During the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 , he appointed his son , William Alexander Percy , to direct the work of thousands of black laborers on the levees near Greenville . He prevented them from being evacuated when the levee was breached . They were forced to work without pay to unload Red Cross relief supplies , which required the work of volunteers . Both father and son were criticized later for these actions
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
LeRoy Percy