Allie Edward Stakes Stephens
Allie Edward Stakes Stephens | |
|---|---|
| 27th Isle of Wight County | |
| In office January 8, 1930 – January 14, 1942 | |
| Preceded by | D. W. Chapman |
| Succeeded by | Ernest H. Williams Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Allie Edward Stakes Stephens November 4, 1900 Northumberland County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | June 9, 1973 (aged 72) Newport News, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Anna Spratley Delk |
| Alma mater | College of William & Mary |
| Profession | Attorney |
Allie Edward Stakes Stephens, usually known as "A. E. S." or "Gi" Stephens (November 4, 1900 – June 9, 1973), was a Virginia lawyer and Democratic Party politician who served in both houses of the
Early and family life
Born on November 4, 1900, in
Career
Upon admission to the Virginia bar, Stephens began a private legal practice in
. His main legislative accomplishments included establishing the Hampton Roads Sanitation Commission, the Denny Commission (which improved public education) and assisting the local seafood industry.Lieutenant governor
After the unexpected death of lieutenant governor
1961 election
Stephens lost in the 1961 Democratic primary (199,519 to 152,639), and Byrd loyalists Mills Godwin defeated moderate Armistead Boothe for lieutenant Governor and Robert Young Button defeated professor T. Munford Boyd for attorney general. However, the machine's vote totals were lower than earlier decades. Harrison defeated Republican H. Clyde Pearson in November, as the Byrd slate won one of its last victories as Virginia's demographics changed.[4]\[5]
Later life
Stephens never again ran for statewide office, though he served as the town attorney for Smithfield until December, 1971, and remained active in the town's Christ Episcopal Church. He retained political influence in Virginia, even as the Byrd organization declined. Stephens helped restore and preserve the commonwealth's oldest Episcopal church, St. Luke's Church, and was a member of Old Dominion University's Board of Visitors until 1972.
Death and legacy
Stephens died after a short illness at Riverside Hospital in Newport News, Virginia. He and Anna are buried in the cemetery of the historic St. Luke's Church at Smithfield that they helped preserve. Old Dominion University has his papers from 1949–1961.[6]
References
- ^ A. E. S. Stephens entry at The Political Graveyard
- ^ "A Guide to the Papers of A. E. S. Stephens, 1949–1961". Old Dominion University. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
- ^ Robert Heinemann, Harry Byrd of Virginia (Charlottesville, University of Virginia Press, 1996) pp. 350–351
- ^ Heinemann pp. 407–409
- ^ Frank B. Atkinson, The Dynamic Dominion (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006) pp 129–132
- ^ "A. E. S. Stephens Papers, 1949–1961 | Special Collections and University Archives". Lib.odu.edu. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
