Christmas Specials | Annals of American populism

A Bible-bashing, gun-toting governor holds lessons for today

Xenophobia, disputed elections, indictments: the story of Sidney Catts is eerily familiar

A collage featuring Sidney Catts' portrait.
Illustration: Mel Haasch
|DEFUNIAK SPRINGS AND PLEASANT HILL

BacK in Governor Catts’s day, you approached Sunbright Manor on a driveway lined with magnolias. His was the first house in Walton County to have indoor plumbing, along with a bathtub said to have been made specially for his large frame. From the octagonal turret or wraparound verandas, he had a view of the pretty lake at the heart of DeFuniak Springs.

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This article appeared in the Christmas Specials section of the print edition under the headline “He was their retribution”

From the December 21st 2024 edition

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