Aug. 7, 1912

Andrew Jackson Bethea (1892-1928) attended Phillips High School and while still a junior became a reporter for the Birmingham Age-Herald. He married Alice Sixbey on Aug. 7, 1912, and four years later he was named city editor of the Birmingham Ledger. In 1921, Bethea became managing editor of the Birmingham Post, focusing his reporting on political corruption in the city. He wrote five novels in his brief lifetime, including “Half-Gods,” which was serialized in Collier’s magazine. “The Deep Seam” in 1925 and “Honor Bound” in 1927 were about the coal mining industry, and both were later adapted into movies. “Cotton” in 1928 was about agriculture in Alabama. Suffering health problems, Bethea committed suicide by hanging himself on July 2, 1928.

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