1962 Alabama Senate election
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The 1966 Alabama Senate election took place on Tuesday, November 8, 1966, to elect 35 representatives to serve four-year terms in the Alabama Senate. Across the 35 districts, only 6 seats were actually at stake in the November general election. As the Democratic Party was dominant in the state, state legislative seats were generally decided at the Democratic primary election. This was the first Senate election since a federal court ordered the first legislative reapportionment in the state since 1901.
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November 6, 1962
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All 35 seats in the Alabama State Senate 18 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Winners by vote share Democratic: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Unopposed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Democratic primaries were held on May 1 with a runoff on May 29. Due to late-term redistricting in July 1962, two special Democratic primaries had to be held on August 28 with runoffs on September 11. In the new District 22 (Blount–St. Clair), no candidate from either county won a Senate nomination in the regular Democratic primary, and the new District 30 (Dallas–Lowndes) had its regular primary in Lowndes County voided.[1]
At the beginning of the 1963 session, George C. Hawkins of Etowah was unanimously elected president pro tempore.[2]
Redistricting
For the 1962 election, the legislature adopted a new state senate map, the first reapportionment since 1901. A few counties were swapped around, but rural areas of the state still had an overwhelming advantage in terms of representation.[3] The legislature would be forced to create a fairer senate map which would be in force by the 1966 general election.
Counties shuffled
Counties in italics were removed from the district, and counties in boldface were added. Districts and counties not listed here were not affected in the redistricting. 11 districts had their boundaries changed as a result of 8 county shuffles.
| District | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Blount–Cullman–Winston | Cullman–Winston |
| 6th | Etowah–St. Clair | Etowah |
| 12th | Fayette–Lamar–Walker | Fayette–Walker |
| 14th | Pickens–Sumter | Lamar–Pickens |
| 16th | Lowndes | Monroe–Wilcox |
| 20th | Marengo | Marengo–Sumter |
| 21st | Baldwin–Escambia–Monroe | Baldwin–Escambia |
| 22nd | Wilcox | Blount–St. Clair |
| 24th | Barbour | Barbour–Pike |
| 25th | Coffee–Crenshaw–Pike | Coffee–Crenshaw |
| 30th | Dallas | Dallas–Lowndes |
Deviation
The table below will show the most-populated and least-populated senate districts under the 1901 and 1962 apportionment plans. The population of Alabama at the 1960 census was 3,266,740, with an ideal population of 93,335 people under a 35-district plan.
| Plan | District | Population | % of ideal | Diff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | Jefferson | 634,864 | 680.20% | 41.17 |
| Lowndes | 15,417 | 16.52% | ||
| 1962 | Jefferson | 634,864 | 680.20% | 20.01 |
| Bibb–Perry | 31,715 | 33.98% | ||
Summary
| Party | Candidates | Seats | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Num. | Vote | % | Before | Won | +/– | ||||
| Democratic | 35 | 281,022 | 90.18% | 35 | 35 |  | |||
| Republican | 6 | 30,566 | 9.81% | 0 | 0 | | |||
| Write-in | 25 | 0.01% | — | 0 | | ||||
| Total | 41 | 311,613 | 100% | 35 | 35 | | |||
Incumbents
| District | Incumbent | Party | Elected Senator | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bert Haltom | Dem | Ed Norton | Dem | ||
| 2nd | Robert R. Berryman | Dem | Bob Gilchrist | Dem | ||
| 3rd | Elwood Rutledge | Dem | Harlan G. Allen | Dem | ||
| 4th | Billy Laxson[a] | Dem | Roscoe O. Roberts | Dem | ||
| 5th | D. Donald Word | Dem | Clayton Carter | Dem | ||
| 6th | Ray Wyatt | Dem | George C. Hawkins | Dem | ||
| 7th | A. C. Shelton | Dem | A. C. Shelton | Dem | ||
| 8th | G. Kyser Leonard | Dem | Bill Nichols | Dem | ||
