Biography
Born in Mississippi, Bailey attended the University of Mississippi where he joined the prestigious Delta Psi fraternity ( AKA St. Anthony Hall) in 1879. Bailey was admitted to the barin Mississippi in 1883. He moved to Gainesville, Texas in 1885, where he continued to practice law. He had been politically active as a Democrat in both Mississippi and his new home and had a reputation as an excellent public speaker. He was elected to the House in 1891, and to the Senate in 1901. As the Minority leader of the United States House of Representatives in the 1890s he was very influential on his colleagues.
His political career was tarnished by an assault against Senator Albert J. Beveridge, and subsequent investigations brought to light suspicious income and financial ties to the oil industry. Although he was regarded as a great populist orator, even influencing William Jennings Bryan in some aspects of his political philosophy allegations against him in 1906 threatened his election to the United States Senate.
After an unsuccessful election attempt to Governor of Texas in 1920, Bailey moved to Dallas, Texas to practice law. In 1929 he died in a courtroom.
Read more about this topic: Joseph Weldon Bailey
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