On This Day in Alabama History: Gov. Chauncey Sparks Was Born

By Alabama NewsCenter Staff

When Chauncey Sparks began his four-year term as governor in 1943, he was considered fundamentally conservative. But it turned out that he was progressive on various issues, improving funding for education and agricultural research.

Sparks was born on Oct. 8, 1884, in Barbour County, Alabama, but was raised and attended school in Georgia. He received a Bachelor of Arts in 1907 and a law degree in 1910 from Mercer University in Macon. He returned to Barbour County, where he passed the Alabama Bar Exam and opened a law office in Eufaula.

During his second term in the Alabama Legislature, Sparks earned the title “the Barbour Bourbon” for his leadership in a group that became known as the “Economy Block.” This group of representatives fought income and state sales tax proposals. He sponsored a constitutional amendment to limit salaries of state officials to $6,000 a year and spoke out for a balanced budget.

Read the complete story on the Alabama NewsCenter website.

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