William A. Allain (February 14, 1928 – December 2, 2013) was an American politician and lawyer who held office as the 59th governor of Mississippi as a Democrat from 1984 to 1988.

[citation needed] He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and practiced law in Natchez until he was appointed Assistant Attorney General of Mississippi in 1962.

[citation needed] William Allain was born in Washington in Adams County, Mississippi, United States[1] on February 14, 1928.

[3] Allain opened a law office in Natchez later that year, though upon the outbreak of the Korean War he enlisted in the United States Army infantry.

Two days before the election date, Pickering's campaign organization ran a series of radio ads in black-majority communities which accused Allain of opposing civil rights for blacks throughout his career and being a former member of a Citizens' Council.

[a] Allain's campaign publicized the ads further and denounced them as "gutter tactics", with the hopes of assuaging blacks' possible concerns while also garnering support from conservative whites.

His campaign team arranged for the room to be professionally lit, and Allain denounced Pickering for having "lied to the people of the state of Mississippi.

"[10] Allain's team then removed their lights, leaving Pickering to deliver his press conference in a comparatively dim setting while overwhelmed with questions about his ads from reporters.

While Gandy was the most well-known of the three, Allain benefitted from press coverage throughout the year for his efforts to have convicted murderer Jimmy Lee Gray executed.

[16][18] During the campaign Bramlett attacked Allain for being a "bachelor" and emphasized that he was "blessed" with a wife and children and thus more qualified to manage education and healthcare issues.

[19] Meanwhile, three Republican oil company executives, having heard rumors that Allain regularly solicited sex from black transvestites, decided to enlist attorney Bill Spell and a private detective agency to investigate the veracity of the claims.

[20][21] They obtained a copy of Allain's divorce decree, which reportedly included grievances from his former wife that he would "absent himself at night over long periods of time and failed to perform his husbandly duties.

"[22] The attorney and detectives interviewed three black transvestites who testified that they had sex with Allain and repairmen from his former apartment complex who said they had seen gay pornography in his unit.

[23] After failed attempts to get the media to report the story, Spell held a press conference on October 25 to publicly reveal the allegations, noting that the claims were supported by the three transvestites—who had undergone polygraph examinations—and by police officers who had reported witnessing Allain attempt to solicit transvestite prostitutes in the Farish Street District of Jackson.

[19] Other Democratic statewide candidates rallied to Allain's defense, while most media outlets rebuffed attempts by Spell to purchase advertisements to further publicize his findings.

Allain eventually took a polygraph test which supported his denials and his lawyer obtained an affidavit from one of the transvestite's parents, denouncing their son's credibility.

[27] In January 1984 the transvestites reneged their stories, saying they had been paid for their testimonies, and Allain's attorney said new polygraph test results showed they had lied in October.

[35] He created an administrative task force of state agency heads to reduce the use of illegal drugs, leading to the interdiction and seizure of almost a ton of cocaine.

[37] In 1984 the legislature passed a reorganization act which removed its members from executive boards—pursuant to the ruling in Alexander v. Allain—and created two new advisory budget commissions, one which consisted largely of legislators and another which was controlled by the governor.

[43] After securing the removal of legislators from executive boards, Allain focused on reforming the State Highway Department, which was led by a three-member elected commission.

Allain vetoed the bill, saying "I am not willing to be a party to any program which means an undue tax increase, coupled with a continuance of present practices.