John Sparkman
Encyclopedia
John Jackson Sparkman was an American politician from the state
of Alabama
. A conservative
Southern Democrat
, Sparkman served in the U.S. House of Representatives
and the U.S. Senate
from 1937 until 1979. He was the Democratic Party's
nominee for Vice President
as Adlai Stevenson's running mate
in the 1952 U.S. presidential election
. Sparkman High School in Harvest, Alabama and Sparkman School in Somerville, Alabama
are named in his honor.
. He attended the rural schools and helped on the family farm
. During World War I
, he was a member of the Students Army Training Corps. He graduated from the University of Alabama
in 1921 and from University of Alabama School of Law
in 1923. Sparkman was a founding member of the Gamma Alpha Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha
.
John Sparkman was admitted to the bar
in 1925 and commenced practice in Huntsville
. He was an instructor at Huntsville College from 1925 to 1928. A Freemason
, he was life member of Helion Lodge#1 in Huntsville. He was also member of the Huntsville Scottish Rite
bodies and a recipient of the Knight Commander Court of Honor (KCCH).
Sparkman was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1936 election. He was reelected in 1938, 1940, 1942, and 1944, serving in the 75th
, 76th
, 77th
, 78th
, and 79th Congresses
. In 1946 he served as House Majority Whip
. He was reelected in the 1946 House election to the 80th Congress
and on the same date was elected to the United States Senate in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John H. Bankhead II
for the term ending January 3, 1949. Sparkman resigned from the House of Representatives immediately following the election and began his Senate term on November 6, 1946. He served until his retirement on January 3, 1979, after not running for reelection in 1978
.
He was chairman of the Select Committee on Small Business
(81st
, 82nd
, and 84th
through 90th Congresses
), co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Inaugural Arrangements (86th Congress
), chairman of the Committee on Banking and Currency
(90th
and 91st Congresses
), co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Defense Production (91st and 93rd Congresses
), Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
(92nd
and 93rd Congresses), and a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations (94th
and 95th Congress
).
The 1943 Sparkman Act, which allowed women physicians to be commissioned as officers in the armed forces, was named for him, after lobbying by Dr. Emily Dunning Barringer
.
Sparkman was a representative of the United States at the Fifth General Assembly
of the United Nations
in 1950.
In 1952, he was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President, running of the ticket of Adlai Stevenson. However, the election was won by the Republican candidate, Dwight D. Eisenhower
.
In 1956, Sparkman was one of 82 representatives and 19 senators who signed the Southern Manifesto
, opposing the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court
decision Brown v. Board of Education
and racial integration
. Because of that, the Democrats did not choose him as Stevenson's running mate that year, opting instead for Senator Estes Kefauver
of Tennessee
.
John Sparkman died of natural causes in a nursing home in Huntsville, Alabama in 1985 at age 85. Survived by his wife and daughter, he was interred in historic Maple Hill Cemetery
in Huntsville.
1966 Alabama United States Senatorial Election
1960 Alabama United States Senatorial Election
1954 Alabama United States Senatorial Election
1952 United States Presidential Election (Vice President's seat)
1948 Alabama United States Senatorial Election
1946 Alabama United States Senatorial Election
John Sparkman (D) Unopposed
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. A conservative
Conservative Democrat
In American politics, a conservative Democrat is a Democratic Party member with conservative political views, or with views relatively conservative with respect to those of the national party...
Southern Democrat
Southern Democrats
Southern Democrats are members of the U.S. Democratic Party who reside in the American South. In the 19th century, they were the definitive pro-slavery wing of the party, opposed to both the anti-slavery Republicans and the more liberal Northern Democrats.Eventually "Redemption" was finalized in...
, Sparkman served in the U.S. House of Representatives
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...
and the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from 1937 until 1979. He was the Democratic Party's
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...
nominee for Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
as Adlai Stevenson's running mate
Running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
in the 1952 U.S. presidential election
United States presidential election, 1952
The United States presidential election of 1952 took place in an era when Cold War tension between the United States and the Soviet Union was escalating rapidly. In the United States Senate, Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin had become a national figure after chairing congressional...
. Sparkman High School in Harvest, Alabama and Sparkman School in Somerville, Alabama
Somerville, Alabama
Somerville is a town in Morgan County, Alabama. It is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 347. Somerville was the county seat of Morgan County from 1818 to 1891, when the seat...
are named in his honor.
Early life and education
Sparkman was born on a farm near Hartselle, AlabamaHartselle, Alabama
Hartselle is the second largest city in Morgan County, Alabama, United States, about south of Decatur, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2006 census estimates, the population of the city is 13,479. Hartselle was...
. He attended the rural schools and helped on the family farm
Family farm
A family farm is a farm owned and operated by a family, and often passed down from generation to generation. It is the basic unit of the mostly agricultural economy of much of human history and continues to be so in developing nations...
. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he was a member of the Students Army Training Corps. He graduated from the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
in 1921 and from University of Alabama School of Law
University of Alabama School of Law
The University of Alabama School of Law located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is a nationally ranked top-tier law school and the only public law school in the state. In total, it is one of five law schools in the state, and one of three that are ABA accredited.The diverse student body, of approximately...
in 1923. Sparkman was a founding member of the Gamma Alpha Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha is a Greek social fraternity with over 230 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States and Canada.-History:...
.
Legal career
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 1925 and commenced practice in Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
. He was an instructor at Huntsville College from 1925 to 1928. A Freemason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, he was life member of Helion Lodge#1 in Huntsville. He was also member of the Huntsville Scottish Rite
Scottish Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry , commonly known as simply the Scottish Rite, is one of several Rites of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry...
bodies and a recipient of the Knight Commander Court of Honor (KCCH).
Political career
75th United States Congress
The Seventy-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1937 to January 3, 1939, during the first two years...
, 76th
76th United States Congress
The Seventy-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1939 to January 3, 1941, during the seventh and...
, 77th
77th United States Congress
-Major events:* December 7, 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor* December 8, 1941: Joint Session of Congress met to hear President Roosevelt deliver his "Day of Infamy" speech...
, 78th
78th United States Congress
The Seventy-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1943 to January 3, 1945, during the last two years...
, and 79th Congresses
79th United States Congress
The Seventy-ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1945 to January 3, 1947, during the last months of...
. In 1946 he served as House Majority Whip
Party whips of the United States House of Representatives
A whip in the United States House of Representatives manages his party's legislative program on the House floor. The Whip keeps track of all legislation and ensures that all party members are present when important measures are to be voted upon....
. He was reelected in the 1946 House election to the 80th Congress
80th United States Congress
The Eightieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1947 to January 3, 1949, during the third and fourth...
and on the same date was elected to the United States Senate in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John H. Bankhead II
John H. Bankhead II
John Hollis Bankhead II was a U.S. senator from the state of Alabama. Like his father, John H. Bankhead, he was elected three times to the Senate, and like his father, he died in office....
for the term ending January 3, 1949. Sparkman resigned from the House of Representatives immediately following the election and began his Senate term on November 6, 1946. He served until his retirement on January 3, 1979, after not running for reelection in 1978
United States Senate elections, 1978
The United States Senate election of 1978 in the middle of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's term. The Democrats lost a net of three seats to the Republicans, leaving the balance of the chamber 58-41 in favor of the Democrats....
.
He was chairman of the Select Committee on Small Business
United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
The U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over the Small Business Administration and is also charged with researching and investigating all problems of American small business enterprises.-History:The...
(81st
81st United States Congress
The Eighty-first United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives...
, 82nd
82nd United States Congress
The Eighty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1951 to January 3, 1953, during the last two years...
, and 84th
84th United States Congress
The Eighty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1955 to January 3, 1957, during the third and...
through 90th Congresses
90th United States Congress
The Ninetieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1967 to January 3, 1969, during the last two years of...
), co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Inaugural Arrangements (86th Congress
86th United States Congress
The Eighty-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1959 to January 3, 1961, during the last two years...
), chairman of the Committee on Banking and Currency
United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
The United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs has jurisdiction over matters related to: banks and banking, price controls, deposit insurance, export promotion and controls, federal monetary policy, financial aid to commerce and industry, issuance of redemption of notes,...
