David Bibb Graves (April 1, 1873 – March 14, 1942) was an American Democratic politician and the 38th Governor of Alabama 1927–1931 and 1935–1939, the first Alabama governor to serve two four-year terms. He successfully advanced progressive political programs while allying himself with the Ku Klux Klan, probably serving as head of the Montgomery chapter. Personal life Graves was born April 1, 1873, in Hope Hull, Alabama, son of David and Mattie Bibb Graves and a descendant of Alabama's first and second governors, William Wyatt Bibb and Thomas Bibb. Graves' father died when he was one year old, and he was reared first by his paternal grandfather on an Alabama farm, then by an uncle in Texas. After graduating from Yale Law School in 1896, Graves settled in Montgomery, Alabama, where he lived for the remainder of his life. There, he served as an elder of the Christian Church. In 1900, Graves married Dixie Bibb, his first cousin, who eventually became Alabama's first female Senator. He was also a founding member of Bob Jones College's Board of Trustees and a personal friend of the founder, evangelist Bob Jones, Sr. Graves died in Sarasota, Florida while preparing for another gubernatorial campaign. Education Graves attended public school in Texas before returning to his home state to attend the University of Alabama, where he studied Civil Engineering. There, he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the school's inaugural football team, as well as captain of the Alabama Corps of Cadets. He graduated in 1893, then briefly studied law at the University of Texas before transferring to Yale Law School, receiving a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1896. Career After graduating from Yale Law School in 1896, Graves established a law practice in Montgomery, Alabama, where he later served as the city attorney. Politics Graves's political career began in 1898 when he was elected to the first of two terms as a member of the Alabama House of Representatives (1898–99, 1900–01). During this time, he aligned himself with governors Joseph F. Johnson and Braxton Bragg Comer. He also opposed ratifying the Alabama Constitution of 1901, which was "[w]ritten primarily to codify white supremacy by disfranchising blacks." In 1904, Graves ran for Congress in Alabama's Second Congressional District but lost to the incumbent Democratic congressman, Ariosto A. Wiley. After the loss, although he refrained from running for a political position for a decade,