William W. Brandon
Encyclopedia
William Woodward Brandon (June 5, 1868, Talladega, Alabama
December 7, 1934) was an American
Democratic politician
who was the 37th Governor of Alabama
from 1923 to 1927.
, the son of a minister, Rev. Frank T. J. Brandon, and his wife Carrie (Woodward) Brandon, Brandon grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
. He attended Cedar Bluff Institute and Tuscaloosa High School, and studied law at the University of Alabama from 1891 to 1892. While still a law student, the colorful Brandon was elected City Clerk of Tuscaloosa. He set up a law practice in Tuscaloosa in 1892, and was appointed a justice of the peace the same year.
As a member of the Warrior National Guard from 1886, Brandon eventually led the unit as a major of the U.S. Army in the Spanish–American War. Appointed Adjutant General of the Alabama National Guard
in 1899 by Governor William J. Samford
, he was later reappointed by Governor William D. Jelks
.
Brandon was a member of the Alabama House of Representatives
from 1896 to 1901. In 1906 he was elected to the office of State Auditor
. From 1911 until 1923 he served as the Probate Judge of Tuscaloosa County.
Judge Brandon was a candidate for governor twice, losing in 1918 to Thomas E. Kilby but defeating Bibb Graves
(who later succeeded him) in 1922 with a platform calling for economy in government and no new taxes. As governor, he kept his campaign promise to levy no new taxes, but was instrumental in rescinding the tax exemption of the Alabama Power Company
. On leaving office, he left the state treasury with a surplus.
Brandon was a much less activist governor than the energetic Kilby (he did little for education), but did continue Kilby's ambitious program of road construction and improvement of Mobile's dock facilities, funding the latter with a $10 million bond issue. He also strengthened child labor laws and created the Alabama Forestry Commission. Brandon left the state for 21 days in 1924; under the 1910 state constitution, if a governor is out of the state for more than 20 days, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor. Thus, Charles McDowell became Governor of Alabama for July 10 and July 11, 1924.
Known as "Plain Bill," Brandon led the Alabama delegation to the 1924 Democratic National Convention
, the first such convention to be broadcast via radio. The convention was marked by a deadlock between the supporters of the Irish Catholic New York Governor Al Smith
and former Secretary of the Treasury William Gibbs McAdoo
(the son-in-law of former President Woodrow Wilson
) whose candidacy was backed by the anti-Catholic Ku Klux Klan
. Neither candidate was able to get a majority of the delegates as critical delegations, including Alabama's, clung to their "favorite son
" candidates. In Alabama's case, the favorite son was Senator Oscar Underwood
.
The Convention became the longest continually running convention in history, as 103 ballots were taken before a compromise candidate, John W. Davis
, was nominated. Alabama, as the first state alphabetically, led every ballot, and Brandon, reporting the state's unanimous vote tally ballot after ballot, became the symbol of the Convention's deadlock. For a time, his booming southern drawl, heard on the radio again and again declaring "Alabama casts twenty-four votes for Oscar W. Underwood," became one of the most recognizable voices in the country.
After leaving the governorship in 1927, Brandon was appointed Probate Judge of Tuscaloosa County by his onetime political opponent Governor Graves. Brandon married Elizabeth Andrews Nabors, a widow with two daughters, on June 27, 1900. He died in Tuscaloosa aged 66 on December 7, 1934, and is interred at Tuscaloosa Memorial Park.
Talladega, Alabama
Talladega is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 15,143. The city is the county seat of Talladega County. Talladega is approximately 50 miles east of Birmingham, Alabama....
December 7, 1934) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Democratic politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who was the 37th Governor 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...
from 1923 to 1927.
Biography
Born June 5, 1868, in Talladega, AlabamaTalladega, Alabama
Talladega is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 15,143. The city is the county seat of Talladega County. Talladega is approximately 50 miles east of Birmingham, Alabama....
, the son of a minister, Rev. Frank T. J. Brandon, and his wife Carrie (Woodward) Brandon, Brandon grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
. He attended Cedar Bluff Institute and Tuscaloosa High School, and studied law at the University of Alabama from 1891 to 1892. While still a law student, the colorful Brandon was elected City Clerk of Tuscaloosa. He set up a law practice in Tuscaloosa in 1892, and was appointed a justice of the peace the same year.
As a member of the Warrior National Guard from 1886, Brandon eventually led the unit as a major of the U.S. Army in the Spanish–American War. Appointed Adjutant General of the Alabama National Guard
Alabama National Guard
The Alabama National Guard comprises both Army and Air components. The Guard is part of the Alabama Military Department, seemingly overseen by the Adjutant General of Alabama....
in 1899 by Governor William J. Samford
William J. Samford
William James Samford was an American Democratic politician who was the 31st Governor of Alabama from 1900 to 1901....
