White served from 1936 to 1940.
Link to the catalog1936: Hugh L. White inaugurated as Mississippi’s forty-fifth governor
Governor Hugh L. White
1936: Eudora Welty publishes first short story, “Death of a Traveling Salesman”
A few years later a collection of short stories, A Curtain of Green, was published. Born in Jackson in 1909, Welty wrote novels, short stories, essays, book reviews, and an autobiography in a career that spanned 65 years.
1936: State Legislature passes legislation to “balance agriculture with industry”
The BAWI legislation authorized local governments to issue bonds to attract industry.
1936: Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! published
1936: Dr. Leslie Vaughn Rush of Meridian performs first bone pinning operation in United States
This procedure greatly reduced the hospital stays for those with broken bones and led to the development of the Rush Pin, which is still in use today.
April 5, 1936: Tornado devastates Tupelo, killing over 200
Tupelo Tornado Flag
The “Tupelo Tornado” is ranked as the fourth deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
Image: This flag was flying at the high school when the tornado hit Tupelo.
June 15, 1936: Homochitto National Forest, Holly Springs National Forest, and DeSoto National Forest established by Civilian Conservation Corps
CCC Dibble
Image: This dibble was used by the CCC to plant trees in the Homochitto National Forest.
June 22, 1936: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Flood Control Act of 1936
The act authorized the Corps of Engineers to build dams, levees, and dikes for flood control. Sardis Dam in north Mississippi was part of the 1936 act, becoming operational in October 1940.
July 1936: Ellen Woodward becomes Director of Women’s and Professional Projects
Towels Given to Ellen Woodward
Born in Oxford, Mississippi, Woodward became the third woman to serve in the Mississippi Legislature before moving to Washington, D.C. to work in the Roosevelt Administration.
Image: Handmade towels given to Ellen Woodward and her note explaining how they are to be kept together as a reminder of how much her work during the Great Depression meant to her.
August 31, 1936: Mechanical cotton picker demonstrated at Delta Experimentation Station near Leland
The demonstration by brothers John and Mack Rust attracted national press and signaled a dramatic shift in the future of cotton farming.
November 3, 1936: President Franklin D. Roosevelt elected to second term
Roosevelt Campaign Button
November 23, 1936: Guitarist Robert Johnson has first recording session in San Antonio, Texas
The songs Johnson recorded in 1936 and ’37—“Crossroads,” “Love in Vain,” “Hellhound on my Trail,” “Dust My Broom” and others—are among the most powerful blues songs ever and remain widely influential today.