[Gov. Ross Barnett of Mississippi bucked President Kennedy, and he went to jail.]
I remember hearing about that confrontation, but forgot the denouement. Thanks. However, the whole thing was a face-saving charade, disclosure of which may have destroyed his future electoral prospects:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ole_Miss_riot_of_1962
[Governor Barnett, under pressure from the courts, conducted secret backdoor discussions in response to calls from the Kennedy administration between Thursday, September 27 and Sunday, September 30.[4]
Barnett was committed to maintaining civil order and reluctantly agreed to allow Meredith to register in exchange for a scripted face-saving event. Robert Kennedy ordered 127 U.S. Marshals, 316 deputized U.S. Border Patrol agents and 97 federalized Federal Bureau of Prisons officers to accompany Meredith during his arrival and registration.[5][6] ]
If he hadn’t buckled and actually gone to prison, there might have been real civil strife. I expect he wasn’t prepared to be a martyr for the cause.