John Jackson Sparkman was born in Morgan County Alabama in 1899. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor’s of Arts in 1921, a Bachelor’s of Laws in 1923, and a Master’s of Arts in History in 1924. He soon began work as a lawyer in Northern Alabama and by 1929 had been appointed as the U.S. Commissioner for Alabama’s Northern Judicial District in 1929. When the House seat opened in 1936, he ran as a Democrat and became the Representative for Alabama’s Eighth Congressional district. While serving in the House of Representatives, he was a part of the House Military Affairs Committee. While in the House, he also supported many of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal policies, breaking from the stance of many other Southern legislators at the time. He resigned from the House in 1946 and then served in the Senate until 1979. In 1952, during his time in the Senate, John Sparkman won the Democratic Vice Presidential nomination. Sparkman was the chairman of the Senate Banking and Currency Committee from 1967-1970 and was a chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs from 1970-1975. He was also chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee from 1975-1979 and was the first chairman of the Small Business Committee from 1950-1953 and 1955-1967.

Sparkman was a loyal Democrat during his time in office and was often considered fairly liberal, despite his opposition to civil rights legislation. Although he signed the Southern Manifesto of 1956 which opposed desegregation efforts, and opposed the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1964, he voiced strong support for workers’ unions, educational aid, public housing, hospital funding, public-works spending, small businesses, and higher minimum wages. During his time in office, he also helped develop the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville in 1941 and was an avid supporter of the space program. He also supported the Tennessee Valley Authority and the infrastructure the TVA would bring to Alabama.

John Sparkman died in 1985, only six years after resigning from the Senate and after 42 years in Congress.

Sources: https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/john-j-sparkman/ https://www.senate.gov/senators/FeaturedBios/Featured_Bio_SparkmanJohn.htm