Jump to Navigation

Emporia - William Allen White and the KKK in Kansas

"William Allen White and the KKK in Kansas" presented by Beverley Olson Buller

The 1920s saw the re-emergence of the Ku Klux Klan across America, and sparked fear and violence against African Americans and other minority groups. As the editor of the Emporia Gazette, White was acutely aware of the growing presence of the KKK in Kansas following World War I. Seeing no candidates free of Klan influence, White declared, “I want to be governor to free Kansas from the disgrace of the Ku Klux Klan.” This presentation follows the raucous two-month campaign that had White traveling over 2,700 miles to deliver 104 speeches, all directed at expelling the KKK. Though he did not win, White’s efforts led to a Kansas Supreme Court ruling that outlawed the Klan in Kansas.

This presentation will be held at Emporia State University's William Allen White Library in the Learning Commons. The program is free and open to the public. It is funded by Humanities Kansas and sponsored by the William Allen White Community Partnership, Inc., and Emporia State University's Special Collections and Archives.