Editing Martin Sennet Conner

{{Short description|American politician (1891–1950)}}
{{About|the Governor of Mississippi|the science fiction writer|Michael Conner}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Mike Conner
| image name          = Governor Martin S. Conner, Jan. 19, 1932 to Jan. 21, 1936 (14123298914).jpg
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| order1              = 44th
| title1              = [[Governor of Mississippi]]
| term_start1         = January 19, 1932
| term_end1           = January 21, 1936
| lieutenant1         = [[Dennis Murphree]]
| predecessor1        = [[Theodore G. Bilbo]]
| successor1          = [[Hugh L. White]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1891|8|31|mf=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Hattiesburg, Mississippi|Hattiesburg]], [[Mississippi]], U. S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1950|9|16|1891|8|31|mf=y}}
| death_place         = [[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson]], Mississippi, U. S.
| resting_place       = Lakewood Memorial Park in Jackson, Mississippi
| profession          = [[Lawyer]]
| spouse              = Alma Lucille Graham
| state_house2        = Mississippi
| district2           = [[Covington County, MS|Covington County]]
| termstart2          = January 1916
| termend2            = January 1924
}}

'''Martin''' "'''Mike'''" '''Sennet Conner''' (August 31, 1891 &ndash; September 16, 1950) was an American politician,  lawyer, and college sports administrator who served as the [[governor of Mississippi]] from 1932 to 1936.

==Early life and education==
Martin Conner was born in [[Forrest County, Mississippi]] in August 1891 to Oscar Weir (1868-1923) and Holly Gertrude ([[née]] Sennett) Conner (1871-1937).<ref>"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9XR-L1Z : accessed 29 August 2022), Senate Conner in household of Oscar Conner, Beat 2 Hattiesburg town Ward 1-2, Perry, Mississippi, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 89, sheet 13A, family 242, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,824.</ref> In 1900, his family moved to [[rural]] [[Seminary, Mississippi|Seminary]] in [[Covington County, Mississippi|Covington County]] in southern Mississippi, where Conner likely obtained his high school education at the Seminary Attendance Center (now Seminary High School).

Conner began his education at the [[University of Mississippi]] in [[Oxford, Mississippi|Oxford]] at the age of 14 years, likely the youngest person to attend the university along with Enoch Starnes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mississippiobscura.com/beats-doing-chores-blog/f/stop-just-passing-through-seminary|title = Stop Just Passing Through Seminary | accessdate = 29 August 2020}}</ref> He continued his education at [[Yale University]] in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], [[Connecticut]], after which he began a legal career in Seminary.

== Political career ==
Conner served as a member of the [[Mississippi House of Representatives]] from 1916 to 1924, and served a stint as [[Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]]. In 1932, Conner was elected [[Governor of Mississippi]].

Conner was allied with [[Huey Pierce Long, Jr.]], the [[governor of Louisiana]] from 1928 to 1932 and the [[U.S. senator]] from 1932 to 1935. Long struck up an alliance with Conner to support "good roads" connecting the neighboring states. From the sidelines, Long helped Conner win the Mississippi governorship though Conner had twice lost previous bid for the office. Conner's [[runoff election]] opponent and gubernatorial successor, [[Hugh L. White]], tried to make an issue of Long's involvement in an out-of-state race.<ref>[[Huey Pierce Long, Jr.]], ''Every Man a King: The Autobiography of Huey P. Long'' ([[New Orleans]]: National Book Club, Inc., 1933), pp. 275-276.</ref>

Conner's term as a governor corresponded with the [[Great Depression]], but he maintained a state treasury surplus during his tenure. He was noted for going to the state penitentiary to preside over "mercy courts" that resulted in executive clemency for prisoners.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Madar |first1=Chase |date=21 December 2015 |title=The Case for Clemency |url=http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-case-for-clemency/ |accessdate=25 December 2015 |publisher=The American Conservative}}</ref>  One of Conner's methods by which he orchestrated a positive $16 million swing in the state's finances (in only four years) was the introduction of a state sales tax.<ref>{{cite web |title=Martin Sennet (Mike) Conner: Forty-fourth Governor of Mississippi: 1932-1936 |url=http://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/articles/265/index.php?s=extra&id=144 |accessdate=29 August 2020}}</ref>

In [[1936 United States Senate election in Mississippi|1936]], Conner ran for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat [[Pat Harrison]]. He received the support of U.S. Senator [[Theodore Bilbo]].<ref>{{cite magazine |date=August 24, 1936 |title=Broom or Bilbo |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,756514,00.html?iid=chix-sphere |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629001714/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,756514,00.html?iid=chix-sphere |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref> Harrison ultimately won the election.

== Life after politics ==
Following his term as governor, Conner was the first commissioner of the [[Southeastern Conference]] (SEC) from August 21, 1940 through the fall of 1946.<ref>[http://secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=22&url_article_id=9250&change_well_id=2 Stories of Character :: Celebrating 75 Years<!--Bot-generated title-->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022232114/http://secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=22&url_article_id=9250&change_well_id=2 |date=October 22, 2007 }}</ref> Conner died in the capital city of [[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson]] and is interred there at Lakewood Memorial Park.

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17942325 Martin Sennet Conner's grave] at [[Find-A-Grave]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091020055234/http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=1a640646cf307010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD Profile] at [[National Governors Association]] website

{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Theodore G. Bilbo]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[List of Governors of Mississippi|Governor of Mississippi]]|years=[[1931 Mississippi gubernatorial election|1931]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Hugh L. White]]}}
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{{succession box | before=[[Theodore G. Bilbo]] | title=[[List of Governors of Mississippi|Governor of Mississippi]] | after=[[Hugh L. White]] | years=1932&ndash;1936}}
{{s-sports}}
{{s-end}}

{{Governors of Mississippi}}
{{MS House Speakers}}
{{Southeastern Conference commissioner navbox}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conner, Martin Sennet}}
[[Category:1891 births]]
[[Category:1950 deaths]]
[[Category:Methodists from Mississippi]]
[[Category:Democratic Party governors of Mississippi]]
[[Category:Speakers of the Mississippi House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives]]
[[Category:People from Covington County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Southeastern Conference commissioners]]
[[Category:University of Mississippi alumni]]
[[Category:Yale University alumni]]
[[Category:Mississippi lawyers]]
[[Category:Huey Long]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature]]