Ryan deGraffenried Sr.
Ryan DeGraffenried Sr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Alabama Senate from the 11th district | |
| In office November 1958 – November 1962 | |
| Preceded by | E. W. Skidmore |
| Succeeded by | E. W. Skidmore |
| Member of the Alabama House of Representatives from Tuscaloosa County | |
| In office November 1954 – November 1958 | |
| Preceded by | J. P. Shelton |
| Succeeded by | Arthur L. Ferguson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Ryan deGraffenried April 15, 1925 Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | February 10, 1966 (aged 40) Fort Payne, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Margaret Nell Maxwell
(m. 1945) |
| Children | 3, including Ryan Jr. |
| Parent |
|
| Alma mater | University of Alabama |
| Occupation |
|
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | |
| Unit | 3rd Armored Division |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Purple Heart (2) |
William Ryan deGraffenried Sr. (April 15, 1925 – February 10, 1966) was an American attorney and politician from Alabama.
Early life
Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, he was the son of Edward deGraffenried, former U.S. congressman from Alabama.[1][2]
Career
In November 1954, deGraffenried was elected to Tuscaloosa County's second place in the Alabama House of Representatives. He won the Democratic nomination in a special primary held in July after the regular Democratic primary held in May was voided after its winner J. P. Shelton died.[3] In the subsequent election in 1958, deGraffenried moved to the Alabama Senate.[4]
DeGraffenried ran for Governor of Alabama on two occasions (1962 and 1966). On his first attempt, he was defeated in the Democratic primary runoff by George Wallace, who was later elected Governor.
In 1966, DeGraffenried ran again as a moderate, supporting racial integration. He sought to succeed the Dixiecrat-style Wallace, who was prohibited by the constitution from running for a second consecutive term. Wallace offered his wife, Lurleen Wallace, as a surrogate candidate for governor instead. One day after qualifying for the gubernatorial race, DeGraffenried died in a plane crash while campaigning in northeast Alabama near Fort Payne.[5] Mrs. Wallace won the nomination and gubernatorial election.
Personal life
DeGraffenried married Margaret Nell Maxwell in July 1945.[6][7]
His son, Ryan DeGraffenried Jr. (1950–2006), became a notable Alabama politician. He served as State Senator, Senate president pro tempore and Lieutenant Governor of Alabama under Jim Folsom Jr. (1993–1995).
Electoral history
| Election | Winner | Runners-up | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor of Alabama | |||||||||
| 1962 prim ro | George Wallace (D) | 340,730 | 55.87% | Ryan DeGraffenried Sr. (D) | 269,122 | 44.13% | — | ||
| 1962 prim | George Wallace (D) | 207,062 | 32.49% | Ryan DeGraffenried Sr. (D) | 160,704 | 25.22% | 6 others | 269,507 | 42.30% |
| Alabama Senate, district 11 | |||||||||
| 1958 gen | Ryan DeGraffenried Sr. (D) | 5,664 | 100.00% | — | — | ||||
| 1958 prim | Ryan DeGraffenried Sr. (D) | Unopp. | — | — | |||||
| Alabama House of Representatives, Tuscaloosa County, place 2 | |||||||||
| 1954 gen[8] | Ryan DeGraffenried Sr. (D) | 6,186 | 100.00% | — | — | ||||
| 1954 sp prim ro[3] | Ryan DeGraffenried Sr. (D) | Unopp. | Ed Morgan (D) | Withdrawn | — | ||||
| 1954 sp prim[3] | Ryan DeGraffenried Sr. (D) | 2,747 | 46.54% | Ed Morgan (D) | 1,480 | 25.07% | 2 others[a] | 1,676 | 28.39% |
| 1954 prim[9] | J. P. Shelton (D) †[b] | 9,666 | 61.57% | Frank Walls (D) | 6,034 | 38.43% | — | ||
References
- ^ Congress, United States (1949). Official congressional directory - United States. Congress - Google Books. Retrieved August 8, 2012 – via Google Books.
- ^ Stevenson, Tommy (March 27, 1994). "DeGraffenried: Not dropping out of lieutenant governor's race". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- ^ a b c "DeGraffenried In As Foe Quits". The Decatur Daily. Associated Press. August 1, 1954. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
- ^ "Seasoned Solons Provide Nucleus For Legislature". The Selma Times-Journal. Associated Press. August 14, 1958. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
- ^ [ Displaying Abstract ] (June 10, 2012). "Air Crash Kills Candidate for Alabama Governor - Ryan deGraffenried and Pilot Die as Plane Hits Mountain Democrat, 40, Was Regarded as a Moderate in Politics - Article - NYTimes.com". Select.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
- ^ "William Ryan deGraffenried Jr". TuscaloosaNews.com. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
- ^ "Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950". Familysearch.org. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
- ^ "Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1955". 1955.
- ^ "Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1955". 1955.