William Jackson Edwards (September 20, 1928 – September 27, 2019) was an
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
lawyer and politician who represented the
1st Congressional district in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
from 1965 to 1985. A
Republican, Edwards first won election to Congress in 1964, one of five Republicans elected to the House from Alabama amid Republican presidential nominee
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...
's sweep of the state in that year's presidential election.
During
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
's presidency, Edwards became the
vice chairman of the Republican leadership and was a member of the
United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. He oversaw the funding for the rebuilding efforts of Alabama's
Dauphin Island Bridge
The Dauphin Island Bridge, formally the Gordon Persons Bridge, carries a , two-lane section of Alabama State Route 193 from mainland Mobile County, Alabama across the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to Dauphin Island. The natural channel followed by ...
in 1979.
Early life and education
William Jackson Edwards III was born near
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, Alabama in 1928. His father, William Jackson Edwards Jr. (1908-1996), had grown up in
Decatur, Alabama and worked for the
Rural Electrification Administration
The United States Rural Utilities Service (RUS) administers programs that provide infrastructure or infrastructure improvements to rural communities. These include water and waste treatment, electric power, and telecommunications services. it is ...
at various jobs and receiving promotions until he headed the engineering department. Young Jack also knew and shared his formal name with his long-lived grandfather, William Jackson Edwards (1872-1961). He had a sister, Julia Caroline Edwards Brock, and grew up in
Homewood, Alabama
Homewood is a city in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham, located on the other side of Red Mountain (Birmingham), Red Mountain due south of the city ...
during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. His great-grandfather was Perry Jackson Edwards (1847-1919) of Decatur, Alabama (nicknamed "Captain Jack"), who rose to become chief inspector of the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.
Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...
. Young Jack also knew his long-lived great uncle Perry Jackson Edwards (1895-1980). When young Jack was 17, he joined the
U.S. Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through comb ...
and served until 1951 (as the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
began).
His great-great grandfather,
William F. Aldrich
William Farrington Aldrich (March 11, 1853 – October 30, 1925) was an American politician and a U.S. Representative from Alabama. He was brother of Truman Heminway Aldrich and great-great-grandfather of William J. Edwards.
Biography
Aldr ...
, had been the last Republican congressman from the state, serving (with a few months' break) from 1896 to 1901.
He attended the
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...
and became the president of the Student Government Association, then attended the
University of Alabama School of Law, graduating in 1954.
[Erickson]
Legal career
After becoming a member of the Alabama Bar, Edwards eventually moved to
Point Clear
Point Clear is a village in the civil parish of St Osyth, south-west of the village of St Osyth and on the other side of St Osyth Creek, a branch of the Colne Estuary in the Tendring district, in the county of Essex, England. In 2018 it had an ...
, a suburb of
Mobile and opened a law practice there. He became president of the Mobile Area
Jaycees
The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training, service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI) ...
and in 1961 was named one of the Outstanding Young Men in America by the national Jaycees organization. Edwards also served as president of the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo as well as chairman of America's Junior Miss Pageant.
Beginning in 1960, he advised Mobile's Planning Commission's Transportation Policy Committee.
Congressional career
In November 1964, Edwards defeated
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
John M. Tyson Sr.
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
and Mobile activist Noble Beasley to become the U.S. Congressman representing
Alabama's 1st congressional district
Alabama's 1st congressional district is a United States congressional district in Alabama, which elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. It includes the entirety of Washington, Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia and Mon ...
.
Alabama had lost one of its nine seats after the 1960 federal census, and after a statewide vote, the first district's Democratic incumbent,
Frank Boykin
Frank William Boykin Sr. (February 21, 1885 – March 12, 1969) served as a Democratic Congressman in Alabama's 1st congressional district from 1935-1963. The son of sharecroppers, Boykin became the wealthiest man in Mobile, although his entrep ...
, a 28-year congressional veteran recently again implicated in a corruption scandal, had been the lowest vote-getter and thus
redistricted out of his office. Since Alabama could not actually lose its first district, Tyson (a lawyer like Edwards and who served in both houses of the
Alabama legislature
The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the House of Representatives and Senate. It is one of the few state legislatures in which members of both chambers serv ...
) had become his party's candidate after the Democratic primary in which he defeated
Clara Stone Fields, the only woman in the
Alabama legislature
The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the House of Representatives and Senate. It is one of the few state legislatures in which members of both chambers serv ...
during that decade.
Edwards became one of five Republicans elected to the House from Alabama (the others being
James D. Martin
James Douglas Martin (September 1, 1918 – October 30, 2017) was an American politician.
Martin was born in Tarrant, Alabama. He served as a member for the 7th district of Alabama of the United States House of Representatives
The U ...
,
John Hall Buchanan
John Hall Buchanan Jr. (March 19, 1928 – March 5, 2018) was an American politician who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1965 to 1981, representing Alabama's 6th congressiona ...
,
Glenn Andrews
Arthur Glenn Andrews (January 15, 1909 – September 25, 2008) was an American politician and a United States representative from Alabama.
Biography
Andrews was born in Anniston in Calhoun County in North Alabama, a son of Roger Lee Andrews an ...
, and
William Louis Dickinson
William Louis "Bill" Dickinson (June 5, 1925 – March 31, 2008), was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, Dickinson served in the United States House of Representatives for Alabama's 2nd congressional district from 1965 to ...