| 9th | Bill Hines | Dem | Julian Lowe | Dem | ||
| 10th | Upshaw G. Jones[b] | Dem | Sonny Hornsby | Dem | ||
| 11th | Ryan deGraffenried Sr. | Dem | Bill McCain | Dem | ||
| 12th | Woodrow Roberts | Dem | Bob Wilson | Dem | ||
| 13th | Larry Dumas | Dem | Larry Dumas | Dem | ||
| 14th | Aubrey Green | Dem | Gaillard Robison | Dem | ||
| 15th | Joe Graham | Dem | Jimmy McDow | Dem | ||
| 16th | Carl Golson | Dem | Roland Cooper | Dem | ||
| 17th | Bob Kendall | Dem | H. B. Taylor | Dem | ||
| 18th | Norman Crawford | Dem | H. P. James | Dem | ||
| 19th | Dennis Porter | Dem | Albert H. Evans | Dem | ||
| 20th | E. O. Eddins | Dem | E. O. Eddins | Dem | ||
| 21st | Douglas Webb | Dem | L. W. Brannon | Dem | ||
| 22nd | Roland Cooper | Dem | Roland Cooper | Dem | ||
| 23rd | Rufus Barnett | Dem | Neil Metcalf | Dem | ||
| 24th | Jimmy Clark | Dem | Jimmy Clark | Dem | ||
| 25th | Alton Turner | Dem | W. Ray Lolley | Dem | ||
| 26th | Snag Andrews | Dem | Ed Reynolds | Dem | ||
| 27th | Yetta Samford | Dem | Joseph W. Smith | Dem | ||
| 28th | Vaughn Hill Robison | Dem | Vaughn Hill Robison | Dem | ||
| 29th | George Godfrey | Dem | Kenneth Hammond | Dem | ||
| 30th | Walter C. Givhan | Dem | Walter C. Givhan | Dem | ||
| 31st | Hugh Moses | Dem | W. Emmett Oden | Dem | ||
| 32nd | Flute Wilson | Dem | Charles A. Montgomery | Dem | ||
| 33rd | Will Caffey | Dem | John M. Tyson | Dem | ||
| 34th | John Gaither | Dem | Pete Mathews | Dem | ||
| 35th | Carl Farmer | Dem | Charlie Adams | Dem | ||
Won re-election
- District 7: A. C. Shelton (Democratic) won re-election.
- District 13: Larry Dumas (Democratic) won re-election.
- District 20: E. O. Eddins (Democratic) won re-election.
- District 22: Roland Cooper (Democratic) won re-election.
- District 24: Jimmy Clark (Democratic) won re-election.
- District 28: Vaughn Hill Robison (Democratic) won re-election.
- District 30: Walter C. Givhan (Democratic) won re-election.
Eliminated in primary
- District 8: G. Kyser Leonard (Democratic) lost re-nomination to Bill Nichols.
- District 16: Carl Golson (Democratic) appeared to lose the regular Democratic primary and attempted to contest the election; withdrew contest after new legislative maps were put in place.
Did not seek re-election
- District 1: Bert Haltom (Democratic) unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor.
- District 2: Robert R. Berryman (Democratic) unsuccessfully ran for the House seat in Lawrence County.
- District 3: Elwood Rutledge (Democratic) retired.
- District 4: Billy Laxson (Democratic) retired.
- District 5: D. Donald Word (Democratic) retired.
- District 6: Ray Wyatt (Democratic) retired.
- District 9: Bill Hines (Democratic) unsuccessfully ran for the 2nd place House seat in Chambers County.
- District 10: Upshaw G. Jones (Democratic) retired.
- District 11: Ryan deGraffenried Sr. (Democratic) unsuccessfully ran for governor.
- District 12: Woodrow Roberts (Democratic) retired.
- District 14: Aubrey Green (Democratic) retired to serve as the international president of Lions Club International.
- District 15: Joe Graham (Democratic) unsuccessfully ran for the State Democratic Executive Committee.
- District 17: Bob Kendall (Democratic) retired.
- District 18: Norman Crawford (Democratic) retired.
- District 19: Dennis Porter (Democratic) retired.
- District 21: Douglas Webb (Democratic) retired.
- District 23: Rufus Barnett (Democratic) retired.
- District 25: Alton Turner (Democratic) successfully ran for the House seat in Crenshaw County.
- District 26: Snag Andrews (Democratic) retired.
- District 27: Yetta Samford (Democratic) retired.
- District 29: George Godfrey (Democratic) unsuccessfully ran for the House seat in Cherokee County.
- District 31: Hugh Moses (Democratic) retired.
- District 32: Flute Wilson (Democratic) unsuccessfully ran for Agriculture Commissioner.
- District 33: Will Caffey (Democratic) retired.
- District 34: John Gaither (Democratic) retired.
- District 35: Carl Farmer (Democratic) retired.
