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James A. Haley | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Haley, 1964 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida | |
| In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | district created |
| Succeeded by | Andy Ireland |
| Constituency |
|
| Member of theFlorida House of Representatives fromSarasota County | |
| In office 1949–1953 | |
| Preceded by | John R. Peacock |
| Succeeded by | Henry S. Bartholomew |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Andrew Haley (1899-01-04)January 4, 1899 Jacksonville, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | August 6, 1981(1981-08-06) (aged 82) Sarasota, Florida, U.S. |
| Resting place | Boca Raton Cemetery inBoca Raton |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Occupation |
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| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Unit | Troop A,2nd Cavalry Division |
| Battles/wars | |
James Andrew Haley (January 4, 1899 – August 6, 1981) was an AmericanWorld War I veteran who served 12 terms as aU.S. representative fromFlorida from 1953 to 1977.
Born inJacksonville, Alabama, Haley attended the public schools and theUniversity of Alabama.
During World War I, Haley enlisted in theUnited States Army serving with Troop A, Second Cavalry where he saw combat in France, in April 1917 and served overseas.
He was an accountant inSarasota, Florida, from 1920 to 1933. He served as general manager of John Ringling estate 1933–1943.
On December 4, 1942, Haley married Aubrey Ringling (née Aubrey Barlow Black), the widow of Richard T. Ringling who had died in 1931. Richard Ringling was the son ofAlf T. Ringling one of the originalRingling brothers.
From 1943 to 1945, he was the first vice president of Ringling Circus and president and director ofRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. In 1944,a fire broke out at a Ringling Circus show inHartford, Connecticut that killed 169 people. On the day of the fire, Haley was the highest ranking executive traveling with the circus.[1] During the subsequent trial, he and five other circus officials pleadedno contest to charges ofinvoluntary manslaughter and were sentenced to prison. Haley served eight months and in 1945 was returned to Florida, where he received apardon fromGovernorMillard F. Caldwell.[2][3]
Haley worked for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey from 1946 to 1948.
He later engaged in newspaper publishing and later in general printing business.
He served as chairman of the Democratic executive committee of Sarasota County 1935–1952. He served as member of theFlorida House of Representatives from 1949 to 1952. He was a delegate to the1952,1956, and1960 Democratic National Conventions.
Haley was elected as aDemocrat to theEighty-third and to the eleven succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1977), during which time he was a signatory to the 1956Southern Manifesto that opposed the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court inBrown v. Board of Education. He served as chairman of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs (Ninety-third andNinety-fourth Congresses).
Haley was not a candidate for reelection to theNinety-fifth Congress in 1976.
Haley died in Sarasota on August 6, 1981, and was interred in Boca Raton Cemetery inBoca Raton.
TheUnited States Department of Veterans Affairs located inTampa is named James A. Haley VA Medical Center after him.
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by District created | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's 7th congressional district 1953–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's 8th congressional district 1973–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Wayne N. Aspinall Colorado | Chairman ofHouse Interior and Insular Affairs Committee 1973–1977 | Succeeded by Mo Udall Arizona |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
