William B. Bankhead
Encyclopedia
William Brockman Bankhead (April 12, 1874 – September 15, 1940) was an American
politician from Alabama
who served as U.S. Representative
and Speaker of the House
. He was a Democrat
. Bankhead was a prominent supporter of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal
of pro-labor union legislation, thus clashing with most other southern Democrats in Congress at the time. Bankhead described himself as proud to be a politician, by which he meant that he did not neglect matters that concerned his district or reelection. He is the father of noted actress Tallulah Bankhead
.
Bankhead was born at the Bankhead plantation
in Lamar County, Alabama
. His father, John H. Bankhead
, was a very active politician, who had served in the Alabama legislature, and later served as U.S. Representative and Senator
. His mother was Tallulah James Brockman, daughter of South Carolina
state Senator
Thomas Patterson Brockman
and he was raised as a Methodist. Bankhead's brother, John H. Bankhead II
, also served in the Senate.
William Bankhead attended the University of Alabama
, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta
fraternity
, and played on the university's first football team
, organized in 1892. He studied law at Georgetown University Law Center
in Washington, DC, graduating in 1895.
He was immediately admitted to the bar in Alabama, and practiced law in Huntsville
.
for one term, serving through 1901.
In 1905, he moved to Jasper, Alabama
. In 1910 he was appointed solicitor of the fourteenth judicial circuit of Alabama, serving until 1914.
In 1914, he sought the Democratic nomination for U.S. Representative, but did not get it. In 1916, he was elected Representative from the newly created 10th Congressional District
. (Alabama was apportioned a tenth Congressional seat after the 1910 Census, but the seat was filled by at-large election in 1912 and 1914.) Bankhead held the 10th District until it was abolished after the 1930 Census, when Alabama lost a seat. He was the only person ever elected from the 10th District.
After reapportionment and redistricting
following the 1930 Census, Bankhead was re-elected Representative from the
7th District
in 1932, and was re-elected three times, serving until his death in 1940. In 1934, he was chosen House Majority Leader by his fellow Democrats. On June 4, 1936, he was chosen Speaker of the House to succeed Jo Byrns, who had died that morning. Bankhead served as Speaker until his own death in office on September 15, 1940.
As Speaker, Bankhead held the highest political office of any Alabamian save Vice President
William R. King
.
was a U.S. Representative and Senator. His elder brother John H. Bankhead II
was also a U.S. Senator, and his nephew Walter Will Bankhead was a U.S. Representative. His daughter, Tallulah Bankhead, was a noted actress.
The William B. Bankhead National Forest and sections of old US Highway 78 in northern Alabama are named in his honor. His home in Jasper has been renovated to house the Walker Area Community Foundation's "Bankhead House and Heritage Center", a history museum and arts venue.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician 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...
who served as U.S. Representative
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 Speaker of the House
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
. He was 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...
. Bankhead was a prominent supporter of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
of pro-labor union legislation, thus clashing with most other southern Democrats in Congress at the time. Bankhead described himself as proud to be a politician, by which he meant that he did not neglect matters that concerned his district or reelection. He is the father of noted actress Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...
.
Early life
James Greer Bankhead House
The James Greer Bankhead House, also known simply as the Greer Bankhead House and Forest Home, is a historic house in Sulligent, Alabama. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 1975. It is the only site listed on the National Register in Lamar County.The Greer...
in Lamar County, Alabama
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...
. His father, John H. Bankhead
John H. Bankhead
John Hollis Bankhead was a U.S. senator from the state of Alabama.-Biography:He was born on September 13, 1842. He was appointed, then elected, to serve out the remainder of the term left by the death of John Tyler Morgan, and was later re-elected twice. He served in the Senate from June 18, 1907...
, was a very active politician, who had served in the Alabama legislature, and later served as U.S. Representative and Senator
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...
. His mother was Tallulah James Brockman, daughter of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
state Senator
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives...
Thomas Patterson Brockman
Thomas Patterson Brockman
Colonel Thomas Patterson Brockman , was the son of Henry Brockman and Susannah Patterson. He was born in the Greenville District , South Carolina. Brockman was a merchant and planter in the Greenville District and also owned land in the Spartanburg District...
and he was raised as a Methodist. Bankhead's brother, 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....
, also served in the Senate.
William Bankhead attended the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta , also known as Phi Delt, is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 169 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S...
fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
, and played on the university's first football team
1892 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 1892 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1892 college football season. The team was led by head coach E. B. Beaumont and played their home games at Lakeview Park in Birmingham, Alabama. In what was the inaugural season of Alabama football, the team...
, organized in 1892. He studied law at Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
in Washington, DC, graduating in 1895.
He was immediately admitted to the bar in Alabama, and practiced law 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....
.
Political career
In 1898, he became city attorney of Huntsville, serving until 1902. In 1900, he was elected to the Alabama House of RepresentativesAlabama House of Representatives
The Alabama House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal amount of districts, with each constituency containing at least 42,380 citizens. There are no term...
for one term, serving through 1901.
In 1905, he moved to Jasper, Alabama
Jasper, Alabama
Jasper is a city in Walker County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 14,659. As of 2011 the population had was 13,857. The city is the county seat of Walker County, and once ranked among the world's leading producers of coal....
. In 1910 he was appointed solicitor of the fourteenth judicial circuit of Alabama, serving until 1914.
In 1914, he sought the Democratic nomination for U.S. Representative, but did not get it. In 1916, he was elected Representative from the newly created 10th Congressional District
Alabama's 10th congressional district
Alabama's 10th congressional district is an obsolete district which existed from 1917 until 1933. Its sole representative was William B. Bankhead.-Historical Boundaries:-List of representatives:-References:*Population data from...
. (Alabama was apportioned a tenth Congressional seat after the 1910 Census, but the seat was filled by at-large election in 1912 and 1914.) Bankhead held the 10th District until it was abolished after the 1930 Census, when Alabama lost a seat. He was the only person ever elected from the 10th District.
After reapportionment and redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
following the 1930 Census, Bankhead was re-elected Representative from the
7th District
Alabama's 7th congressional district
Alabama's 7th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in Alabama, which elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. The district encompasses the counties of Greene, Choctaw, Sumter, Marengo, Dallas, Wilcox, Perry and Hale...
in 1932, and was re-elected three times, serving until his death in 1940. In 1934, he was chosen House Majority Leader by his fellow Democrats. On June 4, 1936, he was chosen Speaker of the House to succeed Jo Byrns, who had died that morning. Bankhead served as Speaker until his own death in office on September 15, 1940.
As Speaker, Bankhead held the highest political office of any Alabamian save 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...
William R. King
William R. King
William Rufus DeVane King was the 13th Vice President of the United States for about six weeks , and earlier a U.S. Representative from North Carolina, Minister to France, and a Senator from Alabama...
.
A notable family
Bankhead's father John H. BankheadJohn H. Bankhead
John Hollis Bankhead was a U.S. senator from the state of Alabama.-Biography:He was born on September 13, 1842. He was appointed, then elected, to serve out the remainder of the term left by the death of John Tyler Morgan, and was later re-elected twice. He served in the Senate from June 18, 1907...
was a U.S. Representative and Senator. His elder brother 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....
was also a U.S. Senator, and his nephew Walter Will Bankhead was a U.S. Representative. His daughter, Tallulah Bankhead, was a noted actress.
The William B. Bankhead National Forest and sections of old US Highway 78 in northern Alabama are named in his honor. His home in Jasper has been renovated to house the Walker Area Community Foundation's "Bankhead House and Heritage Center", a history museum and arts venue.