1954 Alabama Senate election

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1954 Alabama Senate election
Flag of Alabama.svg
←  1950 November 2, 1954 1958  →
All 35 seats in the Alabama State Senate
18 seats needed for a majority
 Majority party
  Albert Boutwell.jpg
Leader Albert Boutwell
(retired as leader)
Party Democratic
Leader sinceJanuary 9, 1951
Leader's seat13th–Jefferson Co.
Last election35 seats, 97.48%
Seats won35
Popular vote263,982
Percentage99.998%
1954 Alabama Senate election incumbent map.svg
District results
     New Democratic senator
     Democratic incumbent re-elected
President pro tempore before election

Albert Boutwell
Democratic

Elected President pro tempore

Broughton Lamberth
Democratic

The 1954 Alabama Senate election took place on Tuesday, November 2, 1954, to elect 35 representatives to serve four-year terms in the Alabama Senate. The result an electoral wipeout, as all 35 candidates elected were members of the Democratic Party. The election used the same districts first drawn by the Alabama Constitution of 1901.

Contents

None of the 35 Democratic nominees faced significant opposition in the general election. As the Democratic Party was dominant in the state, state legislative seats were generally decided at the Democratic primary election. The Democratic primary election was held on May 4 with runoff elections on June 1. Only one Republican, Warren Wallace Bailey, sought the District 3 senate seat, but withdrew before the general election. A few Republicans sought state house seats. [1]

Newly-elected Senator Broughton Lamberth of Tallapoosa County, with the support of Governor Jim Folsom, was unanimously chosen to be President pro tempore of the Senate on January 11, 1955. [2]

The election took place concurrently with elections for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, state house, and numerous other state and local offices.

Summary

PartyCandidatesSeats
Num.Vote%BeforeWon+/–
Democratic 35263,98299.998%3535Steady2.svg
Write-in 140.002%—0Steady2.svg
Total36263,986100%3535Steady2.svg

Incumbents

Every incumbent senator in a multi-county district chose not to seek re-election, as a gentlemen's agreement compelled state senators to give up their seats to allow a candidate from another county to serve. [3]

Won re-election

  • District 11: E. W. Skidmore won re-election.
  • District 13: Albert Boutwell won re-election.
  • District 20: E. O. Eddins won re-election.
  • District 28: Vaughan Hill Robison won re-election.

Eliminated in primary

  • District 4: Joe Foster lost re-nomination to T. Herman Vann.
  • District 16: C. Mac Golson lost re-nomination to Joe B. Davis.
  • District 22: J. M. Bonner lost re-nomination to Roland Cooper.
  • District 33: Thomas A. Johnston lost re-nomination to Garet Van Antwerp.

Did not seek re-election

  • District 1: W. Amos Jones unsuccessfully sought the state house seat in Lauderdale County, [4] and died in August 1954. [5]
  • District 2: J. B. Richardson did not seek re-election.
  • District 3: Bill E. James did not seek re-election. James succeeded the late Sen. Ben Fant in a November 1952 special election after Fant's death from a heart attack. [6]
  • District 5: John B. Benson did not seek re-election.
  • District 6: Sam High unsuccessfully sought the state house seat in St. Clair County. [7]
  • District 7: Elvin McCary did not seek re-election.
  • District 8: Graham Wright did not seek re-election.
  • District 9: Bubber Johnson did not seek re-election.
  • District 10: C. T. Reneau did not seek re-election.
  • District 12: Ross Hollis did not seek re-election.
  • District 14: John H. Pinson unsuccessfully sought the second state house seat in Sumter County. [4]
  • District 15: Tom Phillips did not seek re-election.
  • District 17: A. E. Gamble Jr. unsuccessfully sought the first state house seat in Butler County. [4] Gamble succeeded T. Werth Thagard in September 1952, who was appointed to a circuit judgeship. [8]
  • District 18: Judson C. Locke won the first state house seat in Perry County. [4]
  • District 19: Robert Locke won the state house seat in Choctaw County. [4]
  • District 21: Jimmy Faulkner unsuccessfully ran for governor.
  • District 23: Mike Sollie III did not seek re-election.
  • District 24: Preston C. Clayton was appointed an Alabama Supreme Court justice in October 1953.
  • District 25: H. B. Larkins did not seek re-election.
  • District 26: Lawrence K. Andrews did not seek re-election.
  • District 27: John L. Whatley did not seek re-election.
  • District 29: Virgil M. Smith did not seek re-election.
  • District 30: George P. Quarles was appointed probate judge of Dallas County in September 1953. [9]
  • District 31: A. W. Todd won the Democratic nomination for Franklin County's state house seat, [4] but subsequently ran for Commissioner of Agriculture and won. [10]
  • District 32: Herbert B. Byars unsuccessfully sought the state house seat in Hale County. [4]
  • District 34: M. J. Norell did not seek re-election.
  • District 35: Carl S. Farmer did not seek re-election.

General election results

Every Democratic nominee won without any opposition on the general election ballot. [11]

Democratic primary results

Runoff results by district

Candidates in boldface advanced to the general election. An asterisk (*) denotes a runoff winner who trailed in the first round.

