Ellison DuRant “Cotton Ed” Smith (August 1, 1864 – November 17, 1944) was a Democratic Party politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina widely known for his virulently racist and segregationist views and his advocacy of white supremacy. He represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1909 until 1944. Early life Smith was born near Lynchburg, South Carolina, the youngest child of William Hankin Smith and Mary Isabella Smith (née McLeod), at his ancestral home, Tanglewood Plantation (formerly Smith's Grove). Throughout his life, he would reside in Tanglewood. Smith attended the University of South Carolina, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, and graduated from Wofford College in 1889. He first married at the age of 28 in 1892 to Martha Cornelia Moorer (1865-1893) of St. George, South Carolina. She died giving birth to their son Martius Ellison in 1893. At 19 Martius was accidentally shot by his own gun while drinking water at the barnyard well. He died five days later. In 1906 Ellison married Annie Brunson Farley (1882-1958). Her uncle Henry Farley fired the first shot in the Confederate Army, serving under J. E. B. Stuart, and died fighting in the Civil War. Ellison and Annie had four children of their own, two boys and two girls. Their eldest daughter, Anna, was married to L.L. Smith, vice president of Kohler Plumbing Co. of Wisconsin. Isobel Smith Lawton moved to Florence, South Carolina, when she married. Ellison DuRant, Jr. married Vivian Manning, daughter of Governor John Lawrence Manning. Charles Saxon Farley, a past member of the South Carolina legislature from Lee County, married Laura Douglas. Laura was the daughter of Oscar Douglas (co-founder of the F.W. Woolworth empire). All five of Smith's children are now deceased. Smith served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1896 to 1900. He was unsuccessful in his bid to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1900. In 1901, Smith helped organize the Farmer's Protective Association and eventually became one of the principal figures in the formation of the Southern Cotton Association in 1905. Between the years 1905 and 1908, he served as a field agent and general organizer in the cotton protective movement. Smith received the nickname “Cotton Ed” after he declared Election to the U.S. Senate Smith was elected to the United States Senate in 1908. He was re-elected five