John H. Bankhead II | |
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| United States Senator fromAlabama | |
| In office March 4, 1931 – June 12, 1946 | |
| Preceded by | J. Thomas Heflin |
| Succeeded by | George R. Swift |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Hollis Bankhead II July 8, 1872 near OldMoscow,Lamar County, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | June 12, 1946(1946-06-12) (aged 73) United States Naval Hospital,Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Musa Bernice Harkins |
| Children | 3, includingWalter |
| Parent |
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| Relatives |
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| Alma mater | University of Alabama Georgetown University |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States National Guard |
| Years of service | 1901–1903 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Alabama |
John Hollis Bankhead II (July 8, 1872 – June 12, 1946) was aU.S. senator from the state ofAlabama. Like his father,John H. Bankhead, he was elected three times to the Senate, and like his father, he died in office.[1]
He served in the Senate from March 4, 1931, to his death on June 12, 1946. He was first elected to the Senate in 1930 by defeatingJ. Thomas Heflin, the man who succeeded his father. Though Bankhead won the election by 20 points, Heflin challenged the results for over a year. He served as chairman of the Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation. After his death, Bankhead was succeeded byGeorge R. Swift, who was appointed to fill his seat until a successor,John J. Sparkman, could be elected. Bankhead is remembered as a spokesman for farmers and againstcivil rights for African Americans.
Bankhead was born on July 8, 1872, at theBankhead plantation inLamar County, Alabama, the son of Tallulah James Brockman and John Hollis Bankhead.[citation needed] After earning his law degree in 1893 and practicing law for ten with his brother William, Bankhead was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1903. After Alabama'sgrandfather clause, which disenfranchised most black voters, was declared unconstitutional, Bankhead was one of the drafters of Alabama's revised voting law effectively preventing most black voters from registering via a series of tests and poll taxes.[2]
Following his controversial win over Heflin in 1930, the Senator from Alabama worked at the passage of various pieces ofNew Deal legislation to benefit cotton farmers, including theSubsistence Homestead Act of 1933, theCotton Control Act of 1934 and the parity payment amendments to theAgricultural Adjustment Act of 1938. AfterWorld War II began in Europe, Bankhead was an interventionist. He took a "pro-British" stance and favored PresidentFranklin Roosevelt'sLend-Lease program. On October 23, 1941, Bankhead voted in favor of additional lend-lease funding to provide more funding to theBritish Army.[3] On November 7, 1941, he voted in favor of legislation to amend several sections of the neutrality acts. This vote made it easier for theUnited States to provide direct military aid to theUnited Kingdom duringWorld War II.[4] In 1943, he sponsored legislation to exempt "substantially fulltime" farm workers from the draft duringWorld War II.[5] Bankhead was among twelve nominated at the1944 Democratic National Convention to serve asFranklin D. Roosevelt'srunning mate in thepresidential election that year.[6] He was in third place, with 98 votes, when Bankhead made a surprise withdrawal of his candidacy in favor of his Senate colleague,Harry S. Truman, who was elected vice president and succeeded to the presidency in 1945.[1]
On May 24, 1946, Senator Bankhead suffered a stroke while attending an evening Senate committee meeting.[7] Three weeks later, he died at theU.S. Naval Hospital inBethesda, Maryland.[1] He was the brother ofSpeaker of the HouseWilliam B. Bankhead, and the uncle of actressTallulah Bankhead.
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromAlabama (Class 2) 1930,1936,1942 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Alabama 1931–1946 Served alongside:Hugo Black,Dixie Bibb Graves,J. Lister Hill | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
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