
William Dorsey Jelks was born on November 7, 1855, at Warrior Stand in present-day Macon County, to Joseph William Jelks and Jane Goodrum Frazer Jelks. Jelks's father, a Confederate Army captain, died in 1862 from wounds incurred in the war. Widowed with four young children, Jane Jelks married Maj. Robert Green Wright of Union Springs, in Bullock County, in January 1865. As a youth, Jelks helped support his family with odd jobs and with the fish and game he brought in from the surrounding countryside. Rising from this hardscrabble background, the ambitious young man displayed such exemplary work habits and academic potential that patrons from Union Springs awarded him a scholarship to Mercer College in Macon, Georgia. There, Jelks developed the writing skills that laid the groundwork for his future career in journalism.

White supremacy was one of Jelks's lifelong obsessions, and he expressed his views in numerous editorials in the Daily Times. As early as 1883, he advocated "cleansing" the political arena by relocating blacks to other areas of the United States and encouraging "industrious" white immigrants from western Europe to settle in the South. He approved of lynching as a means of controlling the black population and promoted the popular white myth of the pervasive potential dangers of black rapists. When he later realized how such views, and the violence they engendered, tarnished the state's public image and discouraged economic investment in Alabama, Jelks adopted an anti-lynching stance.

Shortly after his election, Samford was stricken with acute heart disease, touching off a political crisis in the state because the 1875 Constitution included no provision for a lieutenant governor. The president of the Senate was next in line, and the selection process became the major issue of the day when the new legislature convened in November 1900. Jelks had been reelected to the legislature, and he was strategically chosen Senate president. Over incumbent governor Johnston's opposition, legislators also rushed through a succession bill that provided for the Senate president to become temporary governor if the governor could not assume office because of illness, resignation, or absence from the state for more than 20 days.

In late December 1900, Jelks relinquished the governor's office to Samford and expressed his dissatisfaction with his duties, saying if he was to be governor at all, he preferred to be "governor in fact." He returned to the Senate presidency, where he expressed frustration at Samford's style, particularly his lack of commitment. On June 11, 1901, Samford died, and Jelks became "governor in fact." He served out the remaining 18 months of Samford's term, a period consumed by emotional debate over the proposed new constitution and a bitter factional fight within the Democratic Party during the political campaign of 1902.
Jelks watched with satisfaction as voters, on November 11, 1901, approved the new constitution containing proposals to disfranchise blacks and poor and illiterate voters. Proponents argued that disfranchisement would usher in a new era of political reform and "clean government." Yet, during the legislative session of 1901-1902, the House and Senate rejected bills to regulate child labor, guarantee compulsory school attendance, and insure minimum funding for education. The new constitution increased the term of elected state officials from two to four years, and in 1902 Jelks sought a full term. Former governor Johnston, who opposed the 1901 constitution, also sought another term. During the summer and autumn of 1901, Johnston's forces had backed a statewide direct primary only for white voters. Noting the popularity of the primary, Jelks endorsed the proposal, effectively undercutting Johnston's attempt to style himself as the reform candidate. The primary was adopted, and both men ran as reformers. Jelks reminded voters that he supported "the new order of things."

As governor in his own right, Jelks focused on policies and programs designed to bolster the state treasury. With the state debt at $9.4 million in 1903, the governor launched an ambitious program to re-fund the debt by getting the legislature to adopt a series of bond issues. By the end of Jelks's term his efforts on this issue yielded positive results, and when he left office the state had a surplus of almost $2 million.
The governor also believed that state programs such as education and convict leasing should be administered according to business principles to produce substantial savings for taxpayers. Ironically, his narrowly focused approach ultimately produced some limited reforms. His restructuring of the convict-lease system resulted in better living conditions and health care for convicts, and he introduced cost-saving measures for the distribution of textbooks, which increased funding for public education. On labor, however, Jelks was a hardliner, as evidenced by his support of the Anti-Boycott Act of 1903, which created fines and imprisonment for inciting or supporting boycotts.
In the spring of 1904, Jelks contracted tuberculosis and travelled to the New Mexico Territory for treatment. He then developed a viral infection requiring surgery and did not return to his office for nearly a year, leaving Lt. Gov. Cunningham in charge. During his absence, Jelks became deeply despondent but corresponded frequently with Cunningham about pending bond issues, appointments to office, politics, and personal family matters. Upon his return in 1905, he became ill again and spent several more weeks recuperating out of the state. When finally able to resume his duties, he became mired in his own racist obsessions.

After leaving the governorship, Jelks did not seek public office again. He served as Alabama's representative on the Democratic National Committee from 1912 to 1916 and advised Gov. Charles Henderson on various financial matters. He put most of his energy into private business, establishing the Protective Life Insurance Company in Birmingham in 1907. By the time Jelks retired in 1929, the company had branch offices in six other southern states and more than $7 million in assets. On December 15, 1931, Jelks died of a heart attack in Eufaula at the age of 76 and was buried at Fairview Cemetery.
Additional Resources
Alsobrook, David E. "William Dorsey Jelks: Alabama Editor and Legislator." Master's thesis, West Virginia University, 1972.
Additional Resources
Alsobrook, David E. "William Dorsey Jelks: Alabama Editor and Legislator." Master's thesis, West Virginia University, 1972.
Henry D. Clayton Jr. Papers. University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
William D. Jelks Biographical File. Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery.
William Dorsey Jelks Official Papers, 1901-06. Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery.