Alben W. Barkley

In June 1903, Barkley married Dorothy Brower and the couple had three children together: David Murrell Barkley, Marion Frances Barkley, and Laura Louise Barkley. Later, Dorothy suffered from a heart condition and unfortunately died in March 1947.

In July 1949, Barkley met Jane (Rucker) Hadley, a St. Louis widow who was almost half his age, and subsequently tied the knot with her. The couple had no children.

Barkley collapsed on stage and died on April 30, 1956, while delivering a keynote address at the Washington & Lee University, Lexington, Virginia. He was interred in Mount Kenton Cemetery, near Paducah, in Kentucky.

Alben William Barkley was born as Willie Alben Barkley, on November 24, 1877, near Lowes, Kentucky, U.S., to John Wilson Barkley, and his wife, Electra Eliza Smith. He was the eldest of the eight children of his parents, both of whom were tobacco farmers.

Barkley studied at the local public schools in Lowes, Kentucky, and soon changed his name to ‘Alben William’. Later, he attended the Marvin College, a Methodist school where he received scholarship in return of his work as a janitor.

In 1897, he completed his graduation with a Bachelor of Arts degree and then got enrolled at the Emory College, in Georgia. Later, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1901.

Subsequently, he commenced his practice in Paducah, Kentucky, while continuing his law studies alongside at the University of Virginia Law School. From 1905 to 1909, he was the prosecuting attorney for McCracken County, and then served as the judge of McCracken County Court, between 1909 and 1913.

In 1912, Barkley was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 1st district and went on to serve seven successive terms from 1913 to 1927.

Barkley faced a defeat in his 1923 gubernatorial campaign in Kentucky and thus, in 1926, he did not seek re-nomination as a Congressman, having earned a nomination to the U.S. Senate.

In 1926, Barkley became a United States Senator from Kentucky, and was re-elected in 1932, 1938, and 1944 to the post, serving until 1949. He also served as the keynote speaker at the 1932, 1936, and 1948 Democratic National Conventions.

A talented congressional strategist, Barkley served as the Senate Majority Leader in the cabinet from 1937 to 1947. Thereafter, he was the Senate Minority Leader in the administration, until he resigned from the senate in 1949.

In the meantime, Barkley chaired the Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack and also served as member of the Congressional Nazi War Crimes Committee.

While serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Barkley served as a prominent figure in the passing the Volstead Act.

In the Senate, during the 1930s, he supported and played a significant role in passing much of the New Deal legislation, such as the Securities and Exchange Act, National Labor Relations Act, and the Social Security Act.

Barkley also exerted considerable amount of influence on the committees on foreign affairs and finance, and also supported the formation of Israel as a nation-state. He served as a chief spokesperson on the domestic and international policies during the administration of President Roosevelt.