Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/Hiram Wesley Evans

Hiram Wesley Evans
This nomination predates the introduction in April 2014 of article-specific subpages for nominations and has been created from the edit history of Today's featured article/requests.


 * This is the archived discussion of the TFAR nomination for the article below. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as Wikipedia talk:Today's featured article/requests). 

The result was: scheduled for Today's featured article/June 23, 2013 by BencherliteTalk 07:50, 11 June 2013 (UTC)



Hiram Wesley Evans (1881–1966) was Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, an American white supremacist group, from 1922 to 1939. A native of Alabama, Evans was a dentist in Texas until 1920, when he joined the Klan's Dallas chapter. He quickly rose through the ranks and, after ousting William J. Simmons as Imperial Wizard, sought to transform the group into a political juggernaut. Although Evans had kidnapped and tortured a black man while leader of the Dallas Klan, as Imperial Wizard he publicly discouraged vigilante actions. He also led major gatherings and marches, endorsed several successful candidates in 1924 elections, and promoted the Klan as a nativist, Protestant group. Despite this, the Klan was buffeted by damaging publicity in the early 1920s, and the Great Depression of the 1930s severely damaged the Klan's finances and Evans' own income. In 1939 Evans, having lost favor within the Klan for disavowing anti-Catholicism, was succeeded by James A. Colescott; the following year he was fined $15,000 for price fixing. Historians credit Evans with refocusing the Klan on political activities and recruiting outside the Southern United States; the Klan grew most in the Midwest and industrial cities. However, they note that the political influence and membership gained were transitory.


 * 1 or 2 point(s) - Can't think of any white supremacists on the main page recently. This article would likely be controversial, but I think it's worth running to show how Wikipedia can remain neutral. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 03:39, 5 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Support. High quality and encyclopedic article about a deceased individual of historical significance. Though the person that is the subject of the biographical article is no longer living, the relevance should be interesting and educational for those at the secondary level of education and beyond. &mdash; Cirt (talk) 17:18, 5 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Support. Concur with the comments by Crisco and Cirt, above. If it appears as TFA there will indubitably be some left-wing ninny who accuses Wikipedia of promoting white supremacists by featuring the article, and very probably a right-wing ninny who complains that publishing the picture of Evans looking ludicrous as the Wicked Witch of the West is sending him up. It is in fact (I speak as a middle-of-the-road ninny) a commendably neutral article, which can't have been easy to achieve. Tim riley (talk) 09:39, 6 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Support. An excellent article, and a valuable spotlight on a dark period in American history. Prioryman (talk) 18:48, 6 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Question What's meant by "publicly discouraged vigilante actions"? Did he privately encourage them? The blurb seems a bit positive given that this guy headed a truly hateful organisation. Nick-D (talk) 12:07, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Added a sentence and phrase, both of which should address your concerns. None of our sources indicated that Evans (as Wizard) led lynchings or other such acts, so we focused on his political maneuverings. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 12:33, 7 June 2013 (UTC)