Oral history with Joseph E. Wroten

              An Oral History with Joseph E. Wroten
This oral history is provided through a cooperative project of USM Libraries and USM's Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage It is presented here for reference purposes only. Interviews in this collection are protected by copyright and PERMISSION TO PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED from the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. Please call ( 601) 266- 4574 for more information.
Biography
Joseph E. Wroten was born February 28, 1925, in a Methodist parsonage in New Albany, Mississippi. Mr. Wroten graduated from Stephen D. Lee High School in Columbus, received his bachelor's of science from Millsaps College in 1945 and a law degree from the University of Mississippi in 1948. He volunteered for service in the U. S. Naval Reserve and was commissioned an ensign and later promoted to lieutenant. He served aboard the U. S. S. L. S. M. 292 in the Pacific theater of operations during World War II. After the war, Mr. Wroten practiced law. He served three four- year terms in the Mississippi House of Representatives. He became famous during his tenure as one of only two legislators who voted in favor of allowing blacks to enroll at the University of Mississippi. He was elected as a judge of the county court and of the youth court of Washington County from 1971 to 1982. He has also served in several capacities for the Democratic Party in Mississippi and as a delegate to the 1968 Democratic National Convention. At the time of this interview, Mr. Wroten was working as the clerk of court for the U. S. Bankruptcy Court, northern district of Mississippi. Mr. Wroten has received numerous honors, including a national award from the Methodist Church for his legislative record. Also, he's received the Service to Mankind Award from the Greenville Sertoma Club, the Civil Liberties Citizenship Award from the Elks, Outstanding Alumnus of the Year from Millsaps College, and numerous awards from the Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Wroten has held leadership roles in community activities including Boy Scouts, the United Way, and the First Untied Methodist Church in Aberdeen. He's also a Mason and a member of the Shriners. He served as chairman of the Governors Commission for Children and Youth and was the first president of the Washington County Mental Health Association. Mr. Wroten is married to the former Carolyn Harland of Greenville and they have two children, a son and a daughter, and three grandsons.
Topics Discussed
Background information College, military service Segregation in the military Election to the state legislature Greenville
mus- coh. wrotenj. doc Page 1 of 33