Joseph Charles McCorquodale, Jr. (December 2, 1920 – April 17, 2017) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from

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 ...

, who served as the Speaker of the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency contai ...

and unsuccessfully ran for

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

on the basis of the "McCorquodale plan" for Alabama. He was a member of

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. He was born in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

. A native of

Clarke County Clarke County may refer to: ;Places *One of five counties in the United States: **Clarke County, Alabama **Clarke County, Georgia **Clarke County, Iowa **Clarke County, Mississippi **Clarke County, Virginia Clarke County is a county in the Com ...

, he graduated from Marion Military Institute, and 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 ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

in the China-Burma-India and Pacific Theaters. He was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1959 (92nd district). He served on the Interim Committee, on Finance and Taxation, the Fiscal Advisory Committee to the Governor, the Legislative Council, as vice-chairman of the Legislative Committee on Public Accounts, as co-chairman Alabama Constitutional Commission, the Coosa Valley, Tombigbee Valley and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authorities, the Alabama Historical Commission, and the Study Commission on Alabama's Judicial System. McCorquodale was honored by Capitol Press Corps as the ''Hardest Working Member of the House'' (1967) and ''Outstanding Member of the House'' (1971. He served as a Speaker from 1971 to 1983. He sought Democratic nomination for

Governor of Alabama A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

in 1982. His main opponent were former Governor

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist and ...

and

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

George McMillan. McCorquodale finished third with 250,614 (25.05%) of votes. Wallace defeated McMillan in runoff and won the general election easily. He decided to not seek re-election in 1982 in order to concentrate of his gubernatorial Bid. He was succeeded by fellow Democrat Harrell Blakeney. He was an owner of McCorquodale Insurance Agency, is president of Overstreet and McCorquodale Forest Products, Inc., and chairman of the Board of the Washington County State Bank. He was also church school superintendent and chairman of the Official Board of the First United Methodist Church in Jackson. He was married to the former Betty McCrary and is the father of two sons, Joseph, III, and Gaines C. McCorquodale, and the grandfather of four. He died on 17 April 2017 at the age of 96.

Electoral history (incomplete)

State House, 92nd district *Joe McCorquodale (D), (inc.) - 4,967 (100.00%) Democratic primaries for Governor, 1982 *

- 425,469 (42.53%) * George McMillan - 296,271 (29.62%) *Joe McCorquodale - 250,614 (25.05%) *

Jim Folsom James Elisha Folsom, Sr. (October 9, 1908 – November 21, 1987), commonly known as Jim Folsom or Big Jim Folsom, was an American politician who served as the 42nd governor of the U.S. state of Alabama, having served from 1947 to 1951, and ag ...

- 17,333 (1.73%) * Reuben McKinley - 10,617 (1.06%)

References

Brief profile and electoral results
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCorquodale, Joe 1920 births 2017 deaths Democratic Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces soldiers University of Alabama alumni Marion Military Institute alumni Speakers of the Alabama House of Representatives People from Clarke County, Alabama Politicians from Mobile, Alabama Military personnel from Mobile, Alabama

Electoral history (incomplete)

See also

References