Samuel James "Sam" Ervin, Jr. (September 27, 1896–April 23, 1985) was an American politician. A Democrat, he served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina from 1954 to 1974. A native of Morganton, he liked to call himself a "country lawyer," and often told humorous stories in his Southern drawl. During his Senate career, Ervin was a legal defender of the Jim Crow laws and racial segregation, as the South's constitutional expert during the congressional debates on civil rights. Unexpectedly, he became a liberal hero for his support of civil liberties. He is remembered for his work in the investigation committees that brought down Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1954 and especially his investigation in 1972 and 1973 of the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation in 1974 of President Richard Nixon.
"I've always been worried about people who are willing to work for nothing. Sometimes that's all you get from them, nothing."
"If the many allegations made to this date are true, then the burglars who broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate were, in effect, breaking into the home of every citizen."
"There is nothing in the Constitution that authorizes or makes it the official duty of a president to have anything to do with criminal activities."
"Polygraph tests are 20th-century witchcraft."
"I'm not going to let anybody come down at night like Nicodemus and whisper something in my ear that no one else can hear. That is not executive privilege; it is poppycock."
"The President seems to extend executive privilege way out past the atmosphere. What he says is executive privilege is nothing but executive poppycock."
"Divine right went out with the American Revolution and doesn't belong to the White House aides. What meat do they eat that makes them grow so great?"
"I used to think that the Civil War was our country's greatest tragedy, but I do remember that there were some redeeming features in the Civil War in that there was some spirit of sacrifice and heroism displayed on both sides. I see no redeeming features in Watergate."
"I'll have you understand I am running this court, and the law hasn't got a damn thing to do with it!"
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published: 26 Aug 2014
SYND 12 5 73 SENATOR SAM ERVIN DISCUSSES SCANDAL
(12 May 1973) United States Senator Sam Ervin speaks about the Watergate scandal.
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published: 23 Jul 2015
SYND 30-7-73 INTERVIEWS WITH SAM ERVIN AND HOWARD BAKER ON WATERGATE HEARINGS
(29 Jul 1973) Senator Howard Baker, Member of the Senate Watergate Committee and Chair of Senate Watergate Committee Senator Sam Ervin were interviewed in Washington by Neal Jones on the status of the Watergate hearings.
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published: 23 Jul 2015
SYND 13 7 74 SENATOR SAM ERVIN PRESS CONFERENCE
(12 Jul 1974) Senator Sam Ervin, Chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee, makes a statement after its final report is published
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published: 23 Jul 2015
SYND 9 7 73 SAM ERVIN INTERVIEW
(9 Jul 1973) Sam Ervin interview
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published: 23 Jul 2015
SYND 13-8-73 INTERVIEW WITH SENATOR SAM ERVIN
(13 Aug 1973) 76 year old Democrat Senator from North Carolina, Sam Ervin, is amongst his fans in Philadelphia, taking time out from chairing the Watergate hearing.
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published: 23 Jul 2015
SYND 13 6 73 WATERGATE ERVIN AND GURNEY ARGUMENT
(13 Jun 1973) Senate Watergate Committee chairman, Sam Ervin and Senator Edward Gurney speak at the hearing.
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published: 24 Jul 2015
LONGINES-WITTNAUER WITH SAMUEL, J. ERVIN, JR
LONGINES-WITTNAUER WITH SAMUEL, J. ERVIN, JR - National Archives and Records Administration - ARC Identifier 95901 / Local Identifier LW-LW-320 - Brought to you by Longines, World's Most Honored Watch. Copied by IASL Master Scanner Thomas Gideon.
published: 07 Jan 2011
RR7331A USA SAM ERVIN PROFILE
(5 Aug 1973) RR7331A USA SAM ERVIN PROFILE
Over the past weeks, the members of the Senate
Committee investigating the Watergate affair have all
become household figures. None more so than the
Committee's Chairman, the 76 year old Democrat
from North Carolina, Sam Ervin. With his straight
forward honesty and devotion to the cause of morality
in public life, he has become a kind of conscience for
the sorely worried American people, as they see one
leader after another being drawn into the burglaries,
lies and cover-ups that characterise the Watergate
affair.
