Legacy of Senator John C. Stennis will influence future generations

Mississippi's premier statesman, former Senator John Cornelius Stennis, died April 23, 1995, at the age of 93.

From modest beginnings on a Kemper County farm, Stennis distinguished himself first at Mississippi A&M College, graduating in 1923, and then at the University of Virginia Law School, subsequently launching a political career that spanned more than six decades. The last 41 years of that career were spent in the United States Senate.

In 1927, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and in 1929 received his law degree from the University of Virginia while serving as a legislator. The following year, he married Coy Hines of New Albany, the Kemper County home demonstration agent.

Stennis later was a district attorney and a circuit judge before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1947.

During the 1970s, Stennis chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee and the defense subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. His career culminated at the opening of the 100th Congress, when his colleagues unanimously elected him president pro tempore of the Senate.

Stennis was instrumental in establishing the Appalachian Regional Commission, whose mission is to assist in the economic development of the region.

Among Stennis' numerous contributions to Mississippi State was the enactment in 1962 of the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Program, which annually provides the university more than $600,000 for research in forestry.

He also was instrumental in establishing the Honors Program at Mississippi State.

"First and foremost, he was a friend and advocate of his fellow Mississippians and of Mississippi State University," said President Donald Zacharias. "We mourn his passing, but we also are inspired by his legacy. His life will serve as a code of conduct for future generations of public servants."

The John C. Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State--established in 1976 and funded by federal and corporate grants and contracts as well as private donations--promotes citizen involvement in government and provides technical assistance to state agencies and local governments.

Another legacy of the senator is the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and Development at Mississippi State, established in 1989 by Congress. Its mission is to attract talented young people to careers in public service and to develop training programs for those already working in government.

"The senator felt a great debt of gratitude to Mississippi State not only for the education he received here, but for the loyal friends associated with Mississippi State who helped elect him to the Senate in 1947," said Rex Buffington, executive director of the center and longtime Stennis aide. "He never passed up an opportunity to do something for Mississippi State."