General election results
By district
| District | Democratic | Republican | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | Candidate | Votes | % | Votes | Maj. | Mrg. | |
| 1st | Ed Norton | 8,962 | 81.67% | J. C. Mauldin | 2,011 | 18.33% | 10,973 | +6,951 | +63.35% |
| 3rd | Harlan G. Allen | 7,441 | 54.02% | H. Guy Hunt | 6,334 | 45.98% | 13,775 | +1,107 | +8.04% |
| 15th | Jimmy McDow | 6,898 | 65.53% | Emmett D. Wyatt | 3,628 | 34.47% | 10,526 | +3,270 | +31.07% |
| 17th | H. B. Taylor | 6,535 | 68.56% | J. R. Bennett | 2,997 | 31.44% | 9,532 | +3,538 | +37.12% |
| 28th | Vaughan Hill Robison | 10,228 | 54.41% | Perry O. Hooper | 8,569 | 45.59% | 18,797 | +1,659 | +8.83% |
| 33rd | John M. Tyson | 24,430 | 77.66% | W. D. Carson | 7,027 | 22.34% | 31,457 | +17,403 | +55.32% |
| Source: Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1963 (p. 777–782)[4] | |||||||||
Elected without opposition
Every candidate elected with no opponents was a Democrat.
- District 2: Bob Gilchrist was elected with 9,522 votes.
- District 4: Roscoe O. Roberts was elected with 9,541 votes.
- District 5: Clayton Carter was elected with 6,875 votes. 8 other votes were cast.
- District 6: George Hawkins was elected with 9,877 votes. other votes were cast.
- District 7: A. C. Shelton was elected with 6,500 votes. 1 other vote was cast.
- District 8: Bill Nichols was elected with 5,370 votes. 1 other vote was cast.
- District 9: Julian Lowe was elected with 4,335 votes.
- District 10: Sonny Hornsby was elected with 5,250 votes.
- District 11: Bill McCain was elected with 7,905 votes.
- District 12: Bob Wilson was elected with 8,574 votes.
- District 13: Larry Dumas was elected with 60,968 votes.
- District 14: Gaillard Robison was elected with 2,574 votes.
- District 16: Roland Cooper was elected with 2,905 votes.
- District 18: H. P. James was elected with 3,084 votes.
- District 19: Albert H. Evans was elected with 3,779 votes. 7 other votes were cast.
- District 20: E. O. Eddins was elected with 2,712 votes. 2 other votes were cast.
- District 21: L. W. Brannon was elected with 8,529 votes. 1 other vote was cast.
- District 22: L. D. Bentley was elected with 5,695 votes.
- District 23: Neil Metcalf was elected with 3,827 votes.
- District 24: Jimmy Clark was elected with 3,906 votes.
- District 25: W. Ray Lolley was elected with 5,317 votes.
- District 26: Ed Reynolds was elected with 3,185 votes.
- District 27: Joseph W. Smith was elected with 3,610 votes. 1 other vote was cast.
- District 29: Kenneth Hammond was elected with 7,470 votes.
- District 30: Walter C. Givhan was elected with 4,599 votes.
- District 31: W. Emmett Oden was elected with 10,569 votes.
- District 32: Charles A. Montgomery was elected with 2,294 votes. 1 other vote was cast.
- District 34: Pete Matthews was elected with 2,836 votes. 2 other votes were cast.
- District 35: Charlie Adams was elected with 4,920 votes. 1 other vote was cast.
Special Democratic primary elections
District 22
The first round of the special Democratic primary saw representative Rush "Doc" Smith beat out Roy H. Coshatt for the second-place spot in the runoff by a single vote. After the results were made official, Coshatt decided to contest the election results. His case was thrown out by the state Democratic executive committee, allowing Smith to advance to the September runoff.[5] Smith lost the runoff by 442 votes to radio executive L. D. Bentley.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | → L. D. Bentley | 1,461 | 32.37% | |
| Democratic | → Doc Smith | 1,047 | 23.19% | |
| Democratic | Roy H. Coshatt | 1,046 | 23.17% | |
| Democratic | Ralph LeCroy | 548 | 12.14% | |
| Democratic | Oscar N. Fouts | 412 | 9.13% | |
| Total votes | 4,514 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | L. D. Bentley | 3,285 | 53.61% | |
| Democratic | Doc Smith | 2,843 | 46.39% | |
| Total votes | 6,128 | 100.00% | ||
District 30
In the regular Senate primary in Lowndes County, the results were thrown out by the state Democratic executive committee amid allegations of voting irregularies.[6] The official tally had Caswell McCurdy ahead of incumbent senator Carl Golson 936–934. The July redistricting plan saw the Dallas County and Lowndes County senate districts combine, and thus the winner of the Lowndes primary would face off against senator Walter C. Givhan, the winner of the Dallas primary, in August. Both McCurdy and Golson withdrew their claims to the Lowndes nomination, allowing Givhan to advance to the general election.[7]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Walter C. Givhan (inc.) | Unopp. | ||
Democratic primary results
Runoff results by district
Candidates in boldface advanced to the general election. An asterisk (*) denotes a runoff winner who trailed in the first round.
