James H. Faulkner "Jimmy" (March 1, 1916 – Aug. 22, 2008) was an American newspaper publisher, education supporter, industrial recruiter, and politician. He was born in Lamar County

Lamar County, Alabama

Lamar County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, member of the United States Senate from Mississippi. As of 2010 the population was 14,564...

, Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

 and died in Bay Minette, Alabama. He has two schools named after him, Faulkner State Community College

Faulkner State Community College

Faulkner State Community College is a two-year public college located in Baldwin County, Alabama established in 1965. Faulkner State has three locations. The administrative campus is located in Bay Minette, Alabama...

 and Faulkner University

Faulkner University

Faulkner University is a private Christian university, located in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, and affiliated with the Church of Christ. The University was founded in 1942 as Montgomery Bible School. In 1953 the school's name was changed to Alabama Christian College . In 1965, the college was moved to...

.

Newspapers and other media

On August 15, 1936 Faulkner bought the Baldwin Times Newspaper in Bay Minette. In 1957 Faulkner joined a group that brought WBCA radio to Bay Minette as well as owning WHEP in Foley.

Support of education

Faulkner was instrumental in getting Faulkner State Junior College built for his town after the Alabama legislature passed a bill in 1964 to build 10 such schools. The pick for Bay Minette's district originally went to Monroeville

Monroeville, Alabama

Monroeville is a city in Monroe County, Alabama, United States, the county seat of Monroe County. At the 2000 census its population was 6,862. It is known as the home town of two prominent writers of the post World War II period, Truman Capote and Harper Lee, who were childhood friends in the...

 which received the approval to build the Monroeville campus of the Alabama Southern Community College

Alabama Southern Community College

Alabama Southern Community College is a community college system that operates in southwest Alabama, United States. Alabama Southern was formed in 1991 by the merger of Patrick Henry Junior College in Monroeville, Alabama and Hobson State Technical College in Thomasville, Alabama. The Thomasville...

 (originally Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...

 Junior College). Subsequently, Faulkner organized a group to convince the state to build a second junior college in the district at Bay Minette and afterwards a school named for William Lowndes Yancey

William Lowndes Yancey

William Lowndes Yancey was a journalist, politician, orator, diplomat and an American leader of the Southern secession movement. A member of the group known as the Fire-Eaters, Yancey was one of the most effective agitators for secession and rhetorical defenders of slavery. An early critic of...

, an American leader of the Southern secession movement, came into existence. In 1971 town residents convinced the governor to rename Yancey in Faulkner's honor.

Faulkner University in Montgomery

Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...

, Alabama (originally known as Alabama Christian College) was renamed in 1983 to honor Faulkner. It was said that the school would have been forced to close several times if Faulkner had not come to the rescue.

Industrial recruiter

Faulkner was involved with bringing several industries to Bay Minette and Baldwin County

Baldwin County, Alabama

-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*85.7% White*9.4% Black*0.7% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.5% Two or more races*4.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...

. These included International Paper Container Division

International Paper

International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 59,500 employees, and it is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:...

, Kaiser Aluminum

Kaiser Aluminum

Kaiser Aluminum is an American aluminum producer. The company was founded in 1946 by American industrialist Henry J. Kaiser. Kaiser entered the aluminum business by leasing, then purchasing three government-owned aluminum facilities in Washington state. These were the primary reduction plants at...

, Alpine Industries Laboratories, Baldwin Utility Structures, Baldwin Lighting, Eastwood-Neally Company, Colt Industries, Jinan, Holland Industrial Services, Gulf Packaging Company, Cedartown Paper Board Cores, Baldwin Asphalt, Yellow Hammer Building Systems, Barclay, Bay Minette Mills, Baldwin Pole and Piling, Den-Tal-Ez, and Standard Furniture.

Political activities

Faulkner served as mayor of Bay Minette from 1941 to 1943, and was said to be the youngest mayor in America at that time. He was also a state senator and a two-time candidate for governor.

See also

"Mumblings" Column