Voting Station

John Sparkman

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U.S. Senator

The Resume

    (December 20, 1899-November 16, 1985)
    Born in Hartselle, Alabama
    Middle name was Jackson
    United States Senator from Alabama (November 6, 1946 – January 3, 1979)
    Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 8th district (January 3, 1937 – November 6, 1946)
    Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President in the 1952 presidential election

Why he might be annoying:

    He looked like Piers Morgan.
    He was a segregationist proponent during the Civil Rights era.
    He regularly voted against civil rights legislation and condemned the Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education, calling it 'judicial usurpation.'
    He signed the 1956 Southern Manifesto, which pledged opposition to racial integration and promised to use 'all lawful means' to fight the ruling that put court power behind the integration of public institutions.
    As a fervent opponent to global communism, he supported the use of American military force to contain it, including the wars in Korea and Vietnam.
    His growing conservatism in the late 60's resulted in Republicans unsuccessfully trying to move to his right to defeat his reelection bids (cue the 'Southern shift').
    He left the Committee on Banking and Currency, in 1975, to head the prestigious Committee on Foreign Relations.
    His leadership of the committee proved so poor, mainly due to his age and cognitive decline, that he opted against running for reelection in 1978 and retired from public life the following year.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He helped establish Marshall Space Flight Center.
    He served as the House Majority Whip in 1946.
    He established a legal practice in Huntsville, Alabama after graduating from the University of Alabama School of Law.
    He promoted legislation to stimulate the post-war housing boom, including President Harry Truman’s 1949 Housing Act.
    He helped pass legislation to fund public transportation systems.
    He served on the Foreign Relations Committee during most of his Senate career.
    He lost as Adlai Stevenson's (pictured) running mate, who went on to lose again with a <22498>different running mate in 1956.
    He became the longest-serving Senator from Alabama in 1977.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 15 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying