NORTH CARROLLTON — When the news came Monday, Dec. 2 that Mississippi’s 58th governor, Bill Allain, died at the age of 85 in Jackson at St. Dominic’s Hospital, I thought about the first time I met him. It was at the Black Hawk political rally here in Carroll County.
That rural setting of old-fashioned politics was the perfect venue for him. He came from the generation of handshakes and personal contact.
In the late ’80s, when he was not running for political office, he returned to the rally. He left me with the impression he was true about being connected with the citizens of rural Mississippi.
The Democrat from Natchez served this state as attorney general for four years before being elected governor. In this position, he has been described as a crusader and an effective attorney general. He was most noted for suing to keep legislators from serving on state boards and commissions. Allain’s actions were based on the contention that the practice violated the state constitution’s separation-of- powers clause. The state Supreme Court ruled in Allain’s favor. He also fought as attorney general for the prevention of a utility rate increase.
The road to the Governor’s Office was not an easy one. After a tough primary, there was in the general election a Republican-funded campaign with accusations on his personal life. These accusations, which were the focus of heavy media attention, were strongly denied by Allain. It is worth noting that none of the accusations were ever substantiated. The voters sided with Allain on Election Day. He carried 74 of the state’s 82 counties.
I remember the last meeting I had with Allain several years ago, when he was still practicing law. He had no animosity or any grudges against those who spread the rumors. He let his Catholic faith help him to not have any ill feelings about the campaign of 1983.
During Allain’s term as governor, he made government more inclusive by hiring numerous women and blacks. In his second year, he appointed the first black justice to the Mississippi Supreme Court.
He chose to not seek a second term in 1987 even though he was the first governor in modern times who could have succeeded himself after the ban was lifted the previous year. After his gubernatorial term ended in January 1988, Allain practiced law, and he spent the holidays helping to feed the needy in soup kitchens.
Former Governor Allain left a record of fighting for the common person and promoting justice. He lived a life of being guided by his faith, held no ill feelings toward his opposition and served people who were less fortunate.
Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley, another fellow Democrat who had visited Allain many times, summed it up best about the man when he spoke at his memorial service last Friday at the state Capitol and recalled the work Allain had done for the needy at Thanksgiving and Christmas as a servant in soup kitchens. “And he did it without a press conference, without a photo-op, a Tweet or a Facebook post,” Presley said. “That would never happen today. Bill Allain was a giver, and until Monday, he kept on giving. “
That is a legacy worth remembering.
• Ken Strachan, a Democrat, is a former mayor of North Carrollton and serves as Carroll County coroner.
