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Charlie Capps
of Cleveland
Legislator has given much to the Delta during his political career
BY J. SCOTT COOPWOOD
Publisher, Delta Business Journal
"When I first arrived at the State Capitol in January of 1984, I noticed two
things about Charlie Capps," says Mississippi author and former legislator, John
Grisham. "The first was that he appreciated fine cigars. The second was that he was a
perfect gentleman. In those early years we didn't agree on many issues, but, we enjoyed
good cigars together, and he taught me how to disagree and still be friends."
According to various sources, Grisham came up with the name "Sonny Capps" for
one of the characters in his book, The Firm, by combining the names of Sonny Meredith (for
his shrewdness) and Charlie Capps (for his honorable reputation).
Charlie Capps, of Cleveland, the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee,
is truly one of the last of the great Delta political power brokers, and Capps has used
his influence to better the Delta in many ways during his 26-year political career. He is
in the prime of his political life and everyone in state government knows it.
With his trademark cigar, Capps is known by House colleagues as an able and dedicated
legislator who has effectively represented his district and state. Capps also has a
reputation for having the political courage to take a stand on matters of controversy.
"In my opinion, he is the quintessential chairman of an important committee in the
state legislature," says Senator Trent Lott. "I have visited with him on
business, spent time with him informally, and have even hunted with him. He is just a
wonderful person to be around. He worries about the taxpayers' dollars and he does a great
job for our state. Anything in the Delta that's happened in the last 20 years Charlie
Capps has been close to it."
"Charlie is Mr. Cleveland as far as I'm concerned," says Larry Speakes,
President Ronald Reagan's former press secretary and Merigold native. "Few have given
as much back to their community, their county and their state. He is a citizen of the
first order."
Capps' district is in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, including portions of Bolivar,
Washington, and Sunflower Counties. However, his constituency stretches across all of
Mississippi's 82 Counties. There isn't a corner of the state that hasn't benefited from
his influence. Agency heads, auditors, college presidents and even governors come to the
committee chamber on the second floor of the state Capitol asking Capps for money,
pleading their cases before him. As Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, he
presides over the panel that controls the state's multi-billion dollar budget and where
the money will go.
"Throughout all of his time in the Legislature, there is one thing that has been
consistent and that is he has been the conscience of that Legislative body when it comes
to things that are traditional in value to the state of Mississippi," says Delta
Council Executive Vice President, Chip Morgan. "The Mississippi constitution is the
most traditional value that we have and Charlie Capps works as hard as any legislator and
probably has had more impact on maintaining the integrity of our constitution than anybody
in the state's history since it was written," Morgan added.
For all of his power though, Capps is not a bragger and doesn't flaunt his position as do
so many of today"s politicians. Capps comes to the political table in the tradition
of other conservative Delta Democrats of the past, such as Walter Sillers ('44-'66).
Born Charles Wilson Capps, Jr., on New Year's Day in 1925 in Merigold, MS, his father was
a cotton broker in nearby Cleveland, where the family moved when he was five years old. By
the age of 17, Capps had been schooled at Culver Military Academy and then graduated from
Cleveland High School.
"Back in those days most young people didn't have any say as to where they wanted to
go to college," says Capps, who had Ole Miss on his mind. "My family put me on a
train in Memphis and before I realized it, I was on my way to Charlotte, North Carolina,
to attend Davidson."
Capps stayed at Davidson for three semesters and then joined the Army, later going to
officer's training school. The Philippines became Capps' home until he was discharged in
'46, when he entered Ole Miss. Capps quit Ole Miss, lacking one course from graduating.
"I came back to Cleveland after Ole Miss and worked for my father in the cotton
business. We went broke in 1950," says Capps. "We had some farm land, so I
turned to farming for many years."
In 1961, Capps started the Capps Insurance Agency. It was also during this period that
Capps got his first taste of politics, running for Sheriff of Bolivar County, only to be
defeated by eight votes. Four years later, Capps ran again and won, serving as sheriff
from 1964-1968. As sheriff, Capps became very involved in the Mississippi Sheriff's
Association, eventually becoming it's president. Capps spent a great amount of time in
Jackson as the association's president and was instrumental in changing the law allowing
sheriffs to seek re-election, as well as putting guidelines into effect whereby anyone
seeking a position in law enforcement had to have formal training.
"Before this time, anyone who obtained a position in law enforcement could put on a
badge and strap on a gun and go," says Capps. "At that time, the only
professional law enforcement in the state was the Highway Patrol."
Capps' position as president of the Mississippi Sheriff's Association allowed him the
opportunity to conduct business regularly with the House of Representatives. This
experience would be instrumental in his decision to further his political career. In 1972,
Capps ran for an open seat in the House of Representatives and won. Capps was taken under
the wing of his good friend, John L. Pearson, III of Rosedale, who was already a member of
the House and whose uncle was longtime speaker, Walter Sillers.
"I have known Charlie for over 60 years," says Judge John Pearson of Rosedale.
