Eugene Octave Sykes, Jr. (July 16, 1876 – June 21, 1945) was a justice on the Mississippi Supreme Court. He served as the first Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 1934 to 1935.[1]
Eugene Octave Sykes, Jr. | |
---|---|
Mississippi Supreme Court Justice | |
In office 1916–1924 | |
Appointed by | Theodore Bilbo |
1st Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission | |
In office July 11, 1934 – March 8, 1935 | |
President | Franklin Roosevelt |
Preceded by | Position Established |
Succeeded by | Anning S. Prall |
Personal details | |
Born | Aberdeen, Mississippi | July 16, 1876
Died | June 21, 1945 Washington, DC | (aged 68)
Political party | Democratic |
Parent(s) | Eugene Octave Sykes, Sr. India Rogers |
Education | St. John's College High School United States Naval Academy University of Mississippi |
Biography
editSykes was born in Aberdeen, Mississippi, on July 16, 1876, to Eugene Octave Sykes, Sr. and India Rogers. He attended St. John's College High School and the United States Naval Academy, and the University of Mississippi for his graduate degree.[1]
He served on the Mississippi Supreme Court from 1916 to 1924, appointed by Theodore Bilbo.[2] Calvin Coolidge appointed him to the Federal Radio Commission in 1927. He served as the first Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 1934 to 1935.[1]
He died of a heart attack on June 21, 1945, in Washington, D.C.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Eugene O. Sykes, 68, Mississippi Jurist. Former Chairman of Federal Communications Body Dies. Justice of State Court". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 22, 1945. Retrieved 2015-01-16.
Eugene Octave Sykes, former justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi and an original member of the Federal Radio Commission and of the later Federal Communications Commission, died of a heart attack today after an illness of several months. ...
- ^ Leslie Southwick, Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996, 18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998).
Further reading
edit- Flannery, Gerald V. (1995). Commissioners of the FCC, 1927-1994. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. pp. 1–3. ISBN 0-8191-9669-X.
- "Eugene Octave Sykes 1876–1945". Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising. 28 (26A). Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc.: 18 June 25, 1945.