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Oral history with Mr. William J. Simmons
This oral history is provided through a cooperative project of University of Southern Mississippi Libraries and USM's Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage.
Funding provided by a National Leadership Grant for Libraries from the Institute for Museum and Library Services
The transcript is presented here for reference purposes only. Interviews in this collection are protected by copyright. PERMISSION TO PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED from the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. Please call ( 601) 266- 4574 for more information.
Biography
Mr. William J. Simmons was born in Utica, Mississippi, in 1916. He moved to Jackson, Mississippi, with his family in 1925, and graduated from Jackson's Central High School in 1933. He attended Millsaps College and Mississippi College, graduating from the latter in 1937. Pursuing an interest in French literature, Mr. Simmons continued his studies at the Institut de Touraine, Tours, France. Growing hostilities in Europe interrupted his studies and he was forced to return to the United States in 1940.
During World War II, Mr. Simmons served with the Royal Engineers of the British Army and with the United States Department of State. Following World War I he was associated with Louisiana Natural Gas Corporation, Lake Charles, Louisiana, where he held the position of chief accountant and assistant treasurer. In 1954 he returned to his hometown of Jackson and became active in organizing the Jackson Citizens Council.
Mr. Simmons soon devoted his full- time service to the Citizens Council movement. In this capacity he functioned as editor and publisher of The Citizen, Administrator of Citizens Councils of America, and President of Citizens Council Forum. As a Citizens Council representative, he appeared on local and network television and spoke before audiences throughout the United States. He published " Race in America: The Conservative Stand" in The Search For America. He was also a founder and President of the Council School Foundation, President of the Southern Independent School Administration, and a member of the Mississippi Private School Association.
Mr. Simmons retired from his Citizens Council position in 1990. He is a member of the Presbyterian faith and is active in the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Jackson Civil War Round ' fable.
Table of Contents
I. Family background and childhood reminiscences
II. Educational experiences
A. The Institut de Touraine, Tours, France
mus- coh. simmonsw. doc Page 1 of 90
