Voting Station

Mendel Rivers

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U.S. Congressman

The Resume

    (September 28, 1905-December 28, 1970)
    Born in Gumville, South Carolina
    Birth name was Lucius Mendel Rivers
    Represented South Carolina's 1st District (1941-70)
    Chaired the House Armed Services Committee (1965-70)
    Democrat

Why he might be annoying:

    He opposed every federal civil rights bill that came up for a vote during his tenure.
    He signed the pro-segregation Southern Manifesto (1956).
    He responded to the integration of the US armed forces by calling President Harry Truman a 'bankrupt politician' and supporting Strom Thurmond's 'Dixiecrat' campaign for President (1948).
    Calling himself the 'granddaddy of the war hawks,' he urged President Lyndon Johnson to use nuclear weapons against North Vietnam.
    He tried to use his position as Chair of the House Armed Services Committee to suppress news of the My Lai massacre.
    He was a binge drinker, which led muckraker Drew Pearson to label him a security risk.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He had his first major legislative success in getting the federal tax on colored margarine repealed (1950).
    He got payments for retired military personnel linked to the Consumer Price Index, matching the practice followed for retired federal civil servants (1963).
    He secured the first military pay raises in over a decade (1965), despite opposition from President Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara.
    He obtained reduced-fare flights for soldiers on furlough.
    He had a batting average over .300 in Congressional baseball games.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 13 Votes: 23.08% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 100% Annoying