The1946 Alabama House of Representatives election took place on Tuesday, November 5, 1946, to elect 106 representatives to serve four-year terms in theAlabama House of Representatives . Nearly every single representative elected was a member of theDemocratic Party , with oneRepublican , John B. Weaver, being re-elected fromWinston County .
89 of the 106 Democratic nominees did not face any opposition in the general election. As the Democratic Party was dominant in the state, state legislative seats were generally decided at the Democraticprimary election . The first round of the Democratic primary was held on May 7 withrunoff elections taking place on June 4.
Representative William M. Beck ofDeKalb County was elected Speaker of the House on January 14, 1947, receiving 58 votes, a majority on the first ballot. Doc Martin ofGreene County won 27 votes, and incumbent Speaker Charlie Norman won 17. Beck had the backing of incoming GovernorJim Folsom . 102 of the 106 House representatives voted in the speakership contest, with two being absent, Norman not voting, and the sole Republican not being entitled to a vote.[ 1] George Wallace also sought the post, but withdrew his name from contention and supported Beck.[ 2]
The election took place concurrently with elections forU.S. Senate ,U.S. House ,governor ,state senate , andnumerous other state and local offices .
General election results [ edit ] District Democratic Republican Independent Total Candidate Votes % Candidate Votes % Candidate Votes % Votes Maj. Mrg. Blount N. C. Denton 824 54.17% Leon Evans 697 45.83% — — — 1,521 +127 +8.35% Chilton C. B. Box 2,405 62.23% W. L. Sanders 1,460 37.77% — — — 3,865 +945 +24.45% Colbert Paul Coburn 2,688 89.63% J. F. Moore Jr. 311 10.37% — — — 2,999 +2,377 +79.26% Cullman E. L. Buckner 4,775 60.95% Homer F. Mitchell 3,059 39.05% — — — 7,834 +1,716 +21.90% DeKalb William M. Beck 5,692 60.40% Doyide Kirk 3,732 39.60% — — — 9,424 +1,960 +20.80% Franklin Frank L. Haynes 3,000 52.98% John D. Burnes 2,663 47.02% — — — 5,663 +337 +5.95% Marion R. R. Wright 1,765 75.46% James T. Lunsford 574 24.54% — — — 2,339 +1,191 +50.92% Shelby Frank Head 2,463 72.57% S. M. Harvey 931 27.43% — — — 3,394 +1,532 +45.14% Walker p. 2A. J. McDanal 4,770 76.06% J. Sam Gant 1,501 23.94% — — — 6,271 +3,269 +52.13% Winston Vester A. Martin 936 32.60% John B. Weaver 1,207 42.04% Ben G. Dodd 728 25.36% 2,871 −271 −9.44% Source: Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1947 (p. 502–504)[ 3]
Jefferson County election (7 to be elected) Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Will H. Sadler Jr. 29,400 13.42% Democratic William Henry Beatty 29,388 13.42% Democratic J. Paul Meeks 29,384 13.41% Democratic Larry Dumas 29,379 13.41% Democratic Wallace Gibson 29,379 13.41% Democratic James G. Adams 29,373 13.41% Democratic Hugh Kaul 29,364 13.41% Republican Richard H. Petty 1,930 0.88% Republican L. H. Mason Jr. 1,928 0.88% Republican Ray Armstrong 1,925 0.88% Republican Gordon M. Gibbs 1,925 0.88% Republican Augustus Mackey 1,917 0.88% Republican H. Bishop Holliman 1,900 0.87% Republican K. G. Springfield 1,859 0.85% Total votes 219,051 100.00%
Elected without opposition [ edit ] Every candidate elected without an opponent was a Democrat.
