| Braxton Bragg Comer | |
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33rd Governor of Alabama
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| In office 1907 – 1911 |
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| Lieutenant | Henry B. The Governor of the State of Alabama is the chief executive of the Government of Alabama The Governor has the power to execute Alabama 's laws and to call Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year This is a List of Lieutenant Governors of the US state of Alabama, 1868 to present Gray |
| Preceded by | William D. Jelks |
| Succeeded by | Emmet O'Neal |
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| Born | November 7, 1848 Barbour County, Alabama |
| Died | August 15, 1927 |
| Political party | Democratic |
Braxton Bragg Comer (November 7, 1848 – August 15, 1927) was an American Democratic politician who was the Governor of Alabama from 1907 to 1911. William Dorsey Jelks ( November 7, 1855 &ndash December 14, 1931) was an American Democratic Politician who was Emmet O'Neal ( September 23 1853 September 7, 1922) was an American Democratic Politician who was the Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 1848 ( MDCCCXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Barbour County Alabama is a County of the US state of Alabama. Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 1848 ( MDCCCXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person The Governor of Alabama is the head of the Executive branch of Alabama 's government and the Commander-in-chief of the state's military forces Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year
Comer was born at old Spring Hill, Barbour County, Alabama, the fourth son of John Fletcher and Catherine Drewry Comer. Barbour County Alabama is a County of the US state of Alabama. B. B. Comer began his education at the age of ten under the tutelage of E. N. Brown. In 1864 Comer went to the University of Alabama, but in April of 1865 was forced to leave when General John T. Croxton's troops burned the university. He then enrolled at the University of Georgia in Athens where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Literary Society, and attended for several years before transferring to Emory and Henry College in Virginia. The University of Georgia ( UGA) is a public research University located in Athens, Georgia, the oldest and largest of the Athens-Clarke County is a unified city-county in Georgia, US, in the northeastern part of the state at the intersection of U The Phi Kappa Literary Society is a Literary society, located at the University of Georgia in Athens Georgia. Emory & Henry College, which is affiliated with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church, is a small private Liberal arts college located in Washington The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state
In 1869 Comer graduated from Emory and Henry with A. B. and A. M. degrees. He then returned to Spring Hill and helped to manage the family property. In 1872 he married Eva Jane Harris of Cuthbert, Georgia. Cuthbert is a city in and the County seat of Randolph County, Georgia, United States. He then built a large home at Comer Station, Barbour County, Alabama, and continued his plantation and general store business. He grew corn and cotton primarily on what became a 30,000 acre plantation. Fundamentally a plantation is usually a large Farm or estate, especially in a tropical or semitropical country on which Cotton, Tobacco He also served on the Barbour County Commissioners Court from 1874-1880, helping to "redeem that county from Republican Party rule. " In 1885 he moved his family to Anniston, but continued to actively farm in Barbour County. Anniston is a city in Calhoun County in the state of Alabama, United States. In Anniston he joined S. B. Trapp in a grocery and commission business, Comer & Trapp. In 1890 he and his family moved to Birmingham, Alabama. Birmingham (ˈbɝmɪŋhæm is the largest City in the US state of Alabama and is the County seat of Jefferson County. After several other successful ventures, including the milling of flour and corn, he became president of City National Bank. In 1897 he began Avondale Mills in Birmingham, a cotton manufacturing firm. A cotton mill is a Factory housing spinning and Weaving Machinery Cotton was a leading sector in the Industrial Revolution, as cotton From that point forward he and his sons continuously expanded that company by acquiring other mills in Alabama, including those in Sycamore, Sylacauga, Pell City, Alexander City, and elsewhere. Talladega County is a County of the US state of Alabama. Its name comes from the Creek Indian town name Talatigi which means "border Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. Pell City is a city in St Clair County, Alabama, United States. Alexander City is a city in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States.
