Noble Jones Gregory (August 30, 1897 – September 26, 1971) was a

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 ...

, who represented

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

for eleven terms 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 1937 to 1959.

Biography

Gregory was born and raised in

Mayfield, Kentucky Mayfield is a home rule–class city and the county seat of Graves County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 10,017 as of the 2020 United States Census. History 19th century Mayfield is in the center of the Jackson Purchase, an eig ...

. One of his siblings was an older brother,

William Voris Gregory William Voris Gregory (October 21, 1877 – October 10, 1936) was an attorney and politician, serving as a United States representative from Kentucky from 1927 to his death in office. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Biography Gregory w ...

, who became a politician and US Congressman. The younger Gregory worked in various positions at the First National Bank of Mayfield from 1917 through 1936. From 1923 to 1936 he also served as secretary-treasurer of the Mayfield Board of Education. In 1936 William Voris Gregory was an incumbent already re-nominated by the Democratic Party for re-election in when he died on October 10 of that year. Noble Jones Gregory was nominated for his late brother's seat. In 1936 Gregory was elected to the

, representing Kentucky's 1st district in the far western part of the state. He was re-elected ten times, serving for 22 years during his eleven terms in the House. At this time, the Democratic primary was the only competitive contest in this part of the state, which overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates. Most blacks, who had previously supported the Republican Party, were still

disenfranchised Disfranchisement, also called disenfranchisement, or voter disqualification is the restriction of suffrage (the right to vote) of a person or group of people, or a practice that has the effect of preventing a person exercising the right to vote. D ...

. Gregory did not sign the 1956

Southern Manifesto The Declaration of Constitutional Principles (known informally as the Southern Manifesto) was a document written in February and March 1956, during the 84th United States Congress, in opposition to racial integration of public places. The manife ...

but voted against the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights legislation passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwigh ...

. In 1958 Gregory sought re-election to his seat but was defeated in the Democratic primary by

Frank Stubblefield Frank Albert Stubblefield (April 5, 1907 – October 14, 1977), a Democrat, represented Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives. Stubblefield was born and schooled in Kentucky and attended the University of Arizona for one yea ...

; he won the general election. After being defeated, Gregory returned to the banking and investment business in Mayfield. He is buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Mayfield.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory, Noble Jones 1897 births 1971 deaths People from Mayfield, Kentucky Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky 20th-century American politicians