Autauga County : G. M. Taylor received 963 votes.Baldwin County : L. W. Brannan Jr. received 2,209 votes.Barbour County :Place 1: Sims A. Thomas received 1,526 votes. Place 2:George Wallace received 1,526 votes. Bibb County : J. Fred Wood received 1,474 votes.Bullock County :Place 1: Charles D. Norman received 824 votes. Place 2: Willis L. McIlwain received 826 votes. Butler County :Place 1: John Worth Thagard received 1,523 votes. Place 2: Earl McGowin received 1,523 votes. Calhoun County :Place 1: John W. Howell received 2,956 votes. Place 2: Tarvey H. Bennett received 3,061 votes. Chambers County :Place 1: Roy McClendon received 2,020 votes. Place 2: A. A. Still received 2,024 votes. Cherokee County : J. Monroe Mitchell received 1,006 votes.Choctaw County : Franklin C. Evans received 1,048 votes.Clarke County :Place 1: John F. Gillis received 1,482 votes. Place 2: Earl L. Tucker received 1,478 votes. Clay County : E. E. Nelson received 2,035 votes.Cleburne County : Pelham J. Merrill received 1,602 votes.Coffee County : H. B. Larkins received 1,669 votes.Conecuh County : James E. Nettles received 1,097 votes.Coosa County : George B. McDonald received 923 votes.Covington County : S. R. White received 2,062 votes.Crenshaw County : Ira B. Thompson received 1,350 votes.Dale County : Jesse B. Adams received 1,505 votes.Dallas County :Place 1: William P. Molette received 1,982 votes. Place 2: Hunt Frasier received 1,979 votes. Place 3:Walter C. Givhan received 1,980 votes. Elmore County :Place 1: Lee Hornsby received 2,552 votes. Place 2: Harley M. Dobbs received 2,552 votes. Escambia County : Flournoy Lovelace received 1,368 votes.Etowah County :Place 1: E. L. Roberts received 4,584 votes. Place 2: Ed Miller received 4,576 votes. Fayette County : Niles G. Dobbs received 1,335 votes.Geneva County : Roland R. Faulk received 1,695 votes.Greene County : W. L. Martin Jr. received 763 votes.Hale County :Place 1: H. A. Taylor received 966 votes. Place 2: Charles H. Ramey received 967 votes. Henry County :Place 1: George T. Knight received 944 votes. Place 2: G. B. Mathison Sr. received 932 votes. Houston County : Wallace D. Malone received 1,895 votes.Jackson County :Place 1: John S. O'Neal received 1,863 votes. Place 2: John M. Snodgrass received 1,863 votes. Lamar County : John F. Hankins received 1,680 votes.Lauderdale County :Place 1: Mims Rogers received 2,765 votes. Place 2: Bill Barnett received 2,714 votes. Lawrence County : J. B. Richardson received 1,599 votes.Lee County :Place 1: Roberts H. Brown received 1,434 votes. Place 2: D. W. Ward received 1,433 votes. Limestone County : Bunyan D. Broadwater received 1,930 votes.Lowndes County :Place 1: Neil Robinson received 706 votes. Place 2: John M. Bruner received 706 votes. Macon County : G. O. Bush received 857 votes.Madison County :Place 1: Herman Vann received 3,740 votes. Place 2: William E. Davis received 3,764 votes. Marengo County :Place 1: Z. P. Croker Jr. received 1,342 votes. Place 2: Odie Bedford Whitcomb received 1,345 votes. Marshall County : J. J. Bedford received 2,314 votes.Mobile County :Place 1: Thomas A. Johnston III received 4,940 votes. Place 2: George E. Stone Jr. received 5,004 votes. Place 3: Joseph C. Sullivan received 4,919 votes. Monroe County : W. W. Garrett received 1,273 votes.Montgomery County :Place 1: S. B. Sightler received 5,831 votes. Place 2: Hubert E. Busby received 5,831 votes. Place 3: Luther Ingalls received 5,831 votes. Place 4: Charles M. Pinkston received 5,831 votes. Morgan County :Place 1: Norman W. Harris received 3,106 votes. Place 2: Bill Stewart received 3,063 votes. Perry County :Place 1: D. K. Mason Jr. received 915 votes. Place 2: John G. White received 910 votes. Pickens