Editing James Eastland (section)

==Early life==
Eastland was born in [[Doddsville, Mississippi|Doddsville]], in the [[Mississippi Delta]] on November 28, 1904, the son of Woods Caperton Eastland, a lawyer and cotton planter, and Alma Teresa (Austin) Eastland.<ref>{{cite book |last=Douth |first=George |title=Leaders in Profile: The United States Senate |year=1972 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5NFLAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA218 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Sperr & Douth |page=219 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> He was named James after his late uncle, who was allegedly murdered earlier in 1904 by [[Luther Holbert]], who was subsequently lynched.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/g38944694/why-black-history-month-is-in-february/?slide=7|title=Why Black History Month is in February|date=February 2022 |access-date=2022-05-09}}</ref> In 1905 he moved with his parents to [[Forest, Mississippi|Forest]], the county seat of [[Scott County, Mississippi]].<ref>{{cite book |author=U.S. Congress, Joint Committee on Printing |date=1977 |title=Official Congressional Directory |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Urn6kuznj5UC&pg=PA96 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=96 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> His father was active in Mississippi politics and served as a district attorney.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 2, 1944 |title=State Mourns Passing of Woods Eastland With Services Sunday at Doddsville, Forest |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12828501/clarion-ledger/ |work=[[The Clarion-Ledger]] |location=Jackson, MS |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The son attended the local segregated public schools and graduated from Forest High School in 1922.{{sfn|Asch|page=177}}

Eastland attended the [[University of Mississippi]] (1922-1924), [[Vanderbilt University]] (1925-1926), and the [[University of Alabama]] (1926-1927).<ref name="Mayer">{{cite book |last=Mayer |first=Michael S. |date=2010 |title=Presidential Profiles: The Eisenhower Years |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dIhZxpoZVIQC&pg=PA179 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Facts on File |page=179 |isbn=978-0-8160-5387-2 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> He [[Reading law#United States|studied law]] in his father's office, attained [[Admission to the bar in the United States|admission to the bar]] in 1927, and practiced in [[Sunflower County, Mississippi|Sunflower County]].<ref name="Mayer"/> Active in politics, he was elected to one term in the [[Mississippi House of Representatives]], and served from 1928 to 1932.<ref name="Mayer"/>  After completing his House term, Eastland remained active in politics and government.<ref name="Sentinel1935">{{Cite news |date=August 1, 1935 |title=Hon. J. O. Eastland to Speak Saturday for Judge Johnson |page=1 |work=The Sun-Sentinel |location=Charleston, MS |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106769791/eastland/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>  He was a sought-after campaign speaker, including speeches on behalf of the gubernatorial candidacies of [[Paul B. Johnson Sr.]] in 1935 and 1939.<ref name="Sentinel1935"/><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 26, 1939 |title=Dear Mr. Sump: Tuesday is Election Day |page=1 |work=[[The Greenwood Commonwealth]] |location=Greenwood, MS |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106769909/sump/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>  In addition, he was a member of the board of trustees of the state hospital for the insane.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 17, 1933 |title=City News: J. O. Eastland |page=18 |work=[[The Clarion-Ledger]] |location=Jackson, MS |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106769992/eastland/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

In the 1930s, Eastland took over management of his family's Sunflower County plantation; he  eventually expanded it to nearly {{convert|6000|acre|km2}}. Even after entering politics, he considered himself first and foremost a cotton planter. [[Cotton Plantation Record and Account Book|Cotton plantations]] were adopting mechanization but he still had many African-American laborers on the plantation, most of whom worked as [[sharecroppers]].