John William Abercrombie (May 17, 1866 – July 2, 1940) was

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

and a member of 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

Biography

Abercrombie was born in St. Clair County, Alabama, near Kellys Creek Post Office, in 1866. He was the son of Henry M. and Sarah A. (Kendrick) Abercrombie. He attended rural schools, and ultimately graduated from Oxford College (Alabama) in Alabama in 1866. He went on to receive a degree in law from the

in 1888. He was admitted to the bar that same year. On January 8, 1891, he married Rose Merrill.

Career

Abercrombie practiced in

Cleburne County, Alabama Cleburne County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,056. Its county seat is Heflin. Its name is in honor of Patrick R. Cleburne of Arkansas who rose to the ...

through 1890. He also served as a high school principal, city school superintendent, and college president from 1888 through 1898.''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-1989: Bicentennial Edition.'' United States: Government Printing Office, 1989. Elected to the

Alabama Senate The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district conta ...

, Abercrombie served from 1896 through 1898. He then served the state as the state superintendent of education from 1898 to 1902. In 1902 he was made the President of the University of Alabama and he served in that capacity until 1911. In 1912, Abercrombie was elected from the

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 ...

to the United States House of Representatives, where he served from March 4, 1913, to March 3, 1917. He went on to serve as Solicitor of Labor and Acting Secretary in the

United States Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemploy ...

from 1918 through 1920. In 1920, he was elected the Superintendent of Education in Alabama.

Death

Abercrombie resided in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

, where he died on July 2, 1940 (age 74 years, 46 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at Greenwood Cemetery, Montgomery, Alabama. He was a Freemason and a member of

Scottish Rite The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in the United States often omits the ''and'', while the English Constitution in the United Kingdom omits the ''Scottish''), commonly known as simply the S ...

, as well as the

Kappa Alpha Order Kappa Alpha Order (), commonly known as Kappa Alpha or simply KA, is a social fraternity and a fraternal order founded in 1865 at Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia. As of December 2015, the Kappa Alph ...

(collegiate social fraternity);

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

(collegiate honor society); Knights of Pythias; Woodmen; and

Kiwanis Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. Since 1987, the organizati ...

References

External links

*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abercrombie, John 1866 births 1940 deaths Democratic Party Alabama state senators People from Cleburne County, Alabama Politicians from Montgomery, Alabama People from St. Clair County, Alabama Presidents of the University of Alabama University of Alabama School of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama Lawyers from Montgomery, Alabama