Eugene O. Sykes

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.<ref name=obit/>

Early life

Eugene Octave Sykes was born in Aberdeen, Mississippi,<ref name=obit>Template:Cite news</ref> on July 16, 1876, to Eugene Octave Sykes Sr. and India Rogers.Template: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.<ref name=obit/>

Career

Sykes served on the Mississippi Supreme Court from 1916 to 1924, appointed by Theodore Bilbo.<ref name="Southwick">Leslie Southwick, Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996, 18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998).</ref> 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.<ref name=obit/> In 1939, he resigned from the commission.<ref name=obit/>

Sykes then worked as a member of the Spearman, Sykes & Robinson law firm in Washington, D.C.<ref name=obit/>

Personal life

In 1903, Sykes married Malvina Scott. They had three children.<ref name=obit/>

Sykes died of a heart attack on June 21, 1945, in Washington, D.C.<ref name=obit/>

Further reading

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External links

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