Tom Bevill

Tom Bevill
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Alabama's 4th district
In office
January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1997
Preceded byBill Nichols
Succeeded byRobert Aderholt
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Alabama's 7th district
In office
January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1973
Preceded byJames D. Martin
Succeeded byWalter Flowers
Member of the Alabama Legislature
In office
1958–1966
Personal details
Born
Tom Donald Fike Bevill

March 27, 1921
Townley, Alabama, U.S.
DiedMarch 28, 2005(2005-03-28) (aged 84)
Jasper, Alabama, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity of Alabama
Tom Bevill's voice
Tom Bevill speaks in support of the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 1988
Recorded October 3, 1988

Tom Donald Fike Bevill (March 27, 1921 – March 28, 2005) was an American attorney, politician, and Democratic fifteen-term U.S. congressman who represented Alabama's 4th Congressional District and Alabama's 7th congressional district from 1967 to 1997.[1]

Early years and education

Bevill was born in Townley, Alabama, on March 27, 1921. He attended Walker County High School, the University of Alabama School of Commerce and Business Administration, and the University of Alabama School of Law. Bevill was an initiate of the Gamma Alpha chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha at UA. He served in the United States Army during World War II. He also privately practiced law.[2]

Political career

In 1958, Bevill was elected to the Alabama Legislature, serving there until his election to Congress in 1966. In Congress, Bevill was known for securing federal money and development projects for his district.[3] This earned him the nickname "The King of Pork", a term which he actually turned into a positive. After fifteen terms in Congress, he retired in 1997.[2] Bevill is credited with answering the world's very first 9-1-1 emergency call on February 16, 1968, made from Haleyville by then-Alabama House Speaker Rankin Fite at the invitation of the Alabama Telephone Company.[4] He also sponsored the Bevill Amendment to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act which excludes mining wastes from the act's jurisdiction.[5]

He was a moderate to conservative Democrat who opposed abortion and gun control.

Personal life

Bevill died on March 28, 2005, in Jasper, Alabama, the day after his 84th birthday. He had been in declining health for several years due to heart problems.[2]

His son Don Bevill ran for his old seat in 1998.[6] He lost 56%-44% to his father's Republican successor Robert Aderholt.

References

  1. ^ "Little River Canyon has $16 million economic impact on Alabama" Alabama NewsCenter. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
  2. ^ a b c Estrada, Louie (March 31, 2005). "Rep. Tom Bevill, 84; Alabama Democrat". Washington Post. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  3. ^ "Conversation leads to I-22 back story" Daily Mountain Eagle. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
  4. ^ "Town Marks E-911 Anniversary". TimesDaily. February 17, 1993. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  5. ^ Barringer, S. G. (2003). The RCRA Bevill Amendment: A Lasting Relief for Mining Wastes? Natural Resources & Environment, 17(3), 155–194. JSTOR 40924275
  6. ^ "House Races to Watch, and Why". The Washington Post. June 8, 1998.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Alabama's 7th congressional district
1967–1973 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Alabama's 4th congressional district
1973–1997 		Succeeded by