DistrictWinnerLoserTotal
CandidateVotes%CandidateVotes%VotesMaj.Mrg.
4thT. Herman Vann5,73852.50%Joe S. Foster (inc.)5,19247.50%10,930+546+5.00%
5thSmith C. Dyar*10,42250.81%T. C. Crain10,08949.19%20,511+333+1.62%
6thE. L. Roberts12,41753.14%Rowan S. Bones10,95046.86%23,367+1,467+6.28%
7thA. C. Shelton7,53059.71%Woodrow Howell5,08140.29%12,611+2,449+19.42%
14thAlbert Davis3,30459.82%Bob Langdon2,21940.18%5,523+1,085+19.65%
31stBerry Lynchmore Cantrell12,42866.22%Mac McKinney6,34133.78%18,769+6,087+32.43%
34thStaten Tate2,80568.85%Robert C. Smith1,26931.15%4,074+1,536+37.70%
Sources: Birmingham Post-Herald, [12] Piedmont Journal, [13] Pickens County Herald and West Alabamian [14]

Additionally, a runoff between Harlan G. Allen and Robert G. Werner was planned in District 3, but was cancelled after Werner withdrew, giving Allen the nomination. [15]

First round results by district

Candidates in boldface advanced to either the general election or a runoff, first-place winners with an asterisk (*) did not face a runoff.

DistrictFirst placeRunners-upOthersTotal
CandidateVotes%CandidateVotes%CandidateVotes%VotesMaj.Mrg.
1stMilton C. Grisham*9,97858.08%David U. Patton7,20341.92%———17,181+2,775+16.15%
2ndJoe Calvin*9,70853.75%Wallace H. Meadows8,35546.25%———18,063+1,353+7.49%
3rdHarlan G. Allen8,16942.41%Robert G. Werner4,64024.09%3 others [a] 6,45133.4919,260+3,529+18.32%
4thT. Herman Vann4,01536.39%Joe S. Foster (inc.)3,83234.74%Earl E. Cloud3,18528.87%11,032+183+1.66%
5thT. C. Crain7,78737.23%Smith C. Dyar6,80632.54%Olin C. Hearn6,32130.22%20,914+981+4.69%
6thE. L. Roberts12,06143.50%Rowan S. Bones9,44534.06%Birch Andersen6,22322.44%27,729+2,616+9.43%
7thA. C. Shelton6,84046.08%Woodrow Howell3,40522.94%2 others [b] 4,60030.99%14,845+3,435+23.14%
8thG. Kyser Leonard*8,81266.55%Ben S. Hosey4,42933.45%———13,241+4,383+33.10%
9thGeorge W. Yarbrough6,64850.70%Paul J. Hooton6,46449.30%———13,112+184+1.40%
10thBroughton Lamberth*10,69858.72%Thomas S. Bugg7,52041.28%———18,218+3,178+17.44%
11thE. W. Skidmore (inc.)*8,02350.003%Henry C. Bell4,77029.73%Woody Townsend3,25220.27%16,045+3,253+20.27%
12thReuben L. Newton*11,82450.39%Chester M. Black7,59932.38%Jodie Vickery4,04317.23%23,466+4,225+18.00%
13thAlbert Boutwell (inc.)*33,05752.64%John A. Jenkins29,73747.36%———62,794+3,320+5.29%
14thAlbert Davis3,40246.64%Bob Langdon2,19630.11%Roth E. Hook1,69623.25%7,294+1,206+16.53%
15thDave L. Yarbrough*7,32951.88%H. Grady Kelly6,79848.12%———14,127+531+3.76%
16thJoe B. Davis*1,16261.45%C. Mac Golson (inc.)72938.55%———1,891+433+22.90%
17thTully A. Goodwin*10,53155.83%Robert B. Albritton8,33044.17%———18,861+2,201+11.67%
18thH. P. James*4,68467.54%Francis Pratt2,25132.46%———6,935+2,433+35.08%
19thGerald Bradford*6,74652.26%Earl Tucker6,16247.74%———12,908+584+4.52%
20thE. O. Eddins (inc.)*2,51355.28%W. Clyde Waldrop2,03344.72%———4,546+480+10.56%
22ndRoland Cooper*1,48759.53%J. M. Bonner (inc.)1,01140.47%———2,498+476+19.06%
23rdNeil Metcalf5,53950.70%J. Albert Hughes5,38749.30%———10,926+152+1.39%
24thGeorge E. Little*3,13960.35%William H. Robertson1,60830.92%Christie G. Pappas4548.73%5,201+1,531+29.44%
25thBen Reeves*9,97958.96%J. Roy Crow6,94741.04%———16,926+3,032+17.91%
26thSam M. Engelhardt*3,35365.39%Henry Neill Segrest1,77534.61%———5,128+1,578+30.77%
27thJoseph W. Smith*7,55961.91%Jimmy Putnam4,65038.09%———12,209+2,909+23.83%
29thM. H. Moses*6,88957.76%Warren McSpadden5,03742.24%———11,926+1,852+15.53%
31stBerry Lynchmore Cantrell9,16640.96%Mac McKinney4,97522.23%2 others [c] 8,23736.81%22,378+4,191+18.73%
33rdGaret Van Antwerp*17,56758.62%Thomas A. Johnston (inc.)12,40241.38%———29,969+5,165+17.23%
34thStaten Tate5,37043.50%Robert C. Smith4,32935.06%J. C. Mims2,64721.44%12,346+1,041+8.43%
35thRichmond M. Flowers*5,70556.55%Dwight McInish4,38443.45%———10,089+1,321+13.09%
Source: Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1955 (p. 558–560)
  1. ↑ Elwood Rutledge: 4,447 votes, 23.09%; Bart J. Cowart: 1,561 votes, 8.10%; J. W. Ayres: 443 votes, 2.30%
  2. ↑ Tom Blake Howle: 3,109 votes, 20.94%; M. J. Williams: 1,491 votes, 10.04%
  3. ↑ Paul Coburn: 4,154 votes, 18.56%; J. K. Johnson: 4,083 votes, 18.25%

