Camille Lewis quoted in article about the chaotic 1924 Democratic Convention

Furman University’s Camille Lewis, assistant professor of communication studies, was tapped for a Smithsonian Magazine article about the 1924 Democratic Convention. In the piece, reporter Eli Wizevich explained why the convention represents the longest and most chaotic of its kind in U.S. history – one that took 16 days and 103 ballots to settle on a nominee.

Lewis, who first came to Furman in 2017 as a lecturer in the Department of Communication Studies, explained what caused some of the deep divides within the Democratic Party. Drawing from her research about Andrew Cobb Erwin, a Georgia delegate, she said he stepped outside the bounds of the stereotypical Southern politician at the time and denounced white supremacist group, the Ku Klux Klan. The convention, however, failed to disavow the group by name, which fomented a deeper chasm within the party and ultimately led to its defeat the following November.