Jack Giles (politician)

Jack Giles (November 21, 1915 – July 12, 1982) was an American politician who served in the Alabama Senate from District 3, representing all of Madison County from 1966 to 1970. He was a member of the Democratic Party.

Giles was born to Thomas and Molly Ora Giles on November 21, 1915, in Marion Junction, Alabama. He attended public schools throughout several counties in Alabama, Snead State Community College, and Auburn University. He enlisted in the Alabama National Guard and ranked up to lieutenant colonel in the Inactive National Guard. He served in the Pacific theater of World War II, receiving a Purple Heart and a Presidential Unit Citation. He received a law degree from the University of Alabama in 1948 before practicing law in Huntsville and serving in multiple offices in the county and city in the 1950s and 1960s.^[1] During George Wallace’s gubernatorial administration, Giles served as the director of the state’s Department of Industrial Relations.^[2]

In 1964, he won a primary to be placed on the Democratic slate of presidential electors as an unpledged elector. The slate lost to conservative Republican nominee Barry Goldwater. In 1966, he was elected to the Alabama Senate from District 3 as a Democrat, winning the Democratic primary with 71.15% of the vote, and defeating a Republican opponent with 62.12% of the vote. In 1970, Giles did not seek re-election to the state senate, but instead campaigned for lieutenant governor on a platform of reducing air and water pollution in the state.^[3] Giles lost the Democratic nomination in the first round in an eight-man field. Jere Beasley won the runoff election with 57.78% of the vote.

On July 12, 1982, Giles died of a heart attack at the age of 66. At the time of his death, he was the chairman of the Alabama Space Science Commission.^[2]