Olive Loaf in the Box Fan

running for governor in mississippi

In most places, you run for governor. In Mississippi, you run at it. The office is an unpleasant old horse in an overgrown field that's ruined the day of many before you, and yet, there's always somebody who thinks, "I can ride 'er. I KNOW I can. Charlie Deaton and William Winter both made three runs at the old horse. Winter finally stayed in the saddle for four years and changed Mississippi. Night Train Deaton figured he'd have to find other ways to change Mississippi.

Night Train is a name he got in college that stuck with him longer than it should. He was no angel, but I never knew many angels and didn't spend that much time with them when I knew them. Things in bottles, things you smoked that weren't pot, and nights out late at places you shouldn't be were part of being a man in those days.

Deaton was famous for his looks. I'm not gay, but I could see it. Earlier this year, when I was in rehab, I showed my 27-year-old therapists a picture from one of his runs at the governor. "Oh wow!" said one. "I can see it," said the other, referring to his reputation.

Regardless of how he looked, my interest in Deaton was based on three things. His interest in wildlife legislation, his interest in education legislation, and his part in my dad's inner circle, which included Rowan Taylor, Robert Wingate, Ross Bass, and Charlie Deaton. Besides legislation and Mississippi politics in general, their primary interest was fishing. Deaton and Bass were the experts on cooking. Doctors and lawyers can be really good cooks. Daddy and Rowan mainly made sure they didn’t run out of ice, which eventually became my job.

Daddy had two core groups, the fishing group and the Capitol Street gang, which included Ben Puckett, Warren Hood, Brum Day, Rowan Taylor, my uncle Tom Hederman, and more. The original Capitol Street gang began with my uncle Boyd and everybody who had a major retail or banking presence on Capitol Street in Jackson. They operated more like an actual gang, with Boyd and Mr Kennington at the head. The Kennington building has been beautifully restored, but people who actually shopped there are getting scarce. Mr McRae figured he could make money opening in the suburbs and that was that.

Deaton and my cousin Robert Wingate were from the Delta. Deaton and some guys in the Senate got an apartment in Jackson. My cousin Ann Ball Wingate, when she turned twenty-one, got an apartment in the same complex. One day, she offered to make a deal with Deaton, "You don't tell on me and I won't tell on you." As far as I know, the deal held up, but neither of them was that poorly behaved from what I could see.

Girls from the Delta had the most unusual names and a reputation for many other things. I was absolutely smitten with a girl named Buss, who was one apartment below and one apartment over from Ann Ball Wingate, and across the patio from Night Train Deaton and the less popular senators.

One night, Buss and I drank port, mezcal, and other things. She was in her terribly expensive underwear because her clothes had port on them and were soaking, while I watched her feed an entire package of olive loaf through the box fan and giggling like a howler monkey as it chewed it up. Whatever was going on in Deaton's or Ann Ball's apartment, I figured it was better behaved than what we were doing.

I always did my best to be a gentleman around Buss, despite the obvious temptations. That she regularly drank me into an altered state probably helped. One night, she sat on the floor while I was on the sofa, and she said, "You should try harder to kiss me." To which I replied, "I would, but you're way over there."

Deaton ran for governor three times, although the last attempt was pretty anemic. He and William Winter had very similar ideas about education in Mississippi. Thinking about what might happen if they followed each other, that just wasn't in the cards. The closest we got was Winter-Allain-Mabus. Allain was a good guy, but not an education guy. Some Jackson Republicans paid some transvestite hookers to say they were Allain's partner, but then the hookers changed their minds and exposed the whole thing as a fraud.

During Deaton's second campaign, Rowan rented two of the buildings on Spengler’s corner for the Deaton for Governor campaign headquarters, in one of the most visible spots in Mississippi, only to find out two days later that Deaton had a lease on a much humbler building closer to the zoo. Considering how much hell they gave each other over this through the years is a testament to their friendship.

One night, they had a fundraising roast for Daddy at the largest hotel in town. On the program were Ben Puckett, Rowan Taylor, and Brum Day. These were three men who had been through a lot together, including Annie Laurie Hearin's kidnapping and Ben Puckett's near-fatal plane crash. Mostly, people were there to hear Ben Puckett, who was a one-man band wherever he went.

Ben Puckett didn't disappoint. Rowan told stories about Deaton's three campaigns with the Deatons sitting at our table. These men loved each other. A little chain pulling never hurt nobody. Then he did ten minutes about how much Daddy used the word "sum'bitch" which I thought they all used more than me. At least more than me, then.

Brum was actually pretty shy. He did a ton of public stuff, but he didn't like it. Opening the portfolio with his prepared comments, Brum said,

"Som'bitch. It seems my secretary has given me the wrong speech."

Without his prepared funny comments, Brum instead talked about the death of his predecessor, Ben Lampton, the apparent death of Annie Laurie Hearin, and the extremely close call with Ben Puckett. He spoke about the bonds of friendship and the challenges of life. There wasn't a dry eye in the house, including mine.

It's my birthday. I can write about whatever I want. Of the people in this story, me, Ann Ball Wingate, and Buss are the only ones left. Buss left Jackson, went to State, and quit drinking. I lost interest after that, even though, had she stayed, I would never have finished college. She married a guy, then another guy, then another guy. Trying to keep up with her is not a job for mortal men.

I have a pick for both parties in the next governor's race. I won't say who because I don't endorse candidates. It should probably be pretty obvious. I sincerely hated the campaign Cliff Finch and Leon Bramlet ran, but I have a feeling we ain't seen nothin' yet.