FDR Refuses to Support Costigan-Wagner Anti-Lynching Bill

The Costigan-Wagner Anti-Lynching Bill, introduced by Senators Edward Costigan (CO) and Robert Wagner (NY) in 1934 and 1935, would have made lynching a federal crime. President Roosevelt refused to publicly endorse the bill, telling NAACP head Walter White in private meetings that he could not risk losing Southern Democratic votes needed for his economic agenda. Eleanor Roosevelt supported the bill privately. Southern senators filibustered it to death in 1935. Between 1882 and 1968, Congress failed to pass anti-lynching legislation despite over 200 attempts. A federal anti-lynching law was not enacted until 2022.