1. George Chauncey Sparks, known as Chauncey Sparks, was an attorney and Democratic American politician who served as the 41st Governor of Alabama from 1943 to 1947.
15 Facts About Chauncey Sparks
1. 2.
Chauncey Sparks improved the state education of whites and expanded the state schools and centers for agriculture.
3.
Chauncey Sparks campaigned for passage of the Boswell Amendment to the state constitution, which was designed to keep blacks disfranchised following the US Supreme Court ruling Smith v Allwright against the use of white primaries by the Democratic Party in the states.
4.
Under the state constitution, Alabama governors could not serve consecutive terms at the time, so Sparks left office without seeking reelection.
5.
Chauncey Sparks was the only lifelong bachelor to serve as Alabama governor in the 20th century.
6.
Chauncey Sparks was born in Barbour County, Alabama, the son of George Washington and Sarah E Sparks.
7.
Chauncey Sparks attended school and helped with the family farm.
8.
Chauncey Sparks graduated from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia in 1907 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and received his law degree in 1910.
9.
Chauncey Sparks wanted to return to Alabama and passed the State Bar exam that year, opening a law practice in Eufaula soon afterward.
10.
In 1911, Chauncey Sparks was appointed judge of the inferior court of Barbour County by Democratic Governor Emmet O'Neal, a position he held until 1915.
11.
Chauncey Sparks served as a member of the board of trustees of the Department of Archives and History, representing the 3rd Congressional District.
12.
Chauncey Sparks achieved noteworthy educational gains by doubling state appropriations and lengthening the seven-month school term to eight months.
13.
Chauncey Sparks was an outspoken opponent of what he terms as "federal encroachments" on what he perceived as states rights issues, especially regarding race relations.
14.
Chauncey Sparks was defeated in his bid for reelection in 1950 by Democrat Gordon Persons.
15.
Chauncey Sparks devoted the rest of his life to his private law practice in Eufaula.