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Articles in regional publications that pertain to a wide range of North Carolina-related topics.

O. Max Gardner and the Shelby Dynasty Part III

Record #:
8510
Author(s):
Abstract:
O. Max Gardner's so-called Shelby Dynasty swept the 1936 state elections while taking a stance against Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal programs. Candidates supported by Gardner won both the governor's and lieutenant governor's offices. The next two campaigns, 1940 and 1944, were overshadowed by the Second World War, and no strong opponents rose to challenge the Gardner machine. In 1948, however, opponents did face off against the Shelby Dynasty. Returning soldiers and young citizens who grew up under Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal reforms were able to vote, and they wanted improvement. Both W. K. Scott and R. Mayne Albright ran against Gardner's candidate, Charles Johnson. W. K. Scott won the gubernatorial race and became the first farmer-governor since Elias Carr in 1892. Scott's victory also signaled the end of the Shelby Dynasty which, in addition to the Simmons Machine, had dominated North Carolina's politics for over a half century.
Source:
The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 51 Issue 3, Aug 1983, p8-11, por