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.^[1]

Eugene Octave Sykes Jr.
Sykes in 1916
Mississippi Supreme Court Justice
In office 1916–1924
Appointed by	Theodore Bilbo
1st Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
In office July 11, 1934 – March 8, 1935
President	Franklin Roosevelt
Preceded by	Position Established
Succeeded by	Anning S. Prall
Personal details
Born	(1876-07-16)July 16, 1876 Aberdeen, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	June 21, 1945(1945-06-21) (aged 68) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Malvina Scott ​ (m. 1903)​
Children	3
Education	St. John's College High School United States Naval Academy University of Mississippi

Early life

Eugene Octave Sykes was born in Aberdeen, Mississippi,^[1] on July 16, 1876, to Eugene Octave Sykes Sr. and India Rogers.^{[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.^[1]

Career

Sykes served on the Mississippi Supreme Court from 1916 to 1924, appointed by Theodore Bilbo.^[2] 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.^[1] In 1939, he resigned from the commission.^[1]

Sykes then worked as a member of the Spearman, Sykes & Robinson law firm in Washington, D.C.^[1]

Personal life

In 1903, Sykes married Malvina Scott. They had three children.^[1]

Sykes died of a heart attack on June 21, 1945, in Washington, D.C.^[1]