In 1957 a well known, influential, and highly popular Senator named Strom Thurmond held the longest filibuster in Senate history. It lasted 24 hours and 18 minutes. He did it to oppose the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the single most important Civil Rights legislation in this nation's history, for all purpose the law that created the concept of Civil Rights. He went on to oppose further civil right laws in 1964 and 1965. In 1964 he actually switched political parties due to his opposition to civil rights. It should be pointed that by this time Strom Thurmond already had an adult illegitimate daughter he never until the day he died from an affair with his 16 year old at the time African American maid. So apparently black people weren't good enough to vote, but perfectly okay to stick your junk in.
Strum Thurmond stayed an elected member of Congress until 2002, holding the highest position in the Senate throughout most of the 80s, and the Republican party practically went into mourning when he died the next year, and upon his death he was widely praised by his political party members.
So six years is all that separates the political careers of the first African American President of the United States and that of the leading opponent of denying even the most basic rights to African Americans.
