Furgurson, Ernest B., 1929-....

Ernest B. Furgurson is an author and reporter. He is the former chief of the Baltimore Sun 's Washington Bureau. He has written books on the Civil War, including "Ashes of Glory: Richmond at War" (1996), "Chancellorsville, 1863: the Souls of the Brave" (1992), and two biographies: "Westmoreland: The Inevitable General" (1968) and "Hard Right: The Rise of Jesse Helms" (1986).

Ernest B. Furgurson was born in 1929 in Danville, Va. He was graduated from Columbia University in 1952 and received a graduate degree the following year. He worked as a reporter in Danville and in Richmond before moving to the Baltimore Sun in 1956. After serving as White House correspondent from 1964 to1968, he began to write his own national affairs column in 1969. He then became chief of the Sun 's Washington Bureau.

Fugurson has published Westmoreland: The Inevitable General (1968), Hard Right: The Rise of Jesse Helms (1986), Chancellorsville, 1863: The Souls of the Brave (1992), and Ashes of Glory: Richmond at War (1996).

Material in this collection relates to Jesse Helms, who was born in Monroe, N.C., on 18 October 1921. He attended Wingate Junior College and Wake Forest University. From 1942 to1945, he served in the United States Navy. Helms worked as a journalist, became involved in politics, and obtained a job as political commentator for WRAL in Raleigh, N.C. His editorials were known for their conservative tone. Helms worked on the 1950 United States Senate race in support of Democratic Party candidate Willis Smith. Later, Helms switched his political allegiance to the Republican Party.

In 1972, Helms ran for and won a seat in the United States Senate, defeating Nick Galifianakis. In 1978, he successfully defended his seat against John Ingram. In 1984, in one of the most bitter and heated contests in North Carolina history, Helms retained his seat, defeating Governor James B. Hunt. In 1990 and in 1996, Helms won against Harvey Gantt, who had been mayor of Charlotte, N.C.