Martin Sennet Conner

Martin Conner was born in Forrest County, Mississippi in August 1891 to Oscar Weir (1868-1923) and Holly Gertrude (née Sennett) Conner (1871-1937)."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. In 1900, his family moved to rural Seminary in 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 at the age of 14 years, likely the youngest person to attend the university along with Enoch Starnes.{{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}} He continued his education at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, after which he began a legal career in Seminary.

Conner served as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1916 to 1924, and served a stint as 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.Huey Pierce Long, Jr., Every Man a King: The Autobiography of Huey P. Long (New Orleans: National Book Club, Inc., 1933), pp. 275-276.

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.{{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}} 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.{{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}}

In 1936, Conner ran for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Pat Harrison. He received the support of U.S. Senator Theodore Bilbo.{{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}} Harrison ultimately won the election.

Following his term as governor, Conner was the first commissioner of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) from August 21, 1940 through the fall of 1946.[http://secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=22&url_article_id=9250&change_well_id=2 Stories of Character :: Celebrating 75 Years] {{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 }} Conner died in the capital city of Jackson and is interred there at Lakewood Memorial Park.

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• [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

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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