On Oct. 22, 1952, a leading Lone Star daily newspaper asked the election-eve question, “Can Parr tilt the vote for Adlai?”

If the infamous “Duke of Duval” could select a senator, it stood to reason that he just might be able to pick a president, too.

The Anglo clique that ran Duval County at the turn of the century relied upon violence to preserve their ruthless regime. The key to maintaining their political monopoly was keeping the massive Mexican majority away from the po...