1938 Alabama House of Representatives election

1938 Alabama House of Representatives election

←  1934 November 8, 1938 1942  →
All 106 seats in the Alabama House of Representatives 54 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Robert H. Walker — Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 13, 1931 — Leader's seat Limestone Co. — Last election 104 seats, 93.98% 1 seats, 6.02% Seats won 105 1 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 250,084 19,241 Percentage 92.85% 7.14%
Democratic gain     Democratic hold      Republican gain Results by party Democratic:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     90–100%     Unopposed Republican:     50–60% Results by vote share
Speaker before election Robert H. Walker Democratic Elected Speaker Hugh D. Merrill Democratic

The 1938 Alabama House of Representatives election took place on Tuesday, November 8, 1938, to elect 106 representatives to serve four-year terms in the Alabama House of Representatives. 105 Democrats and one Republican, Percy M. Pitts of Chilton County, were elected to the 1939 House. ^[1]

Representative Hugh D. Merrill of Calhoun County was unanimously elected for a second stint as Speaker of the House on January 10, 1939. ^[2]

General election results

Party gains

Source for 1934 election winners: Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1935. ^[3]

• Chilton: Republican Percy M. Pitts was elected. Democrat C. B. Cox won this seat in 1934. Republican gain.
• Winston: Democrat Roy Mayhall was elected. He defeated incumbent Republican J. A. Posey, first elected in 1934. Democratic gain.

By district

District	Democratic			Republican			Total
	Candidate	Votes	%	Candidate	Votes	%	Votes	Maj.	Mrg.
Chilton	G. C. Walker	2,152	49.34%	Percy M. Pitts	2,210	50.66%	4,362	−58	−1.33%
Cleburne	Grady W. Cook	1,393	58.75%	Lee Haywood	978	41.25%	2,371	+415	+17.50%
Cullman	M. L. Robertson (inc.)	3,307	56.55%	Henry F. Arnold	2,541	43.45%	5,848	+766	+13.10%
DeKalb	W. M. Beck	5,256	65.76%	Frank Hixon	2,737	34.24%	7,993	+2,519	+31.52%
Etowah p. 1	James B. Allen	3,637	86.16%	Bernard Thompson	584	13.84%	4,221	+3,053	+72.33%
Etowah p. 2	Roy D. McCord	3,656	85.80%	Charles M. Williams	605	14.20%	4,261	+3,051	+71.60%
Franklin	Frank L. Haynes	2,604	62.58%	W. H. Hudson	1,557	37.42%	4,161	+1,047	+25.16%
Shelby	L. H. Ellis	2,258	72.44%	Mark Sims	859	27.56%	3,117	+1,399	+44.88%
St. Clair	John R. Robinson	2,147	71.83%	Mack Davis	842	28.17%	2,989	+1,305	+43.66%
Winston	Roy Mayhall	1,793	55.91%	J. A. Posey (inc.)	1,414	44.09%	3,207	+379	+11.82%
Source: Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1939. (p. 708–710) [4]

Jefferson County (at-large)

Unlike other multi-seat counties, candidates in Jefferson County ran an at-large basis rather than for designated places.

Jefferson County election (7 to be elected)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sidney W. Smyer	12,747	94.91%
	Democratic	Mark Hodo	12,735	94.83%
	Democratic	W. S. Welch	12,729	94.78%
	Democratic	Hugh Kaul	12,732	94.80%
	Democratic	Roger Snyder	12,719	94.71%
	Democratic	Ivy J. Gwin	12,717	94.69%
	Democratic	Tram Sessions	12,717	94.69%
	Republican	A. P. Longshore Jr.	711	5.29%
	Republican	U. S. Holliman	708	5.27%
	Republican	C. O. Vardaman	704	5.24%
	Republican	Frank Hurst	700	5.21%
	Republican	H. H. Grooms	698	5.20%
	Republican	Grady Miller	697	5.19%
	Republican	C. A. Wiegand	696	5.18%
Total votes			94,010	100.00%

See also

• 1938 Alabama elections
  • 1938 United States House of Representatives elections in Alabama
  • 1938 Alabama gubernatorial election
  • 1938 Alabama Senate election
• 1938 United States elections

References

1. "Representative Percy Pitts". The Opelika-Auburn News . 16 January 1939. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
2. "Merrill Chosen House Speaker". The Birmingham News . Associated Press. 10 January 1939. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
3. Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1935. 1935. pp. 638–675. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
4. Owen, Marie Bankhead (1939). Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1939. Montgomery, Alabama: Walker Printing Company. pp. 708–710. Retrieved 4 October 2025.