politician fromMississippi . He served as governor of Mississippi from1980 to1984 as a Democrat. He is known for his strong support of public education, racial reconciliation, and historic preservation. Winter is best remembered for the passage of the Mississippi Education Reform Act. The law was the first serious attempt at improving state education in over 20 years and, among other things, established public kindergartens.Biography
He is a graduate of the
University of Mississippi and the Ole Miss law school, where he served as Editor of the Mississippi Law Journal. During his time at Ole Miss, he was an active member of the Phi Delta Theta chapter. DuringWorld War II , Winter served in theUnited States Army infantry in thePhilippines .Winter first entered politics in 1947. While in law school, Winter was elected to the
Mississippi House of Representatives . He was subsequently re-elected in 1951 and 1955. He served as Tax Collector of the State of Mississippi as well as State Treasurer and Lieutenant Governor.After finishing his term as governor, he unsuccessfully ran for the
United States Senate that year against Republican incumbentThad Cochran .William Winter currently practices law in the law firm of Watkins Ludlam Winter & Stennis, P.A., based in
Jackson, Mississippi , the state's capital, with offices in Gulfport andOlive Branch, Mississippi .He was a member of President Clinton’s Advisory Board on Race in 1997-1998. The William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation on the University of Mississippi's Oxford campus is named in his honor.In March 2008, he was given the
Profile in Courage Award by theJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum for his work advancing education and racial reconciliation.External links
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1718439 NPR: William Winter and the Education of Mississippi]
* [http://www.olemiss.edu/winterinstitute/ William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation]
* [http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/features/feature48/governors/winter.htm Mississippi History Now]
* [http://www.bettersouth.org/fivequestions/05.08winter.htm Center for a Better South Interview with William Winter]
* [http://www.upress.state.ms.us/catalog/fall2006/the_measure_of_our_days.html The Measure of Our Days Writings of William F. Winter]
* [http://www.ihl.state.ms.us/FINANCIALAID/wwts.html William Winter Teacher Scholar Loan]succession box
years=1980-1984
before=Cliff Finch
title=Governor ofMississippi
after=William Allain
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