County : R. B. Doughty received 1,321 votes.Pike County :Place 1: Ira Thompson received 1,621 votes. Place 2: Max Shirley received 1,601 votes. Randolph County : A. C. George received 1,760 votes.Russell County :Place 1: B. L. Cole received 1,025 votes. Place 2: J. W. Brassell received 1,024 votes. St. Clair County : John W. Inzer Jr. received 2,173 votes.Sumter County :Place 1: John H. Pinson received 1,011 votes. Place 2: Ira D. Pruitt received 1,011 votes. Talladega County :Place 1: J. S. Ganey received 2,618 votes. Place 2: G. Kyser Leonard received 2,627 votes. Tallapoosa County :Place 1: Lewis E. Sellers received 2,458 votes. Place 2: Cecil G. Duffee received 2,458 votes. Tuscaloosa County :Place 1: Temo Callahan received 3,757 votes. Place 2: J. P. Shelton received 3,774 votes. Walker County : Chester M. Black received 4,886 votes.Washington County : J. Emmett Wood received 1,043 votes.Wilcox County :Place 1: E. T. Harrison received 1,163 votes. Place 2: S. M. Cobb received 1,163 votes. [ edit ] Eleven special elections to theAlabama House of Representatives were held after the 1942 general election.[ 4] [ 5]
January 3, 1943 Conecuh County special election Party Candidate Votes % Democratic J. E. Nettles 353 99.44% Write-in Robert Jones 2 0.56% Total votes 355 100.00% Democratic hold
May 11, 1943 Lauderdale County special election Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Moody Redd 393 100.00% Total votes 393 100.00% Democratic hold
May 18, 1943 Crenshaw County special election Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Walter L. Petrie 422 100.00% Total votes 422 100.00% Democratic hold
Etowah County place 1 [ edit ] November 7, 1944 Etowah County place 1 special election Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Escar L. Roberts 5,594 100.00% Total votes 5,594 100.00% Democratic hold
Etowah County place 2 [ edit ] November 7, 1944 Etowah County place 2 special electionAlbert Rains Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Edward B. Miller 5,551 100.00% Total votes 5,551 100.00% Democratic hold
November 7, 1944 Houston County special election Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Alto V. Lee 3,350 100.00% Total votes 3,350 100.00% Democratic hold
Marengo County place 1 [ edit ] November 7, 1944 Marengo County place 1 special electionSibyl Pool Party Candidate Votes % Democratic T. B. Perry 1,779 100.00% Total votes 1,779 100.00% Democratic hold
Marengo County place 2 [ edit ] November 7, 1944 Marengo County place 2 special election Party Candidate Votes % Democratic H. R. Jones 1,778 100.00% Total votes 1,778 100.00% Democratic hold
Sumter County place 2 [ edit ] November 7, 1944 Sumter County place 2 special election Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Ira D. Pruitt 1,093 100.00% Total votes 1,093 100.00% Democratic hold
Madison County place 1 [ edit ] May 29, 1945 Madison County place 1 special election Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Milton K. Cummings 425 100.00% Total votes 425 100.00% Democratic hold
^ Long, G. C. (15 January 1947)."Beck Chosen As Speaker; Vote 58-44" .The Montgomery Advertiser . Retrieved8 September 2025 . ^ Brumbach, Bill (13 January 1947)."Main Legislative Business Is Naming Of House Speaker" .The Birmingham Post . Retrieved8 September 2025 . ^ Owen, Marie B. (1947).Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1947 502– 504. Retrieved8 September 2025 . ^ Owen, Marie B. (1943).Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1943 849– 850. Retrieved8 September 2025 . ^ Owen, Marie B. (1947).Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1947 475– 480. Retrieved8 September 2025 .
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