Comer was not content to limit his activities to business. In 1904 he successfully defeated the incumbent, John V. Smith, for the position as president of the State Railroad Commission. He ran on a platform favorable to shipping interests - limit the power of the railroads. In 1906 he successfully ran for the office of Governor, defeating Lieutenant Governor Russell M. A Lieutenant Governor is a high officer of state whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction Cunningham of Birmingham in the Democratic primary. The predominant issue in the campaign was that of railroad regulation. The Barbour County native then defeated Asa E. Stratton of the Republican Party and J. N. Abbott of the Socialist Party in the November 1906 election.
Comer's primary interests as governor were in the areas of railroad rate regulation, education and prohibition. Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, also known as Noble Experiment, refers to a Sumptuary law which prohibits Alcohol He played an active role in labor disputes. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming In terms of railroad legislation and regulation, he particularly wanted rates lowered and equalized with neighboring states such as Georgia. The Legislature complied, and thus Comer "secured the adoption of a strict code of laws to regulate railroad rates and practices in Alabama. " [Doster, "Comer, Smith, and Jones," 85]
These acts led to a long-running court battle with Milton H. Smith and the L & N Railroad in the federal courts. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Judge Thomas Goode Jones presided over the initial court decisions, rendering a decision favoring the railroads' interests. After a rancorous fight, the case was settled out of court by Governor O'Neal in 1914. One of the more important reforms to emerge under the leadership of the Governor Comer was the establishment of a State Board of Assessors to equalize taxation by equalizing property values throughout the state and establishing franchise taxes for businesses. This caused a dramatic rise in income into the state treasury.
The rise in state income led to Comer's program to improve education from the common school level through the university level. Appropriations were made to build rural schools, a program was launched to insure that every county had at least one high school, and increased appropriations were made to both the University of Alabama and the Alabama Polytechnic Institute in Auburn. Auburn University ( AU or Auburn) is a State university located in Auburn, Alabama, U Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2007 population of 54348 The nine agricultural schools, the normal schools and the Girl's Technical School at Montevallo also received more funds. normal school was a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers The University of Montevallo is a four-year Public university located in Montevallo, Alabama, USA In all areas the curriculum level was raised. He also led the movement to transfer the Alabama Boy's Industrial School to state control.
Also during his term, and under his leadership, a statewide prohibition law was enacted. The legislature enacted a child labor law that limited workers in cotton mills to the age of twelve and over and required children under the age of sixteen to attend school, but it received only lukewarm support from Comer. Child labor is the employment of Children at regular and sustained labour Also notable is Comer's role in the Alabama coal strike that began in July 1908. Strike action, often simply called a strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal by Employees to perform work. The governor sent in troops to protect nonunion miners on August 10 after much violence and destruction of property by both the strikers and the mine owners. Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body On August 26 Comer ordered the military to cut down the tents of the strikers. On August 30 Comer threatened to arrest every striking miner for vagrancy, thus ending the strike. See also Vagrancy (biology for an alternative use of the term
Comer also served a short time as a U. S. Senator in 1920, filling the unexpired term of John H. Bankhead. John Hollis Bankhead ( September 13 1842 – March 1 1920) was a U
B. B. and Eva Jane Comer had eight children: Sally Bailey, John Fletcher, James McDonald, Eva Mignon, Catherine, Braxton Bevelle, Eva, and Braxton Bragg, Jr. , and Hugh M. Comer. Eva Jane died on March 6, 1920 and B. B. died on August 15, 1927.
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William D. Jelks |
Governor of Alabama 1907–1911 |
Succeeded by Emmet O'Neal |
| Preceded by John H. Bankhead |
U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Alabama 1920 |
Succeeded by J. Thomas Heflin |
References
William Dorsey Jelks ( November 7, 1855 &ndash December 14, 1931) was an American Democratic Politician who was The Governor of Alabama is the head of the Executive branch of Alabama 's government and the Commander-in-chief of the state's military forces Emmet O'Neal ( September 23 1853 September 7, 1922) was an American Democratic Politician who was the John Hollis Bankhead ( September 13 1842 – March 1 1920) was a U Alabama was admitted to the Union on December 14 1819. Its Senate seats were declared vacant in March 1861, due to its James Thomas Heflin ( April 9 1869 &ndash April 22 1951) nicknamed "Cotton Tom" was a United States Senator from AlabamaDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic