Eastland, James O. (James Oliver), 1904-1986

Variant names

Dates:

Birth 1904-11-28

Death 1986-02-19

Language: English

Biographical notes:

James Oliver Eastland (b. November 28, 1904, Doddsville, Mississippi-d. February 19, 1986, Doddsville, Mississippi) was a U.S. Senator from Mississippi. Eastland began his career as a lawyer practicing in Mississippi. He then went on to serve as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1928-1931. In 1941, Eastland served a temporary appointment to the U.S. Senate to fill a vacant seat made by the death of Pat Harrison. Eastland was then officially elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1942. He was reelected five times to the Senate until his resignation on December 27, 1978. During his time as a Senator, he also served as chairman for the entire Judiciary Committee, serving in this position until his retirement. In addition to being the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Eastland was also chair of its several subcommittees including: Internal Security Subcommittee, Immigration and Naturalization Subcommittee, Civil Rights Subcommittee, and the FBI Oversight Subcommittee. He was also a member of the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, and was the chairman of its Environment, Soil Conservation, and Forestry Subcommittee. In the 1970s, he served as President pro tempore of the Senate.