On this day in Alabama history: Chauncey Sparks died

Nov. 6, 1968 

Chauncey Sparks, who served as governor during the booming economy of the World War II years, died in Eufaula. A farmer and lawyer born in Barbour County, Sparks briefly served in the Legislature during the early 1920s but then left politics for a few years. After returning to the Legislature, he ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1938, and then won in 1942. Considered a relative progressive in office, he doubled state expenditures for education and also extended the length of the school year. Barred by state law from succeeding himself, Sparks’ term ended in 1947. He remained active in the Democratic Party and made one more, unsuccessful, run for governor in 1950.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Newly elected Gov. Chauncey Sparks greets supporters during his inauguration in Montgomery on January 19, 1943. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives and History)

Former Alabama Governor Frank M. Dixon, left, and newly elected Governor Chauncey Sparks in 1943. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives and History)

Chauncey Sparks failed in his bid for a second term as Alabama governor in 1950 and closed out his career practicing law in Eufaula, Barbour County. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives and History)

Chauncey Sparks, Governor of Alabama, 1943. (Glomerata, Auburn University, Wikipedia)

For more on Alabama’s bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.