28 Aug 2008
Samuel Ervin (1896-1985)
Samuel Ervin (1896-1985) was a Democratic Representative and a senator from the state of North Carolina from 1954 to 1974. He is well-known for his work on two different committees that helped overthrow Senator Joe McCarthy (1954) and President Richard Nixon (1974) - the committee that investigated Watergate was commonly called the Ervin Committee. His support of civil liberties made him a liberal hero - he opposed growing invasions of privacy like "no-knock" search laws and the use of data banks and lie-detector tests. In 1966, he played a major role in defeating a constitutional amendment that would make prayers in public schools compulsory.
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