Joseph Weldon Bailey
| Joseph Weldon Bailey, Sr. | |
|---|---|
 Joseph Bailey c. 1910 to 1915 |
|
| Born | October 6, 1862 Crystal Springs, Copiah County, Mississippi, USA |
| Died | April 13, 1929 (aged 66) Sherman, Texas |
| Resting place | Fairview Cemetery in Gainesville, Texas |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Mississippi |
| Occupation | Lawyer and politician |
| Political party | Democrat |
Joseph Weldon Bailey, Sr. (October 6, 1862 – April 13, 1929), was a United States Senator, United States Representative, lawyer, and a Populist political figure. He served as a Congressional Representative between 1891 and 1901, and as the House minority leader from 1897 until 1899. In 1901, he was elected to the United States Senate, serving until 1913.
Biography [edit]
Born in Crystal Springs in Copiah County outside Jackson, Mississippi, Bailey attended the University of Mississippi at Oxford, where in 1879 he joined the prestigious Delta Psi fraternity (AKA St. Anthony Hall). Bailey was admitted to the bar in Mississippi in 1883. He moved to Gainesville in north Texas in 1885, where he continued to practice law.
He had been politically active as a Democrat in both Mississippi and his new home and had a reputation as an excellent public speaker. He was elected to the House in 1891, and to the U.S. Senate in 1901. As the Minority leader of the United States House of Representatives in the 1890s, he exerted great influence on his colleagues.[1]
His political career was tarnished by an assault against Senator Albert J. Beveridge, an Indiana Republican. Subsequent investigations brought to light suspicious income and financial ties that Bailey had to the burgeoning oil industry. He was regarded as a great populist orator, even influencing three-time presidential nominee, William Jennings Bryan, in some aspects of political philosophy. Nevertheless, financial allegations against Bailey in 1906 threatened his reelection to the Senate, a task then the prerogative of the Texas legislature, rather than party voters.[1]
After his defeat by Pat M. Neff in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 1920, Bailey moved to Dallas to practice law. In 1929, he died in a courtroom in Sherman, Texas.
References [edit]
- ^ a b Caro, Robert A. (1990). The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The path to power. Vintage Books. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-679-72945-7. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
External links [edit]
- BAILEY, Joseph Weldon at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Joseph Weldon Bailey from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Joseph Weldon Bailey at Find-A-Grave
- early photo
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by New Title |
House Minority Leader 1897–1899 |
Succeeded by James D. Richardson Tennessee |
| Preceded by Silas Hare |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 5th congressional district 1891–1901 |
Succeeded by Choice B. Randell |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by Horace Chilton |
U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Texas 1901–1911 |
Succeeded by Rienzi M. Johnston |
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- 1862 births
- 1929 deaths
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas
- Minority Leaders of the United States House of Representatives
- People from Copiah County, Mississippi
- United States Senators from Texas
- Democratic Party United States Senators
- Texas Democrats
- People from Gainesville, Texas
- People from Dallas, Texas
- University of Mississippi alumni
- Texas lawyers
