In 1968 , James Allen was elected to succeed the retiring Democratic U.S. Senator J. Lister Hill of Montgomery.James Allen won 638,774 ( 76 percent ) to 201,227 ( 24 percent ) for his Republican opponent , Perry O. Hooper , Sr . Like his Republican Senate colleague , Jesse Helms of North Carolina , James Allen was a master of parliamentary procedure . He was considered to have revived the filibuster rule during his nearly nine years as a senator . James Allen was known as one of the most conservative Democrats in the chamber , more conservative even than many Republicans at that time . He was an active opponent of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1978 . James Allen received one vote for the Republican vice-presidential nomination at the 1976 Republican National Convention
1976 Republican National Convention
1976 Republican National Convention
James Allen (Alabama politician)