John C. Stennis was born August 3, 1901, in Kemper County  and died April 23, 1995. He received a B.S. degree from Mississippi State University and his LL.B. from the University of Virginia in 1928.  In the same year he began his law practice at Dekalb, Mississippi.

He was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives from Kemper County.  When the U.S. Senator at that time died in office, he defeated several tough candidates by avoiding controversial issues with the pledge "I want to plow a straight furrow right down to the end of the row. This is my political religion, and I have lived by it too long to abandon it now. I base my appeal to you on this simple creed, and with it I shall rise or fall."  This dedication kept him in the Senate from 1947 until 1988 when due to his health he declined to run again.

Sen. Stennis was dedicated to his country and to Mississippi.  Over his years of service he became a powerful figure in American politics.  Today the aircraft carrier U.S.S John C. Stennis is a tribute to his work.