(90th
90th United States Congress
The Ninetieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1967 to January 3, 1969, during the last two years of...
and 91st Congresses
91st United States Congress
The Ninety-first United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1969 to January 3, 1971, during the first two years...
), co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Defense Production (91st and 93rd Congresses
90th United States Congress
The Ninetieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1967 to January 3, 1969, during the last two years of...
), Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
The United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs has jurisdiction over matters related to: banks and banking, price controls, deposit insurance, export promotion and controls, federal monetary policy, financial aid to commerce and industry, issuance of redemption of notes,...
(92nd
92nd United States Congress
The Ninety-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives...
and 93rd Congresses), and a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations (94th
94th United States Congress
The Ninety-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1977, during the administration...
and 95th Congress
95th United States Congress
The Ninety-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1977 to January 3, 1979, during the first two years...
).
The 1943 Sparkman Act, which allowed women physicians to be commissioned as officers in the armed forces, was named for him, after lobbying by Dr. Emily Dunning Barringer
Emily Barringer
Emily Dunning Barringer was the world's first female ambulance surgeon and the first woman to secure a surgical residency.Emily Dunning was born in Scarsdale, New York to Edwin James Dunning and Frances Gore Lang. The well-to-do New York family fell on hard times when she was 8 years old, and her...
.
Sparkman was a representative of the United States at the Fifth General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in 1950.
In 1952, he was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President, running of the ticket of Adlai Stevenson. However, the election was won by the Republican candidate, Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
.
In 1956, Sparkman was one of 82 representatives and 19 senators who signed the Southern Manifesto
Southern Manifesto
The Southern Manifesto was a document written February–March 1956 by Adisen and Charles in the United States Congress opposed to racial integration in public places. The manifesto was signed by 101 politicians from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South...
, opposing the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
decision Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
and racial integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
. Because of that, the Democrats did not choose him as Stevenson's running mate that year, opting instead for Senator Estes Kefauver
Estes Kefauver
Carey Estes Kefauver July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S...
of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
John Sparkman died of natural causes in a nursing home in Huntsville, Alabama in 1985 at age 85. Survived by his wife and daughter, he was interred in historic Maple Hill Cemetery
Maple Hill Cemetery (Huntsville, Alabama)
Maple Hill Cemetery is the oldest and largest cemetery in Huntsville, Alabama. Founded on two acres in about the year 1822, it now encompasses nearly 100 acres and contains over 80,000 burials...
in Huntsville.
Electoral history
1972 Alabama United States Senatorial Election| John Sparkman (D) (inc.) 62.3% |
| Winton M. Blount Winton M. Blount Winton Malcolm "Red" Blount, Jr. was the United States Postmaster General from 1969-1972. He is also known as the founder and former Chief Executive Officer of the large construction company Blount International.... (R) 33.1% |
1966 Alabama United States Senatorial Election
| John Sparkman (D) (inc.) 60.1% |
| John Grenier John Grenier John Edward Grenier was a Birmingham attorney and a pioneer in the development of the modern Republican Party in the U.S. state of Alabama. Grenier was a former litigator for Lange Simpson Robinson & Somerville, one of the oldest and most distinguished law firms in Birmingham. He was Alabama state... (R) 39% |
1960 Alabama United States Senatorial Election
| John Sparkman (D) (inc.) 70.2% |
| Julian Elgin (R) 29.8% |
1954 Alabama United States Senatorial Election
| John Sparkman (D) (inc.) 82.5% |
| J. Foy Guin, Jr. (R) 17.5% |
1952 United States Presidential Election (Vice President's seat)
| Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under... (R) 55.2% |
| John Sparkman (D) 44.3% |
| Charlotta Bass Charlotta Bass Charlotta Amanda Spears Bass was an American educator, newspaper publisher-editor, and civil rights activist. Bass was probably the first African-American woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States; she published the California Eagle from 1912 until 1951... (Progressive) 0.2% |
| Enoch Holtwick (Prohibition) 0.1% |
1948 Alabama United States Senatorial Election
| John Sparkman (D) (inc.) 84% |
| John G. Parsons (R) 16% |
1946 Alabama United States Senatorial Election
John Sparkman (D) Unopposed