Eugene O. Sykes

Eugene Octave Sykes Jr.
Sykes in 1916
Mississippi Supreme Court Justice
In office
1916–1924
Appointed byTheodore Bilbo
1st Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
In office
July 11, 1934 – March 8, 1935
PresidentFranklin Roosevelt
Preceded byPosition Established
Succeeded byAnning S. Prall
Personal details
Born(1876-07-16)July 16, 1876
Aberdeen, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedJune 21, 1945(1945-06-21) (aged 68)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Malvina Scott
​
(m. 1903)​
Children3
EducationSt. John's College High School
United States Naval Academy
University of Mississippi

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]

Early life

Eugene Octave Sykes was born in Aberdeen, Mississippi,[1] on July 16, 1876, to Eugene Octave Sykes Sr. and India Rogers.[citation needed] He attended St. John's College High School and the United States Naval Academy, and the University of Mississippi for his graduate degree.[1]

Career

Sykes 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. In 1932, he was chairman of the American delegation to the International Radio Conference in Madrid. In 1933, he was chairman of the delegation to the North American Radio Conference in Mexico City. He served as the first chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 1934 to 1935.[1] In 1939, he resigned from the commission.[1]

Sykes then worked as a member of the Spearman, Sykes & Robinson law firm in Washington, D.C.[1]

Personal life

In 1903, Sykes married Malvina Scott. They had three children.[1]

Sykes died of a heart attack on June 21, 1945, in Washington, D.C.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "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 2025-01-01. 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. ...
  2. ^ Leslie Southwick, Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996, 18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998).

Further reading

  • 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.
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Political offices
Preceded by
Newly established seat
 Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi
1916–1925 		Succeeded by