Leven Handy Ellis (April 6, 1881 – January 4, 1968) was an American
politician who served as the
15th lieutenant governor of
Alabama from 1943 to 1947.
Ellis was born in
Nixburg, in
Coosa County, Alabama. He obtained a B.Ped. degree from
Troy Normal School in 1907, and a
Bachelor of Law
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
degree from the
University of Alabama School of Law in 1909. Ellis practiced law in
Columbiana, Alabama. He served as a state senator from 1927 to 1931, a representative 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 ...
from 1936 to 1943, and a mayor of Columbiana for two terms.
In 1948, Ellis served as an Alabama delegate at the
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...
. After
Hubert Humphrey's address, Ellis led 13 members of the Alabama delegation (that was also joined by the entire Mississippi delegation) in a walkout, leading to the creation of the short-lived
Dixiecrat
The States' Rights Democratic Party (whose members are often called the Dixiecrats) was a short-lived segregationist political party in the United States, active primarily in the South. It arose due to a Southern regional split in opposition t ...
political party.
References
External links
Biography by the Alabama Department of Archives & History
Lieutenant Governors of Alabama
People from Columbiana, Alabama
People from Coosa County, Alabama
1881 births
1968 deaths
Troy University alumni
Democratic Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives
Alabama Dixiecrats
Alabama lawyers
20th-century American politicians
20th-century American lawyers
Old Right (United States)
University of Alabama School of Law alumni
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