Elvin McCary
| Elvin McCary | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Elvin Columbus McCary February 27, 1907 Anniston, Calhoun County Alabama, USA |
| Died | September 28, 1981 (aged 74) Anniston, Alabama |
| Resting place | Edgemont Cemetery in Anniston |
| Political party |
Democrat-turned-Republican (1950) |
| Spouse(s) |
(1) Missing |
| Children |
Eileen M. Cline |
| Parents | Cicero Columbus and Annie Mae Power McCary |
| Residence | Anniston, Alabama |
| Alma mater | New York University |
| Occupation | Real estate businessman |
Democrat-turned-Republican (1950)
Alabama State Representative from Anniston
Alabama State Senator from Anniston
(1) Missing
Eileen M. Cline
Anne McCary Childers
Stepson James D. Sloan, Jr.
Elvin Columbus McCary (February 27, 1907 – September 28, 1981) was a businessman and politician in his native Anniston, Alabama, who defected in 1950 from the Democratic to the Republican Party. In the heavily Democratic year of 1974, he was the GOP sacrificial lamb in the gubernatorial race against the incumbent George Wallace, who won the third of his four terms in the office.
McCary was a son of Cicero Columbus McCary (1877-1948) and the former Annie Mae Power (1890-1944). He attended public schools in Anniston in Calhoun County in northeastern Alabama. He graduated in Anniston from Jacksonville State University, then known as Jacksonville State Normal School, and then New York University. He then returned to Anniston to engage in the real estate business and became involved in community and political matters.
McCary served in both houses of the Alabama State Legislature but the dates are uncertain, based on the newspaper stories at the time of his 1981 death. McCary ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama in 1946; the office was won instead by another Democrat, James C. Inzer. McCary attributed his switch in parties to the need for a combination of political reform and the establishment of a two-party system in his native state. Forrest French, a former Calhoun County Republican chairman, described McCary, accordingly, as "frank, full of candor, and we agreed in the party approach to politics. ... He constituted the [party] framework that was in existence even in the lean times." After his race against Wallace in which he polled less than 15 percent of the ballots cast, McCary said that despite his expected defeat, he believed that he had "accomplished my purpose. And I think the only hope for the Republican Party at the state level is to offer the voters a choice for all offices in all elections."
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Wikipedia