Ebook: The Measure of Our Days: Writings of William F. Winter

Unlike most public figures, Governor William F. Winter (b. 1923) wrote all of his own speeches. He has enriched the political and cultural life of Mississippi and the United States for over five decades—as an infantryman in World War II, as a Mississippi House representative (1947–1959), as governor of Mississippi (1980–1984), as a member of President Bill Clinton’s Advisory Board on Race (1997–1998), and as an advocate for education and racial reconciliation. The Measure of Our Days: Writings of William F. Winter presents a collection of the governor’s most thoughtful writings on his home state, the South, and America in general. A sampling of his thoughts from the early 1960s to the present, the volume attests to his progressive political and moral philosophy. The tone of the writings ranges from lighthearted and informal to powerful and commanding. Collected, they reveal Winter’s keen intellect, quiet wit, and stubborn political courage. The book includes an introduction by editor Andrew P. Mullins, Jr., that places Winter in a historical context and gives a brief biography of the politician. Winter is perhaps best known for his leadership in passing the 1982 Mississippi Education Reform Act which, among other things, established public kindergartens in the state. Throughout his long career, Winter has written and given speeches on a broad range of subjects—race, religion, education, book banning, community building, civil liberties, urban and agricultural development, family, literature, environmental conservation, and history—that testifies to the diversity of his interests, and his continuing engagement with American affairs.