Joe Starnes
Encyclopedia
Joe Starnes was a U.S. Representative
from Alabama
.
, Starnes attended the public schools.
He taught school in Marshall County, Alabama
from 1912 to 1917. During the First World War he served overseas as a second lieutenant in the Fifty-third Infantry, Sixth Division, in 1918 and 1919. He became a member of the One Hundred and Sixty-Seventh Infantry, Alabama National Guard in 1923 and advanced through the ranks to colonel. In 1931, as a Major, he commanded the Alabama National Guard troops who guarded the African American Scottsboro Boys
from the mob gathered outside the Jackson County, Alabama
Court House while those defendants were on trial for allegedly raping white women Ruby Bates and Victoria Price. He served as member of the State board of education 1933-1949 and became vice chairman in January 1948.
He graduated from the law department of the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa in 1921. He was admitted to the bar
in 1921 and commenced practice at Guntersville, Alabama
. Starnes was elected as a Democrat
to the Seventy-fourth
and to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1935-January 3, 1945). He served on the Dies Committee, precursor to HUAC
, and gained notoriety for questioning Hallie Flanagan
about whether Christopher Marlowe
and "Mr. Euripides
" might have been Communists. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1944.
He served as a colonel of Infantry in the European Theater of Operations and in the Army of Occupation from January 4, 1945, until discharged on February 22, 1946, when he resumed the practice of law in Guntersville, Alabama
. Starnes was also an active Civitan.
He died in Washington, D.C.
, January 9, 1962 and was interred in City Cemetery, Guntersville, Alabama
. The Airport in Guntersville, Alabama is called Joe Starnes Field.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 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...
.
Biography
Born in Guntersville, AlabamaGuntersville, Alabama
Guntersville is a city in Marshall County, Alabama, United States and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,197. The city is the county seat of Marshall County. Guntersville is located in a HUBZone as identified by the...
, Starnes attended the public schools.
He taught school in Marshall County, Alabama
Marshall County, Alabama
Marshall County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. Its name is in honor of John Marshall, famous Chief Justice of the United States. As of 2010 the population was 93,019...
from 1912 to 1917. During the First World War he served overseas as a second lieutenant in the Fifty-third Infantry, Sixth Division, in 1918 and 1919. He became a member of the One Hundred and Sixty-Seventh Infantry, Alabama National Guard in 1923 and advanced through the ranks to colonel. In 1931, as a Major, he commanded the Alabama National Guard troops who guarded the African American Scottsboro Boys
Scottsboro Boys
The Scottsboro Boys were nine black teenage boys accused of rape in Alabama in 1931. The landmark set of legal cases from this incident dealt with racism and the right to a fair trial...
from the mob gathered outside the Jackson County, Alabama
Jackson County, Alabama
Jackson County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Andrew Jackson, general in the United States Army and President of the United States of America. As of 2010, the population was 53,227. The county seat is Scottsboro. Jackson County is a prohibition or dry county,...
Court House while those defendants were on trial for allegedly raping white women Ruby Bates and Victoria Price. He served as member of the State board of education 1933-1949 and became vice chairman in January 1948.
He graduated from the law department of the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa in 1921. He was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
in 1921 and commenced practice at Guntersville, Alabama
Guntersville, Alabama
Guntersville is a city in Marshall County, Alabama, United States and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,197. The city is the county seat of Marshall County. Guntersville is located in a HUBZone as identified by the...
. Starnes was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Seventy-fourth
74th United States Congress
-House:Also 2 Delegates, 3 Resident Commissioners-Senate:*President of the Senate: John N. Garner *President pro tempore: Key Pittman -Majority leadership:*Majority leader: Joseph T. Robinson...
and to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1935-January 3, 1945). He served on the Dies Committee, precursor to HUAC
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
, and gained notoriety for questioning Hallie Flanagan
Hallie Flanagan
Hallie Flanagan was an American theatrical producer and director, playwright, and author, best known as director of the Federal Theatre Project, a part of the Works Progress Administration .-Background:...
about whether Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
and "Mr. Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
" might have been Communists. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1944.
He served as a colonel of Infantry in the European Theater of Operations and in the Army of Occupation from January 4, 1945, until discharged on February 22, 1946, when he resumed the practice of law in Guntersville, Alabama
Guntersville, Alabama
Guntersville is a city in Marshall County, Alabama, United States and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,197. The city is the county seat of Marshall County. Guntersville is located in a HUBZone as identified by the...
. Starnes was also an active Civitan.
He died in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, January 9, 1962 and was interred in City Cemetery, Guntersville, Alabama
Guntersville, Alabama
Guntersville is a city in Marshall County, Alabama, United States and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,197. The city is the county seat of Marshall County. Guntersville is located in a HUBZone as identified by the...
. The Airport in Guntersville, Alabama is called Joe Starnes Field.