) amid Republican presidential nominee
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...
's sweep of the state in that year's presidential election.
Edwards defeated
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
John Tyson, Sr. by 19 points. He went on to be reelected nine times and served alongside five American presidents.
The Mobile area's voters, like most of their counterparts in Alabama, turned against the Democrats after
Lyndon Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
signed the
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...
. Edwards also picked up long coattails from Goldwater, who carried the district by well over 70 percent of the vote.
Although most of the 1st's living residents had never been represented by a Republican before, Edwards became very popular in his district, to the point that he would never face a close contest for reelection. He only dropped below 59 percent of the vote once, in 1968.
During his time in Congress, Edwards worked for development of the
Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and served on the House Appropriations Committee as well as became the ranking Republican on the Defense subcommittee.
Reportedly President Ronald Reagan's point man to improve national defense, Edwards also led efforts to establish both the
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located in five separate units in Baldwin and Mobile Counties, United States, directly west of Gulf Shores, Alabama on the Fort Morgan Peninsula. The refuge serves as a resting an ...
and the
Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve The Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is a field laboratory and research facility along Weeks Bay estuary, about in size. It receives freshwater from the Magnolia and Fish Rivers, and drains a watershed into the portion of Mobile Ba ...
.
During Reagan's presidency, he became the vice chairman of the House Republican conference leadership. He was the ranking Republican member on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
After serving on the committee for ten years, he had become a national defense expert.
He was also a member of the House Banking Committee.
From 1973 to 1985, he was co-host of the ''
Gulf Coast Congressional Report
''The Gulf Coast Congressional Report'', or ''Congressional Report'', is a public service television program broadcast by WKRG-TV in Mobile, Alabama from 1973 to 2006. Originally hosted by Representatives from the three congressional districts w ...
,'' which aired on
WKRG-TV in Mobile.
According to the Alabama governor's office, Edwards was a strong supporter of Reagan's military buildup. In 1979, after a devastating hurricane, Alabama's
Dauphin Island
Dauphin Island is an island town in Mobile County, Alabama, United States, on a barrier island of the same name, in the Gulf of Mexico. It incorporated in 1988. The population was 1,778 at the 2020 census, up from 1,238 at the 2010 census. The t ...
bridge had to be rebuilt, and Edwards oversaw the funding.
Later years
Edwards announced he would not run again in 1984, and Vice-President
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
spoke at his retirement dinner. Edwards then joined the Hand Arendall law firm, where he practiced law for another two decades.
in 1988, he chaired the
Base Realignment and Closure Commission
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process by a United States federal government commission to increase United States Department of Defense efficiency by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the end o ...
.
Edwards continued his civic involvement in Mobile, becoming as chairman of the board of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as serving on various boards of trustees, including of the
University of Alabama System, his alma mater (from 1988 til 1999), and became its president after his retirement from the law firm.
He was a member on the boards of the Mobile Opera, Mobile Economic Development Council and the Mayor's Waterfront Advisory Committee, among others.
From 1987 to 1996, he served on the board of the
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. In 1988, he served as co-chairman of the Secretary of Defense's first commission, known as the
1988 Base Realignment and Closure Commission The 1988 Base Realignment and Closure Commission preliminary list was released by the United States Department of Defense in 1988 as part of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. It recommended closing 17 major United States military bases.
...
(BRAC I).
In his final years Edwards, worked in the areas of constitutional reform, education, the environment and economic development in the
Mobile area. He also served on the corporate boards of several companies such as
The Southern Company
Southern Company is an American gas and electric utility holding company based in the southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with executive offices also located in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is the second largest ...
,
Holcim Inc.,
Northrop Grumman Corporation, QMS Inc.,
Dravo Corporation and
The Aerospace Corporation.
According to Alabama governor
Kay Ivey, Edwards was respected by both Democrats and Republicans.
Awards
In 1987, Edwards was named Alabama's Volunteer Industrial Developer of the Year. In 1985, he was inducted into the
Alabama Academy of Honor The Alabama Academy of Honor recognizes one hundred living Alabamians for outstanding accomplishments and services to Alabama and the United States. . By act of the Alabama Legislature, only one hundred living people may be members at any time. Up t ...
.
In 1987, he was named Mobilian of the Year.
In 2005, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...
's College of Communications and Information Sciences.
Death
Edwards died of
pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...
at his home in
Fairhope, Alabama, on September 27, 2019, seven days after his 91st birthday. Alabama governor
Kay Ivey said Edwards "served his state and nation with the highest degree of integrity" and said flags at the
Alabama State Capitol would be flown at
half-staff
Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salut ...
in his honor.
A statement released by Edwards' family quoted him as having said "My hope is that my great grandchildren will grow up in a country where civility will have been returned to common discourse and to the efforts to solve the country’s problems."
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Jack
1928 births
2019 deaths
20th-century American lawyers
20th-century American politicians
United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War
Deaths from cancer in Alabama
Deaths from pancreatic cancer
Lawyers from Birmingham, Alabama
Lawyers from Mobile, Alabama
Military personnel from Birmingham, Alabama
Military personnel from Mobile, Alabama
Politicians from Mobile, Alabama
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama
United States Marines
University of Alabama alumni
Members of Congress who became lobbyists