Film: Rev – Sound: Mag/SOF – Colour– Available in HD
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
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In...
published: 21 Jul 2015
SYND 30 6 73 WATERGATE SENATORS ERVIN AND BAKER TALK
(30 Mar 1973) Senator Sam Ervin quotes from newspapers of the past to illustrate the Watergate situation. Senator Howard Baker responds with a tale about the Treat of Versailles in 1918.
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(12 May 1973) United States Senator Sam Ervin speaks about the Watergate scandal.
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Twitte...
(12 May 1973) United States Senator Sam Ervin speaks about the Watergate scandal.
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(12 May 1973) United States Senator Sam Ervin speaks about the Watergate scandal.
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(29 Jul 1973) Senator Howard Baker, Member of the Senate Watergate Committee and Chair of Senate Watergate Committee Senator Sam Ervin were interviewed in Washi...
(29 Jul 1973) Senator Howard Baker, Member of the Senate Watergate Committee and Chair of Senate Watergate Committee Senator Sam Ervin were interviewed in Washington by Neal Jones on the status of the Watergate hearings.
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(29 Jul 1973) Senator Howard Baker, Member of the Senate Watergate Committee and Chair of Senate Watergate Committee Senator Sam Ervin were interviewed in Washington by Neal Jones on the status of the Watergate hearings.
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(12 Jul 1974) Senator Sam Ervin, Chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee, makes a statement after its final report is published
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(12 Jul 1974) Senator Sam Ervin, Chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee, makes a statement after its final report is published
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(12 Jul 1974) Senator Sam Ervin, Chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee, makes a statement after its final report is published
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(9 Jul 1973) Sam Ervin interview
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(9 Jul 1973) Sam Ervin interview
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(9 Jul 1973) Sam Ervin interview
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(13 Aug 1973) 76 year old Democrat Senator from North Carolina, Sam Ervin, is amongst his fans in Philadelphia, taking time out from chairing the Watergate hear...
(13 Aug 1973) 76 year old Democrat Senator from North Carolina, Sam Ervin, is amongst his fans in Philadelphia, taking time out from chairing the Watergate hearing.
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(13 Aug 1973) 76 year old Democrat Senator from North Carolina, Sam Ervin, is amongst his fans in Philadelphia, taking time out from chairing the Watergate hearing.
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(13 Jun 1973) Senate Watergate Committee chairman, Sam Ervin and Senator Edward Gurney speak at the hearing.
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(13 Jun 1973) Senate Watergate Committee chairman, Sam Ervin and Senator Edward Gurney speak at the hearing.
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(13 Jun 1973) Senate Watergate Committee chairman, Sam Ervin and Senator Edward Gurney speak at the hearing.
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LONGINES-WITTNAUER WITH SAMUEL, J. ERVIN, JR - National Archives and Records Administration - ARC Identifier 95901 / Local Identifier LW-LW-320 - Brought to ...
LONGINES-WITTNAUER WITH SAMUEL, J. ERVIN, JR - National Archives and Records Administration - ARC Identifier 95901 / Local Identifier LW-LW-320 - Brought to you by Longines, World's Most Honored Watch. Copied by IASL Master Scanner Thomas Gideon.
LONGINES-WITTNAUER WITH SAMUEL, J. ERVIN, JR - National Archives and Records Administration - ARC Identifier 95901 / Local Identifier LW-LW-320 - Brought to you by Longines, World's Most Honored Watch. Copied by IASL Master Scanner Thomas Gideon.
(5 Aug 1973) RR7331A USA SAM ERVIN PROFILE
Over the past weeks, the members of the Senate
Committee investigating the Watergate affair have all
become hous...