| District | Winner | Loser | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | Candidate | Votes | % | Votes | Maj. | Mrg. | |
| 5th | Clayton Carter | 12,128 | 59.60% | Clark E. Johnson | 8,222 | 40.40% | 20,350 | +3,906 | +19.19% |
| 11th | Bill McCain* | 9,165 | 52.89% | Arthur Ferguson | 8,162 | 47.11% | 17,327 | +1,003 | +5.79% |
| 12th | Bob Wilson | 12,280 | 53.03% | W. C. Walker | 10,876 | 46.97% | 23,156 | +1,404 | +6.06% |
| 14th | Gaillard Robison | 3,590 | 56.38% | Henry McDaniel | 2,778 | 43.62% | 6,368 | +812 | +12.75% |
| 21st | L. W. Brannan | 10,568 | 51.77% | W. M. Hodgson | 9,845 | 48.23% | 20,413 | +723 | +3.54% |
| 34th | Pete Mathews | 6,363 | 58.47% | DeForest Nolen | 4,519 | 41.53% | 10,882 | +1,844 | +16.95% |
| Source: Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1963 (p. 759)[8] | |||||||||
Additionally, runoffs in District 32 and District 33 were planned, but were canceled after candidates withdrew from their races. Both withdrawals were from candidates who placed second in the first round.
First round results by district
Candidates in boldface advanced to either the general election or a runoff, first-place winners with an asterisk (*) did not face a runoff.
| District | First place | Runners-up | Others | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | Candidate | Votes | % | Candidate | Votes | % | Votes | Maj. | Mrg. | |
| 1st | Ed Horton* | 8,678 | 58.96% | David Grisham | 6,040 | 41.04% | — | — | — | 14,718 | +2,638 | +17.92% |
| 2nd | Bob Gilchrist* | 10,697 | 54.37% | Alvis G. Briscoe | 5,758 | 29.27% | Bill Chenault | 3,219 | 16.36% | 19,674 | +4,939 | +25.10% |
| 3rd | Mutt Allen* | 9,016 | 51.72% | L. D. Bentley | 8,416 | 48.28% | — | — | — | 17,432 | +600 | +3.44% |
| 4th | Roscoe Roberts* | 11,877 | 85.70% | Bob Schwenn | 1,982 | 14.30% | — | — | — | 13,859 | +9,895 | +71.40% |
| 5th | Clayton Carter | 8,803 | 48.53% | Clark Johnson | 5,514 | 30.40% | O. G. Whitaker | 3,823 | 21.07% | 18,140 | +3,289 | +18.13% |
| 6th | George C. Hawkins* | 16,262 | 61.57% | Rowan S. Bone | 10,151 | 38.43% | — | — | — | 26,413 | +6,111 | +23.14% |
| 7th | A. C. Shelton (inc.)* | 7,712 | 60.19% | Robert M. Parker | 5,101 | 39.81% | — | — | — | 12,813 | +2,611 | +20.38% |
| 8th | Bill Nichols* | 7,324 | 58.21% | G. Kyser Leonard (inc.) | 5,259 | 41.79% | — | — | — | 12,583 | +2,065 | +16.41% |
| 9th | Julian Lowe* | 5,574 | 50.87% | Jimmy Jenkins | 2,759 | 25.18% | Buck Bailey | 2,625 | 23.96% | 10,958 | +2,815 | +25.69% |
| 10th | Sonny Hornsby* | 9,606 | 60.91% | Tom Johnson | 6,164 | 39.09% | — | — | — | 15,770 | +3,442 | +21.83% |
| 11th | Arthur Ferguson | 6,971 | 41.39% | Bill McCain | 5,177 | 30.73% | Jack McGuire | 4,696 | 27.88% | 16,844 | +1,794 | +10.65% |
| 12th | Bob Wilson | 8,284 | 35.43% | Carey Walker | 7,742 | 33.11% | Reuben Newton | 7,357 | 31.46% | 23,383 | +542 | +2.32% |
| 13th | Larry Dumas (inc.) | 74,898 | 85.93% | Rush Lester | 7,415 | 8.51% | Pete Darabaris | 4,845 | 5.56% | 87,158 | +67,483 | +77.43% |
| 14th | Gaillard Robison | 2,754 | 42.34% | Henry McDaniel | 2,357 | 36.24% | James Swedenburg | 1,393 | 21.42% | 6,504 | +397 | +6.10% |
| 15th | Jimmy McDow* | 8,373 | 54.81% | Fred Phillips | 4,297 | 28.13% | Harold Harlin | 2,606 | 17.06% | 15,276 | +4,076 | +26.68% |
| 16th[c] | Caswell McCurdy | 936 | 50.05% | Carl Golson (inc.) | 934 | 49.95% | — | — | — | 1,870 | +2 | +0.10% |
