Seth Gordon Persons (February 5, 1902 – May 29, 1965) was an American Democraticpolitician who was the 43rdGovernor of Alabama from 1951 to 1955. He was born and died in Montgomery, Alabama. The Dauphin Island Bridge south of Mobile is formally named for him. The Gordon Persons Building is a six floor, 60,000 square foot state government office building in Montgomery.[1]
Persons studied electrical engineering in college, leading to a very successful business running electrical lines in rural Alabama (benefiting from Rural Electrification Administration contracts); in addition to financial gain, he also won considerable popularity.
When running for office in 1950, Persons gained notoriety by touring the state in a helicopter (prompting one opponent to dub him "the man from Mars"). He won the Democratic nomination by defeating a crowded field that included former governor Chauncey Sparks. In office, his notable accomplishments included abolishing flogging in Alabama's prisons, advocating for the establishment of Alabama Public Television, and imposing speed limits on state highways. Persons largely accomplished his goal of having four years of "no fighting," maintaining a truce among the various wings of the state Democratic Party. At the end of his term, Persons ordered the National Guard into Phenix City after the assassination of Attorney-General-elect Albert Patterson.
After leaving office as governor, Persons never sought statewide public office again, but he made an unsuccessful run for circuit judge late in life.
Persons attended Auburn University for one year. While at Auburn, Persons served as president of a student organization (known as the "Boxcar Reds and Boxcar Blacks") that traveled to away football games.
gordon, persons, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, july, 2019. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Gordon Persons news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message Seth Gordon Persons February 5 1902 May 29 1965 was an American Democratic politician who was the 43rd Governor of Alabama from 1951 to 1955 He was born and died in Montgomery Alabama The Dauphin Island Bridge south of Mobile is formally named for him The Gordon Persons Building is a six floor 60 000 square foot state government office building in Montgomery 1 Seth Gordon Persons43rd Governor of AlabamaIn office January 15 1951 January 17 1955LieutenantJames AllenPreceded byJim FolsomSucceeded byJim FolsomPersonal detailsBorn 1902 02 05 February 5 1902Montgomery Alabama U S DiedMay 29 1965 1965 05 29 aged 63 Montgomery Alabama U S Resting placeGreenwood Cemetery in Montgomery AlabamaPolitical partyDemocraticSpouseAlice Boyd McKeithen m 1928 wbr Alma materAuburn UniversityPersons studied electrical engineering in college leading to a very successful business running electrical lines in rural Alabama benefiting from Rural Electrification Administration contracts in addition to financial gain he also won considerable popularity When running for office in 1950 Persons gained notoriety by touring the state in a helicopter prompting one opponent to dub him the man from Mars He won the Democratic nomination by defeating a crowded field that included former governor Chauncey Sparks In office his notable accomplishments included abolishing flogging in Alabama s prisons advocating for the establishment of Alabama Public Television and imposing speed limits on state highways Persons largely accomplished his goal of having four years of no fighting maintaining a truce among the various wings of the state Democratic Party At the end of his term Persons ordered the National Guard into Phenix City after the assassination of Attorney General elect Albert Patterson After leaving office as governor Persons never sought statewide public office again but he made an unsuccessful run for circuit judge late in life Persons attended Auburn University for one year While at Auburn Persons served as president of a student organization known as the Boxcar Reds and Boxcar Blacks that traveled to away football games References Edit Gordon Persons Building Exploring Montgomery Retrieved 2020 06 09 External links EditGordon Persons at Find a Grave Encyclopedia of Alabama biography of Persons Alabama Department of Archives National Governors AssociationParty political officesPreceded byJim Folsom Democratic nominee for Governor of Alabama1950 Succeeded byJim FolsomPolitical officesPreceded byJim Folsom Governor of Alabama1951 1955 Succeeded byJim Folsom Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gordon Persons amp oldid 1123049806, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
