Nash and Taggart Collection
Title
Jere Nash Interview with Mike Espy
Other Form of Name
Espy, Mike, 1953-
Identifier
NT_interview_26
Creation Date
7-2-2004
Disclaimer
Some of the images and language that appear in the digital collections depict prejudices that are not condoned by the University of Mississippi. This content is being presented as historical documentation to aid in the understanding of both American history and the history of the University of Mississippi. The University Creed speaks to our current deeply held values, and the availability of this content should not be taken as an endorsement of previous attitudes or behavior.
Description
Interview conducted by author Jere Nash with Mike Espy in the process of writing Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976-2006. Espy served as U.S. Representative from 1987 to 1992 and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture 1993 to 1994. Topics covered include Espy's family background including his grandfather T.J. Huddleston who founded an African American hospital in Yazoo City, Mississippi and started a funeral home system; running for Congress in 1986; experiences integrating a high school in Yazoo City; involvement in a radical student protest movement and traveling to Cuba; passing the Mississippi Bar exam; youth leaders in the local NAACP chapter; working for Governor Bill Waller's administration as assistant secretary of public land; campaigning for Ed Pittman's gubernatorial and attorney general races; Robert Clark; first campaign for the U.S. House in 1986; Webb Franklin; setting up his congressional office and being sworn in; opponent Dorothy Benford in subsequent elections; congressional proclamation for National Catfish Day and engineering catfish into the military procurement system; Mississippi Delta Development Act; Bill Clinton; National Rifle Association endorsement; working for the Democratic Leadership Council; Jamie Whitten rejecting his request to join the Appropriations Committee; appointment as Secretary of Agriculture; and congressional redistricting in 1991.
Subject Headings (Library of Congress)
Espy, Mike, 1953-; Hospitals; Funeral service; Political campaigns -- Mississippi; Elections -- Mississippi; Yazoo City (Miss.); School integration; Student protesters; Mississippi Bar; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; Waller, Bill; Mississippi. Public Lands Division; Pittman, Ed; Clark, Robert; Franklin, Webb; Catfish fisheries; Delta (Miss. : Region); Clinton, Bill, 1946-; National Rifle Association of America; Democratic Leadership Council (U.S.); Whitten, Jamie L.; United States. Department of Agriculture; Apportionment (Election law) -- Mississippi;
Relational Format
audio recording
Extent
1900-01-00
Original Format
born digital audio
Original Collection
Nash and Taggart Collection, Archives and Special Collections, University of Mississippi Libraries
Finding Aid
Rights
This media file is owned by the copyright holder and may not be reproduced, re-posted, captured or saved. Due to copyright concerns, the recordings in this collection can only be accessed by arrangement with the Department of Archives and Special Collections.
Comments
original file name: 10011_Mespy_2004Jul02_1h52min; the author's original, unofficial transcript is available here, but users should note that spelling and accuracy is not assured