Allie Edward Stakes Stephens
| Allie Edward Stakes Stephens | |
|---|---|
| 27th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia | |
|
In office December 2, 1952 – January 13, 1962 |
|
| Governor |
John S. Battle Thomas B. Stanley James L. Almond, Jr. |
| Preceded by | Lewis Preston Collins II |
| Succeeded by | Mills E. Godwin, Jr. |
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the 5th district |
|
|
In office January 14, 1942 – December 2, 1952 |
|
| Preceded by | Edward E. Holland |
| Succeeded by | Mills E. Godwin, Jr. |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Isle of Wight County | |
|
In office January 8, 1930 – January 14, 1942 |
|
| Preceded by | D. W. Chapman |
| Succeeded by | Ernest H. Williams, Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Allie Edward Stakes Stephens November 4, 1900 Northumberland, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | June 9, 1973 (aged 72) Newport News, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Anna Spratley Delk |
| Alma mater | College of William & Mary |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Allie Edward Stakes Stephens, usually known as "A. E. S." or "Gi" Stephens (November 4, 1900 – June 9, 1973), was a Virginia lawyer and Democratic Party politician who served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly and as the 27th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1952 to 1962. His state political career ended with a loss in the Democratic primary for Governor in 1961, after he and Governor James Lindsay Almond Jr. broke with the Byrd Organization, which wanted to continue its policy of Massive Resistance to desegregation of Virginia's schools after both the Virginia Supreme Court and a 3-judge federal panel ruled most elements unconstitutional in 1959.
Born on November 4, 1900, in Wicomico Church, Virginia, Gi was the fourth son of J.W.G. Stephens (a former cowboy turned general merchandise store owner) and Allie Tyson Beane Stephens. He attended local public schools in Northumberland County through high school. Beginning in 1919, Stevens attended the College of William and Mary where he was a star baseball pitcher. There he gained the nickname "Gi" meaning "giraffe" for his lanky physique. He continued on to graduate with both an undergraduate and a law degree in 1923, declining an offer to play for the Washington Senators farm system. He married Anna Spratley Delk (1903–2001) of Smithfield in 1928, and they had three children (and many grandchildren) who survived their parents.
Upon admission to the Virginia bar, Stephens began a private legal practice in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. He declined to run against the local commonwealth's attorney in 1927, having witnessed that man successfully transport an accused African-American prisoner to the Petersburg jail rather than accede to a local lynch mob. Stephens did, however, become active in politics, and later the Byrd Organization. He was elected the Isle of Wight's delegate to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1929 and served for 12 years in that part-time position. In 1940, Stephens successfully ran for Senate District 5, then encompassing Nansemond, Suffolk, Southampton, and Isle of Wight. His main legislative accomplishments included establishing the Hampton Roads Sanitation Commission, the Denny Commission (which improved public education) and assisting the local seafood industry.
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