| 17th | H. B. Taylor* | 8,505 | 52.79% | J. Brunson Kierce | 7,607 | 47.21% | — | — | — | 16,112 | +898 | +5.57% |
| 18th | H. P. James* | 4,369 | 73.69% | Fritz Jones | 1,560 | 26.31% | — | — | — | 5,929 | +2,809 | +47.38% |
| 19th | Albert H. Evans* | 8,047 | 66.89% | Julian A. Watters | 3,984 | 33.11% | — | — | — | 12,031 | +4,063 | +33.77% |
| 21st | L. W. Brannan | 7,994 | 37.02% | W. M. Hodgson | 7,145 | 33.09% | C. LeNoir Thompson | 6,452 | 29.88% | 21,591 | +849 | +3.93% |
| 23rd | Neil Metcalf* | 6,368 | 62.98% | Bud Boswell | 3,743 | 37.02% | — | — | — | 10,111 | +2,625 | +25.96% |
| 24th | Jimmy Clark (inc.)* | 3,682 | 85.02% | Thomas L. Manley | 649 | 14.98% | — | — | — | 4,331 | +3,033 | +70.03% |
| 25th | Ray Lolley* | 8,381 | 56.30% | Bill Stokes | 6,506 | 43.70% | — | — | — | 14,887 | +1,875 | +12.59% |
| 26th | Ed Reynolds* | 4,315 | 80.90% | Grady Rogers | 1,019 | 19.10% | — | — | — | 5,334 | +3,296 | +61.79% |
| 27th | Joseph W. Smith* | 5,510 | 50.04% | Bowen Brassell | 4,240 | 38.50% | Zeke Calhoun | 1,262 | 11.46% | 11,012 | +1,270 | +11.53% |
| 29th | Kenneth Hammond* | 6,861 | 50.15% | Chad B. Hawkins | 6,820 | 49.85% | — | — | — | 13,681 | +41 | +0.30% |
| 31st | W. Emmett Oden* | 11,329 | 51.42% | Anderson Berryman | 10,705 | 48.58% | — | — | — | 22,034 | +624 | +2.83% |
| 32nd | Charles Montgomery | 1,840 | 46.64% | S. D. Bayer | 1,075 | 27.25% | Pete Martin | 1,030 | 26.11% | 3,945 | +765 | +19.39% |
| 33rd | John M. Tyson | 17,122 | 41.97% | Thomas M. Galloway | 10,368 | 25.42% | 2 others[d] | 13,302 | 32.61% | 40,792 | +6,754 | +16.56% |
| 34th | Pete Mathews | 4,718 | 44.58% | DeForest Nolen | 3,421 | 32.33% | M. J. Norrell | 2,444 | 23.09% | 10,583 | +1,297 | +12.26% |
| 35th | Charlie Adams* | 7,635 | 64.01% | Jimmy Thrower | 4,292 | 35.99% | — | — | — | 11,927 | +3,343 | +28.03% |
| Source: Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1963 (p. 722–726)[11] | ||||||||||||
Nominated without opposition
The following candidates automatically won the Democratic nomination, as no opponent filed to run against them.
- District 20: E. O. Eddins (inc.)
- District 22: Roland Cooper (inc.)
- District 28: Vaughn Hill Robison (inc.)
- District 30: Walter C. Givhan (inc.)
1959–1962 special elections
District 10
A special election in Senate District 10 (Elmore–Tallapoosa) was triggered by the death of incumbent senator Carvel Woodall on February 19, 1959. The Democratic executive committee chose to nominate a candidate instead of holding a primary. Upshaw Jones, the runner-up in the 1958 Democratic primary, was the only candidate certified for the ballot, and thus the special general election was canceled.[12]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Upshaw Jones | Unopp. | ||
District 4
A special election in District 4 (Madison) was triggered by the resignation of Dave Archer upon his appointment to a circuit judgeship in late 1961. James Record, the clerk-auditor of Madison County, was the only candidate certified for the ballot.[13]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Record | Unopp. | ||
The second special election was triggered when the recently-elected James Record was appointed to the Madison County Board of Commissioners in March 1962. Record was succeeded by Billy Laxson.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Billy Laxson | 3,472 | 68.12% | |
| Republican | Morton Hutchens | 1,624 | 31.86% | |
| Write-in | O. G. Pitts | 1 | 0.02% | |
| Total votes | 5,097 | 100.00% | ||