John Hollis Bankhead was a U.S. senator

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 from the state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

.

Biography

He was born on September 13, 1842. He was appointed, then elected, to serve out the remainder of the term left by the death of John Tyler Morgan

John Tyler Morgan

John Tyler Morgan was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, and a six-term U.S. senator from the state of Alabama after the war. He was a strong supporter of states rights and racial segregation through the Reconstruction era. He was an expansionist, arguing for...

, and was later re-elected twice. He served in the Senate from June 18, 1907 to his death on March 1, 1920. B. B. Comer

B. B. Comer

Braxton Bragg Comer was an American Democratic politician who was the 33rd Governor of Alabama from 1907 to 1911.-Early Life and Education:...

, former governor of Alabama, was appointed to serve the rest of his term until November 2, 1920, when J. Thomas Heflin

J. Thomas Heflin

James Thomas Heflin , nicknamed "Cotton Tom", was a leading proponent of white supremacy, most notably as a United States Senator from Alabama.-Biography:...

 was elected to serve out the term.

Bankhead was instrumental in enacting the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916

Federal Aid Road Act of 1916

The Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, 39 Stat. 355, was enacted on July 11, 1916, and was the first federal highway funding legislation in the United States. It was introduced by Rep. Dorsey W. Shackleford of Missouri, then amended by Sen. John H. Bankhead of Alabama to conform with model legislation...

, which became the first federal highway funding legislation.

United States Senator John H. Bankhead II

John H. Bankhead II

John Hollis Bankhead II was a U.S. senator from the state of Alabama. Like his father, John H. Bankhead, he was elected three times to the Senate, and like his father, he died in office....

 and Speaker of the House

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...

 William Brockman Bankhead were his sons, and actress Tallulah Bankhead

Tallulah Bankhead

Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...

 was his granddaughter. The cross-country Bankhead Highway

Bankhead Highway

The Bankhead Highway was a United States cross-country automobile highway connecting Washington, D.C. and San Diego. It was part of the National Auto Trail system. The road was named for Alabama politician John Hollis Bankhead, a leader in the early national road building movement. In later years,...

 was named after him.

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