State Web Site

Military Service: National Guard

War(s) Served:  Spanish-American War

WILLIAM WOODWARD BRANDON was born in Talladega, Alabama, on June 5, 1868. He was educated at Cedar Bluff Institute, and Tuscaloosa High School. Brandon studied law at the University of Alabama, was admitted to the Alabama Bar, started a law practice in Tuscaloosa, and was appointed a justice of the peace. He served as lieutenant, then captain of the Warrior Guards, was appointed adjutant general of Alabama in 1899, and again serving from 1901 to 1906. He also served during the Spanish-American War, as a major of the 2nd Alabama Volunteer Infantry. Brandon started a political career in 1891 when he was elected clerk of Tuscaloosa. He served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1896 to 1899, and was the state auditor from 1907 to 1911. During the 1901 Alabama Constitutional Convention, Brandon served as reading clerk. He was elected Governor of Alabama on November 7, 1922, and was sworn into office on January 15, 1923. During his term, the State Docks Commission was created, the state capitol was renovated, and a law was passed that provided monetary assistance for the state's elderly citizens. Also, a tax commission was established, highway construction continued, appropriations were increased for Confederate pensions, and the tax-exemption privilege of the Alabama Power Company was revoked. Brandon left office on January 17, 1927, and was appointed probate judge of Tuscaloosa County. He died on December 7, 1934, and is buried at the Tuscaloosa Memorial Park, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Sources:

Alabama Department of Archives and History

The Political Graveyard

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 1, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.