1. Charles Wayne Dowdy was born on July 27,1943 and is an American politician, lawyer and jurist from Mississippi.
18 Facts About Wayne Dowdy
1. 2.
Wayne Dowdy was first elected in a 1981 special election and served four terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1989.
3.
Wayne Dowdy later served as chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party.
4.
Wayne Dowdy grew up in the Methodist Church and is a graduate of Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.
5.
Wayne Dowdy set up a law practice in Mississippi and purchased two local radio stations.
6.
Wayne Dowdy entered politics and was elected as mayor of McComb, Mississippi, serving from 1978 to 1981.
7.
On July 7,1981, Dowdy was elected to the House of Representatives as a Democrat in a special election for the 4th District.
8.
Wayne Dowdy carefully managed to avoid drawing strong Republican challengers in the general election or African-American opponents in the Democratic primary.
9.
Wayne Dowdy was notable for being a rather progressive Democrat by Mississippi standards of the time; in 1982 he voted for renewal of the Voting Rights Act.
10.
Wayne Dowdy built a large base in the African-American community, important in a district with 37 percent African-American population.
11.
In 1988, when John Stennis retired from the Senate, Wayne Dowdy won the Democratic nomination.
12.
Wayne Dowdy's opponent was Republican House Minority Whip Trent Lott.
13.
Wayne Dowdy attempted to stage a comeback against Governor Ray Mabus in the 1991 Democratic gubernatorial primary, but lost with 41 percent of the vote.
14.
Wayne Dowdy returned and resumed his law practice in Magnolia, Mississippi.
15.
Wayne Dowdy practiced civil and trial law and represented Pike County and its Board of Supervisors, the City of Magnolia, and the Town of Summit.
16.
Wayne Dowdy was elected and served as Chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party from 2004 to 2008.
17.
Wayne Dowdy served as City Attorney of McComb, Mississippi from 2009 to 2018.
18.
Wayne Dowdy's family owns several radio stations in Mississippi and Louisiana and is a former staff announcer for television station WJTV-TV in Jackson, Mississippi.