(5 Aug 1973) RR7331A USA SAM ERVIN PROFILE
Over the past weeks, the members of the Senate
Committee investigating the Watergate affair have all
become household figures. None more so than the
Committee's Chairman, the 76 year old Democrat
from North Carolina, Sam Ervin. With his straight
forward honesty and devotion to the cause of morality
in public life, he has become a kind of conscience for
the sorely worried American people, as they see one
leader after another being drawn into the burglaries,
lies and cover-ups that characterise the Watergate
affair.
Film: Rev – Sound: Mag/SOF – Colour– Available in HD
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
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(5 Aug 1973) RR7331A USA SAM ERVIN PROFILE
Over the past weeks, the members of the Senate
Committee investigating the Watergate affair have all
become household figures. None more so than the
Committee's Chairman, the 76 year old Democrat
from North Carolina, Sam Ervin. With his straight
forward honesty and devotion to the cause of morality
in public life, he has become a kind of conscience for
the sorely worried American people, as they see one
leader after another being drawn into the burglaries,
lies and cover-ups that characterise the Watergate
affair.
Film: Rev – Sound: Mag/SOF – Colour– Available in HD
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
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(30 Mar 1973) Senator Sam Ervin quotes from newspapers of the past to illustrate the Watergate situation. Senator Howard Baker responds with a tale about the Tr...
(30 Mar 1973) Senator Sam Ervin quotes from newspapers of the past to illustrate the Watergate situation. Senator Howard Baker responds with a tale about the Treat of Versailles in 1918.
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(30 Mar 1973) Senator Sam Ervin quotes from newspapers of the past to illustrate the Watergate situation. Senator Howard Baker responds with a tale about the Treat of Versailles in 1918.
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(12 May 1973) United States Senator Sam Ervin speaks about the Watergate scandal.
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(29 Jul 1973) Senator Howard Baker, Member of the Senate Watergate Committee and Chair of Senate Watergate Committee Senator Sam Ervin were interviewed in Washington by Neal Jones on the status of the Watergate hearings.
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(12 Jul 1974) Senator Sam Ervin, Chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee, makes a statement after its final report is published
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(9 Jul 1973) Sam Ervin interview
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(13 Aug 1973) 76 year old Democrat Senator from North Carolina, Sam Ervin, is amongst his fans in Philadelphia, taking time out from chairing the Watergate hearing.
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(13 Jun 1973) Senate Watergate Committee chairman, Sam Ervin and Senator Edward Gurney speak at the hearing.
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LONGINES-WITTNAUER WITH SAMUEL, J. ERVIN, JR - National Archives and Records Administration - ARC Identifier 95901 / Local Identifier LW-LW-320 - Brought to you by Longines, World's Most Honored Watch. Copied by IASL Master Scanner Thomas Gideon.
(5 Aug 1973) RR7331A USA SAM ERVIN PROFILE
Over the past weeks, the members of the Senate
Committee investigating the Watergate affair have all
become household figures. None more so than the
Committee's Chairman, the 76 year old Democrat
from North Carolina, Sam Ervin. With his straight
forward honesty and devotion to the cause of morality
in public life, he has become a kind of conscience for
the sorely worried American people, as they see one
leader after another being drawn into the burglaries,
lies and cover-ups that characterise the Watergate
affair.
Film: Rev – Sound: Mag/SOF – Colour– Available in HD
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
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(30 Mar 1973) Senator Sam Ervin quotes from newspapers of the past to illustrate the Watergate situation. Senator Howard Baker responds with a tale about the Treat of Versailles in 1918.
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Samuel James "Sam" Ervin, Jr. (September 27, 1896–April 23, 1985) was an American politician. A Democrat, he served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina from 1954 to 1974. A native of Morganton, he liked to call himself a "country lawyer," and often told humorous stories in his Southern drawl. During his Senate career, Ervin was a legal defender of the Jim Crow laws and racial segregation, as the South's constitutional expert during the congressional debates on civil rights. Unexpectedly, he became a liberal hero for his support of civil liberties. He is remembered for his work in the investigation committees that brought down Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1954 and especially his investigation in 1972 and 1973 of the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation in 1974 of President Richard Nixon.