Nominated without opposition

The following candidates automatically won the Democratic nomination, as no opponent filed to run against them.

Republican candidate

Only one Republican, Warren Wallace Bailey, filed to run for the District 3 Senate seat against Democrat Harlan G. Allen. District 3 contained the counties of Blount, Cullman, and Winston, the latter of which being a Republican stronghold. He withdrew by September 8, leaving the Republicans with no state senate candidates. [1]

1951–1954 special elections

District 17

A special election in Senate District 17 (Butler–Conecuh–Covington) was triggered in September 1952 by the resignation of incumbent senator Senator T. Werth Thagard after being appointed to a circuit judgeship to succeed the late judge Arthur E. Gamble. The State Executive Democratic Committee chose Gamble's son, Arthur E. Gamble Jr., to succeed Thagard. [16] Gamble Jr. did not face any opposition in the general election. [17]

1952 Alabama Senate District 17 special general election
November 4, 1952
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Arthur E. Gamble Jr. Unopp.

District 3

A special election in Senate District 3 (Blount–Cullman–Winston) was triggered in July 1952 by the death of incumbent senator Ben Fant from a heart attack. Former state senator Bill E. James was nominated by the State Democratic Executive Committee in September 1952, [18] and subsequently defeated Republican newspaper editor Henry Arnold by a sizable margin at the November general election. [19]

1952 Alabama Senate District 17 special general election
November 4, 1952 (unofficial results)
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Bill E. James 8,507 63.38%
Republican Henry Arnold4,91536.62%
Total votes13,422 100.00%

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "19 Republicans On State Ballot Next Tuesday". The Montgomery Advertiser . 27 October 1954. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  2. ↑ "Favorites Win Easy Election To Leadership". The Montgomery Advertiser . 12 January 1955. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  3. ↑ "Senate Rotation Object of Bill". The Haleyville Advertiser . 16 August 1957. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Thomas, Rex (13 June 1963). "Return Scheduled By 49 Lawmakers". The Dothan Eagle . Associated Press . Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  5. ↑ "State Sen. W. Amos Jones Dies from Heart Attack". The Huntsville Times . Associated Press. 6 August 1954. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  6. ↑ "W. E. James Defeats Arnold For State Senate". The Southern Democrat. 6 November 1952. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  7. ↑ "Run-Off Candidates Get Set For June 1st Primary". St. Clair News-Aegis . 13 May 1954. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  8. ↑ "Demos Nominate Thagard For Judge". The Montgomery Advertiser . 14 September 1952. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  9. ↑ "George Quarles Named Dallas Probate Judge". The Montgomery Advertiser . 29 September 1963. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  10. ↑ "A. W. Todd to Become Head of State Office". Franklin Citizen-Times . 4 November 1954. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  11. ↑ Brannon, Peter A. (1955). Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1955. Montgomery, Alabama: Alabama Department of Archives and History. pp. 586–590. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  12. ↑ "Many Incumbent Legislators Ousted". Birmingham Post-Herald . 3 June 1954. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  13. ↑ "Shelton, Walker, Albea and Bagley winners for Senate, Tax Collector, and Legislative Representatives". Piedmont Journal . 4 June 1954. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  14. ↑ "Ralph Windle And Albert Davis Are Elected By Large Majority Tuesday". Pickens County Herald and West Alabamian. 3 June 1954. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  15. ↑ "Two Candidates Out Of Runoffs". The Selma Times-Journal . Associated Press. 11 May 1954. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  16. ↑ "Demos Nominate Thagard For Judge". The Montgomery Advertiser . 14 September 1952. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  17. ↑ "Butler Favors The Short Term". Greenville Advocate . 6 November 1952. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  18. ↑ "Will E. (Bill) James". The Haleyville Advertiser . 30 September 1952. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  19. ↑ "Cullman Attorney Wins State Senator's Seat". The Huntsville Times . Associated Press. 5 November 1963. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
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