George M. Grant
George McInvale Grant (July 11, 1897 – November 4, 1982) was a Democratic Representative from Alabama.
George M. Grant | |
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 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's at-large district | |
| In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1965 | |
| Preceded by | District inactive |
| Succeeded by | District inactive |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 2nd district | |
| In office June 14, 1938 – January 3, 1963 | |
| Preceded by | J. Lister Hill |
| Succeeded by | District inactive |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George McInvale Grant July 11, 1897 Louisville, Alabama |
| Died | November 4, 1982 (aged 85) Washington, D.C. |
| Political party | Democratic |
Early life
Grant was born in Louisville, Alabama. He obtained a law degree from University of Alabama in 1922. He was admitted to the bar the same year and opened a law practice in Troy, Alabama, near Montgomery.
He was a private and aviation cadet in the aviation section of the Signal Corps of the United States Army in 1918 and 1919. He was county solicitor (district attorney) of Pike County, Alabama from 1927 to 1937.
Political career
When Representative Lister Hill was appointed to the US Senate in 1938, Grant won the Democratic nomination to succeed him in the special election. Then, Democratic nomination was tantamount to election in Alabama, and he took office on June 14. He won a full term that November and was reelected 11 more times from the Montgomery-based district. Having signed the 1956 Southern Manifesto that opposed the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education, in 1957 he voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.[1]
In 1964, Grant faced his first credible opponent in the Democratic primary when former Rear Admiral John G. Crommelin challenged him. Crommelin ran well to Grant's right, giving speeches full of racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric. Grant managed to fend him off, but in November, he faced a Republican for the first time ever in William Louis Dickinson. Grant lost by a shocking 25-point margin, which was all the more remarkable since most of the district's living residents had never been represented by a Republican. However, most of the 2nd's residents turned against the Democrats because of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a major factor behind Barry Goldwater carrying the state that year. The 2nd District remained in Republican hands until 2008 and regained it in 2010.
Later life
Grant returned to his law practice in Troy, but later moved to Washington, D.C. and became a lobbyist. He lived in Washington until the time of his death on November 4, 1982, at sea, aboard the Queen Elizabeth II. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.
References
- United States Congress. "George M. Grant (id: G000381)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by J. Lister Hill |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 2nd congressional district June 14, 1938 – January 3, 1963 |
Succeeded by District inactive |
| Preceded by District inactive |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's at-large congressional district January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1965 |
Succeeded by District inactive |
Authority control  |
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