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Theophilus Eugene Connor, known as Bull Connor (July 11, 1897 – March 10, 1973), was an American politician who served as a Commissioner of Public Safety for the city of Birmingham, Alabama, during the American Civil Rights Movement. Connor's office, under the city commission government, gave him responsibility for administrative oversight of the Birmingham Fire Department and the Birmingham Police Department, which had their own chiefs. Connor's actions to enforce racial segregation and deny civil rights to black citizens, especially during the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's Birmingham campaign of 1963, made him an international symbol of racism. Bull Connor directed the use of fire hoses and police attack dogs against civil rights activists; that included the children of many protestors.〔(PBS's Eyes on the Prize segment, including video of Connor. )〕〔(Connor's Tank Returns to Birmingham )〕 These tactics exposed the extent of racism when shown on national television. They served as one of the catalysts for major social and legal change in the Southern United States and contributed to passage by the United States Congress of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. ==Early career== Connor was born in 1897 in Selma, Alabama, the son of Molly (Godwin) and Hugh King Connor, a train dispatcher and telegraph operator.〔http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1091〕 Connor entered politics as a Democrat in 1934 (and never left the DNC), winning a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives.〔(Politicalgraveyard.com Eugene Connor )〕 As a legislator he supported populist measures and pro-union issues for white people. He voted for extending the poll tax and against an anti-sedition bill meant to stifle union activity.〔Baggett, James L. ("Eugene 'Bull' Connor." ) Encyclopedia of Alabama.〕 He did not stand for a second term in 1936, instead running for Commissioner of Public Safety for the City of Birmingham. In 1936, Connor was elected to the office of Commissioner of Public Safety, beginning the first of two stretches that spanned a total of 26 years. Connor's first term ended in 1952, but he resumed the post four years later. In 1938, Connor became a candidate for Governor of Alabama. He announced he would be campaigning on a platform of "protecting employment practices, law enforcement, segregation and other problems that have been historically classified as states' rights by the Democratic party". In 1948, Connor's officers arrested U.S. Senator from Idaho, Glen H. Taylor, the running mate of Progressive Party presidential candidate and former Democratic Vice President Henry Wallace. Taylor, who had attempted to speak to the Southern Negro Youth Congress, was arrested for violating Birmingham's segregation laws. Connor's effort to enforce the law was sparked by the group's reported communist philosophy, with Connor noting at the time, "There's not enough room in town for Bull and the Commies." During the 1948 Democratic National Convention, Connor led the Alabama delegation in a walkout when the national party included a civil rights plank in its platform.〔 The offshoot States' Rights Democratic Party (Dixiecrats) nominated Strom Thurmond for president at its convention in Birmingham's Municipal Auditorium〔J. Barton Starr, "Birmingham and the 'Dixiecrat' Convention of 1948," ''Alabama Historical Quarterly'' 1970 32(1–2): 23–50〕 A second run for governor fell flat in 1954, but Connor remained a focal point of controversy that year by pushing through a city ordinance in Birmingham that outlawed "communism". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bull Connor」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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