Endorsement of Kennedy's presidential bid criticized by fellow Methodists
Sanford's decision to endorse John Kennedy raised vicious controversy among other members of the Methodist Church. Though one bishop supported him, his own pastor showed his disapproval by dropping him from church programs.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with Terry Sanford, August 20 and 21, 1976. Interview A-0328-2. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
In any
event, because I announced out there, whatever I said was greatly
distorted. I said that I wanted North Carolina to be with the winner,
not just have a vain vote. Well, that got interpreted that Sanford
simply wanted to be with the winner, he wasn't voting on principle and
our communication with the papers was just very, very bad.
I got hundreds and hundreds of vicious telegrams, some
abusive telegrams. Some would surprise you. They are all in
Archives.
- BRENT GLASS:
-
Was the religion factor a big one in some of this reaction?
- TERRY SANFORD:
-
Religion and race. At any rate, the Methodist Church virtually
excommunicated me. I never did fully forgive the preacher of my own
church, who withdrew the invitation to be the Laymen's Day speaker. It
so happened that that didn't bother me, but it irritated me that he felt
he had to do that. And then, there is some day celebrated . . . every
Sunday has got some name in the church, you know, and in October, there
is something to do with breaking away from the Catholic Church and which
has to do with the independence of religious thought, and he announced
that he was going to preach an anti-Kennedy speech. So, I sent him word
. . . I had been chairman of the board there for eight years . . .
- BRENT GLASS:
-
This is in Fayetteville?
- TERRY SANFORD:
-
Yes. I sent him word that I was coming to church and if he preached that
sermon, I was getting up in the middle and walking out and that I
thought that would get some attention. I did not go and he did not
preach it. In any event, it was very vicious. Now, by a coincidence, as
I was leaving the Carolina Hotel to go to the airport to go to Los
Angeles, I ran into Bishop Garver, the bishop of the North Carolina
Conference of the Methodist Church. And he said whatever he said and I
said, "You know, bishop, I might end up being for John
Kennedy." He said, "Go to it, boy." Now, he
was very supportive, he was a much more enlightened person than my
particular preacher, who is now dead. So, it was a shocking thing to
them.
