John H. Bankhead

For his son, see John H. Bankhead II.
John H. Bankhead
United States Senator
from Alabama
In office
June 18, 1907  March 1, 1920
Preceded by John T. Morgan
Succeeded by B. B. Comer
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Alabama's 6th district
In office
March 4, 1887  March 3, 1907
Preceded by John Mason Martin
Succeeded by Richmond P. Hobson
Personal details
Born John Hollis Bankhead
September 13, 1842
Moscow, Alabama
Died March 1, 1920 (aged 77)
Washington, D.C
Political party Democratic

John Hollis Bankhead (September 13, 1842  March 1, 1920) was a Democratic U.S. Senator from the state of Alabama between 1907 and 1920.

Biography

Bankhead was born on September 13, 1842, at Moscow, Marion County, Alabama (near present day Sulligent, Alabama). At age 65, he was appointed, then elected, to serve out the remainder of the U.S. Senate term left by the death of John Tyler Morgan and later re-elected twice. He served from June 18, 1907, until his death on March 1, 1920. B. B. Comer, former governor of Alabama, was appointed to serve the rest of his term, until November 2, 1920, when J. Thomas Heflin was elected to serve out the term.

Bankhead was a member of the Inland Waterways Commission in 1907,[1] and was instrumental in enacting the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, which became the first federal highway funding legislation.

United States Senator John H. Bankhead II and Speaker of the House William Brockman Bankhead were his sons, and actress Tallulah Bankhead was his granddaughter. The cross-country Bankhead Highway was named after him, as is Bankhead Lake on the Black Warrior River near Birmingham.

See also

References

  1. Donald J. Pisani, Water Planning in the Progressive Era: The Inland Waterways Commission Reconsidered, Journal of Policy History 18.4 (2006) pp.389-418

External links

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
John Mason Martin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Alabama's 6th congressional district

1887–1907
Succeeded by
Richmond P. Hobson
United States Senate
Preceded by
John Tyler Morgan
U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Alabama
1907–1920
Served alongside: Edmund Pettus, Joseph F. Johnston, Francis S. White and Oscar Underwood
Succeeded by
Braxton B. Comer