, he was later reappointed by Governor William D. Jelks
William D. Jelks
William Dorsey Jelks was an American Democratic politician who was the 32nd Governor of Alabama from 1901 to 1907. He also served as acting governor between 1 December and 26 December 1900 when governor William J...
.
Brandon was a member of the Alabama House of Representatives
Alabama 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...
from 1896 to 1901. In 1906 he was elected to the office of State Auditor
State auditor
State auditors are executive officers of U.S. states who serve as auditors and comptrollers for state funds....
. From 1911 until 1923 he served as the Probate Judge of Tuscaloosa County.
Judge Brandon was a candidate for governor twice, losing in 1918 to Thomas E. Kilby but defeating Bibb Graves
Bibb Graves
David Bibb Graves was a Democratic politician and the 38th Governor of Alabama 1927-1931 and 1935–1939, the first Alabama governor to serve two four-year terms.-Early life:...
(who later succeeded him) in 1922 with a platform calling for economy in government and no new taxes. As governor, he kept his campaign promise to levy no new taxes, but was instrumental in rescinding the tax exemption of the Alabama Power Company
Alabama Power Company
Alabama Power Company, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a company in the southern United States that provides electricity service to 1.3 million homes, businesses, and industries in the southern two-thirds of Alabama. It is one of four U.S...
. On leaving office, he left the state treasury with a surplus.
Brandon was a much less activist governor than the energetic Kilby (he did little for education), but did continue Kilby's ambitious program of road construction and improvement of Mobile's dock facilities, funding the latter with a $10 million bond issue. He also strengthened child labor laws and created the Alabama Forestry Commission. Brandon left the state for 21 days in 1924; under the 1910 state constitution, if a governor is out of the state for more than 20 days, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor. Thus, Charles McDowell became Governor of Alabama for July 10 and July 11, 1924.
Known as "Plain Bill," Brandon led the Alabama delegation to the 1924 Democratic National Convention
1924 Democratic National Convention
The 1924 Democratic National Convention, also called the Klanbake, held at the Madison Square Garden in New York City from June 24 to July 9, took a record 103 ballots to nominate a presidential candidate. It was the longest continuously running convention in United States political history...
, the first such convention to be broadcast via radio. The convention was marked by a deadlock between the supporters of the Irish Catholic New York Governor Al Smith
Al Smith
Alfred Emanuel Smith. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American statesman who was elected the 42nd Governor of New York three times, and was the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928...
and former Secretary of the Treasury William Gibbs McAdoo
William Gibbs McAdoo
William Gibbs McAdoo, Jr. was an American lawyer and political leader who served as a U.S. Senator, United States Secretary of the Treasury and director of the United States Railroad Administration...
(the son-in-law of former President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
) whose candidacy was backed by the anti-Catholic Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
. Neither candidate was able to get a majority of the delegates as critical delegations, including Alabama's, clung to their "favorite son
Favorite son
A favorite son is a political term.*At the quadrennial American national political party conventions, a state delegation sometimes nominates and votes for a candidate from the state, or less often from the state's region, who is not a viable candidate...
" candidates. In Alabama's case, the favorite son was Senator Oscar Underwood
Oscar Underwood
Oscar Wilder Underwood was an American politician.Underwood was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 6, 1862. He was the grandson of Joseph R. Underwood, a Kentucky Senator circa 1850. He attended the University of Virginia at Charlottesville...
.
The Convention became the longest continually running convention in history, as 103 ballots were taken before a compromise candidate, John W. Davis
John W. Davis
John William Davis was an American politician, diplomat and lawyer. He served as a United States Representative from West Virginia , then as Solicitor General of the United States and US Ambassador to the UK under President Woodrow Wilson...
, was nominated. Alabama, as the first state alphabetically, led every ballot, and Brandon, reporting the state's unanimous vote tally ballot after ballot, became the symbol of the Convention's deadlock. For a time, his booming southern drawl, heard on the radio again and again declaring "Alabama casts twenty-four votes for Oscar W. Underwood," became one of the most recognizable voices in the country.
After leaving the governorship in 1927, Brandon was appointed Probate Judge of Tuscaloosa County by his onetime political opponent Governor Graves. Brandon married Elizabeth Andrews Nabors, a widow with two daughters, on June 27, 1900. He died in Tuscaloosa aged 66 on December 7, 1934, and is interred at Tuscaloosa Memorial Park.