The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-10-07
HOWE TELLS OF
FIRST ELECTION
OF UNDERWOOD
Has Been in Congress 20
Years-Defeated Turpin
for Term Beginning
March 4, 1895


Yesterday telling of the first election of
OscarW. Underwood to Congress The
creation of this district and the defeat
of Congressman Turpn. whose seat was
taken by Oscar Underwood. the young
lawyer. is referred to by Mr.. Howe i'll
the statement. At this time when Mr..
Underwood aspires to round out his ca
reer as United States senator, this
historical data furnished by Mr.. Howe
is expected to be of unsusal interest.
Howe Issues Statement
The statement follows:
lat the time the census of 1890 was
taken Alabama was divided into eight
congressional districts, jefferson county
comprising - part of the Sixth, which
was represented in Congress by John IL.
Bankhead, who is now the senator from
Alabama. But the census figures dis
closed the fact that this state was en-
titled to one more member of the House
of Representatives, and during the ses-
sion of the state Legislature in February.
| 1891. it passed an act creating the Ninth
| congressional district, composed OF the
| counties of Blount, jefferson, Bibb. Hale
and Perry. These last two named coun-
| ties had heretofore been in the Fourth
| district, whose congressman, Lewis w.
Turpin, was resident of Hale county,
and who had already been elected to the
House for the term beginning March
4, 1891.
Shortly after the creation of the Ninth
district. candidates began to announce
for the term beginning March i, 1893,
Jefferson presenting as her candidates
John w. Bush. who had formerly been
state senator from Perry county; James
E. Hawkins who was county solicitor,
and Robert J. Lowe, then one OF the
brilliant young lawyers of the Birming-
ham bar. All of these. Including Tur-
pin. have passed away. The only other
candidate. was Congressman Turpn.
whose cause was espoused by all of tho
other counties in the district. The state
had not then adopted the primary sys-
tenn. and when the district convent IN met
at Birmingham in the spring of iS02 Mr.
Turpn had captured enough delegates
from the other counties to defeat the
Jefferson candidates and In this way won
the nomination for the term which began
March 4, 1893, and ended March 4, 1895.
THE delegates to the convention de-
cided that. owing to her political strength
Jefferson county should have the chair
manship of the district committee, and
the convention finally settled upon Oscar
w. Underwood, who for nearly 10 years,
had been of the prominen. young
lawyers of the Birmingham bar being
the Junior member of the firm of Car
rett 81 Underwood. He was unanimously
chosen chairman, position which he
filled to the entire satisfaction OF the
party, and which made him quite a facs
tor in the political affairs of the Ninth
district In those days His Birmingham
friends not only felt that jefferson county
was entitled to the congressman but
likewise believed that he was the proper
man to represent us, so in the summer
of 1898 he was urged to become a candi-
date and a systematic campaign was be-
gun in his behalf. A few months after
wards he announced his candida ~ and,
prior to the selection of the delegates, ne
canvassed the district and s1ceecied i'm
gaining sufficient votes to receive the
nomination over Congressman TuYpin at
the hands of the conventions which was
held in the fall of 1894 Mr.. Underwood
entered the House on March 4. 1895. and
when his present term expires in March
1918, he will have rounded ont 20 years
in Congress with great credit to himself
and with faithful stewardship to his peo-
pie"