Birmingham’s Power Play: Judge Merrill’s Gubernatorial Gamble

In the sweltering Alabama heat, a simmering power struggle was brewing in the offices of the state’s Speaker of the House, Judge Hugh D. Merrill. On June 23, 1925, Merrill’s team issued a statement dismissing rumors that the influential politician was abandoning his gubernatorial ambitions for 1926. The rumors, which had spread like wildfire across the state, claimed that Merrill was bailing on a potential run for Montgomery’s top spot.