"He has always been a leader, and I know from first hand experience what kind of man
he is. He was just as influential at ten years of age. I would have been very surprised if
his life had not turned out the way it has."
As a freshman legislator, Capps became part of then House Speaker John Junkin's power
structure. Buddie Newman later became Junkin's successor and Capps became a member of
Newman's inner circle as well. Capps was later one of the first senior members to support
Tim Ford for Speaker.
"We talked early on that if I was going to run for speaker he would support me, and
this is something that I will never forget," says current House Speaker Tim Ford.
"Charlie is a wise man and we all look to him for advice on a number of things - not
just legislatively. He is a true Southern gentleman statesman, and he has the respect of
all of the members. We are very lucky to have someone like Charlie still serving. Beyond
all of this, he has a grasp of the state budget like nobody else. He makes it his
responsibility to know it, and he has worked with it so long that he is very comfortable
working with the figures."
During his political career, Capps' accomplishments have been many. Delta State University
has benefited significantly from his support, and recently a building was named in his
honor. On the other side of the state, in Columbus, Capps was lead author on the bill that
brought into existence The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science on the campus of
Mississippi University for Woman. Founded in 1987, the school was created for top high
school students from across the state. Promoting education at all levels has been one of
Capps' primary goals.
Capps is also the former chairman of the Southern Legislative Conference of The Council of
State Governments and was a leading exponent of the "Super Tuesday" Southern
Regional Primary as a means to strengthen the south's voice in presidential politics. He
is a past president of Delta Council, a nonprofit economic development organization
serving 18 Delta and part-Delta counties, and he serves on the Southern Regional Education
Board. The list goes on and on.
"I have also always taken a particular interest in the needs of Mississippi State at
Stoneville, especially the research part, because I am convinced that the research that
they do at Stoneville on agricultural products is what drives the Delta," says Capps.
Capps has lately become interested in the industrial training program at Mississippi Delta
Community College.
"I am convinced and I know that I am right - if we don't improve our education and
our industrial training, we're not going anywhere," he says.
Capps has worked very hard during the past year to create an industrial training center
that runs adjacent to the city of Moorhead. The Empowerment Zone has agreed to give a
grant of $4 million to Mississippi Delta Community College in order to help erect a
building.
"I expect this new facility to be a state of the art facility for training that
people from all over the United States will come to see what we've done," says Capps.
"The equipment and the operation will be a joint effort of Federal grants, state, and
private enterprise. It will train people for new industry, as well as re-train our present
industrial workforce for expansion and new operations."
With all of his accomplishments, Capps might be expect to aspire for higher office.
"I have really never had an interest in seeking any other position," says Capps.
"I very much like my position where I am and feel that I'd rather do one thing really
well than be running for different things every few years.
"During just one period of my life, I briefly considered running for Congress.
Congressman Abernathy called me and informed me that he wasn't going to run again back
then and wanted me to. Our children were young, and I just didn't want to have to put them
through all of that having to move and everything else that comes with the position of
Congressman," says Capps. "I'm probably the only one in Jackson that is totally
satisfied with his political job."
Capps says that although the Delta has come a long way, there is still improvement to be
made.
"Education and economics go together," says Capps. "If we do not continue
to improve our education base, our economic base is not going to improve, because new
industry is not going to be created without our education system improving. By this I mean
that the product that comes out of our educational system has got to improve. Technology
has advanced so much that if our people who come out of our schools do not advance with
this technology, then we are not going to get new industry. And, this has to take place
very quickly.
"As far as we have come, our part of the state is still holding back the rest of the
state. We are not enjoying the economic boom that is taking place around the remainder of
the state. I bring this to the attention of our state leaders nearly every day by telling
them that the Delta has special problems from the rest of the state, and we have got to be
treated differently. We have got to have some special considerations in order for us to be
brought up to the same level." says Capps.
In Capps' position, he sees first hand how the state's money is spent, and he feels that
gaming has had a positive affect on the state.
"I think that last year we earned about $256 million from gaming, and all of this
money went into the general fund," says Capps. "From there, we lose the identity
of it, but we take all of this money and put it into mental health, the human services,
education, and corrections. Without this money that we receive from the casinos, it would
be just that much money lost that would have to be made up somewhere else. I am certainly
not in favor of a tax increase and will not vote for a tax increase. If we lost this
casino money, all of these areas that I have just mentioned would have to be cut that much
money. I can understand people who have a moral conviction against gambling, but these
people have also got to understand that these casinos are legal and that they create a lot
of revenue that is used in our state to generate good things for our state."
Asked how he would like for the Mississippi history books to remember him, Capps says,
"I would like to be remembered as a conservative who has had control of the state's
purse strings for a number of years and during that period of time I have recognized the
needs of moving our state forward and have done this in a prudent matter. I am never set
in concrete on things, and I am always willing to listen to anyone who has anything to
talk to me about. I try to serve all of the people, and it is my hope that they will say
that I truly did serve everyone fairly. That's what I hope the history books will say
about me." DBJ
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