Cole L. Blease
Cole L. Blease | |
|---|---|
Blease c. 1910–17 | |
| United States Senator from South Carolina | |
| In office March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1931 | |
| Preceded by | Nathaniel B. Dial |
| Succeeded by | James F. Byrnes |
| 90th Governor of South Carolina | |
| In office January 17, 1911 – January 14, 1915 | |
| Lieutenant | Charles Aurelius Smith |
| Preceded by | Martin Frederick Ansel |
| Succeeded by | Charles Aurelius Smith |
| President Pro Tempore of the South Carolina Senate | |
| In office January 8, 1907 – January 12, 1909 | |
| Governor | Duncan Clinch Heyward Martin Frederick Ansel |
| Preceded by | Richard Irvine Manning III |
| Succeeded by | William Lawrence Mauldin |
| Member of the South Carolina Senate from Newberry County | |
| In office January 8, 1907 – January 12, 1909 | |
| Preceded by | George Sewell Mower |
| Succeeded by | Alan Johnstone |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Newberry County | |
| In office January 10, 1899 – January 8, 1901 | |
| In office November 25, 1890 – November 27, 1894 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 8, 1868 Newberry County, South Carolina, US |
| Died | January 19, 1942 (aged 73) Columbia, South Carolina, US |
| Resting place | Rosemont Cemetery, Newberry, South Carolina |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Lillie B. Summers Carolina Floyd |
| Parent(s) | Henry Horatio Blease Mary Ann Livingston Blease |
| Alma mater | Georgetown University |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Coleman Livingston Blease (October 8, 1868 – January 19, 1942) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 89th governor of South Carolina from 1911 to 1915 and represented the state in the United States Senate from 1925 to 1931. Blease was the political heir of Benjamin Tillman. He led a political revolution in South Carolina by building a political base of white textile mill workers from the state's upcountry region. He was a staunch white supremacist and frequently used inflammatory rhetoric to appeal to racial animosities among white voters.
As governor and later senator, Blease opposed civil rights for African Americans, spoke in favor of lynching, and resisted educational opportunities for Black citizens. In the Senate, he introduced legislation targeting interracial relationships and criticized efforts at racial inclusion in public life. He was also instrumental in the passage of Section 1325 of the U.S. immigration code, which criminalized unlawful entry into the United States—a provision that remains in effect.