William Bacon Oliver

William "Buck" Bacon Oliver (May 23, 1867 – May 27, 1948) was an American politician. A Democrat, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama.

Born in Greene County, Alabama, Oliver studied at the University of Alabama and practiced law. He served eleven terms in the House of Representatives. Politically, his stances were syncretic, with him overall leaning liberal.

Early life and education Oliver was born on May 23, 1867, in Eutaw, Alabama, the son of judge William C. Oliver and Elizabeth S. (née Whitehead) Oliver. Lizzie was his father's second wife; his first wife was Elizabeth Phillips – with whom he had three children – had died. Through his father, he was the cousin of politician Sydney Parham Epes, and thereby a distant relative of James F. Epes.

Oliver was educated at common schools and attended Verner College Preparatory School, graduating in 1883. He studied at the University of Alabama's academic department, then at the University of Alabama School of Law, graduating in 1887 and 1889, respectively; he earned a Bachelor of Laws. He also took a course at the University of Virginia School of Law.

Career Oliver was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 1889, after which he commenced practice in Tuscaloosa. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1915, to January 3, 1937, representing Alabama's 6th district. He lost the following primaries. He was a delegate to the 1924 Democratic National Convention. From July 22, 1939, to May 1, 1944, he was assistant to the United States Attorney General. He then retired.

Politically, Oliver leaned liberal, such as in his support of government intervention to end the Great Depression, of labor rights, and of women's suffrage. However, he held conservative stances on issues such as immigration, Prohibition, and American involvement in World War I. The two had known each other since at least 1919. He was buried on May 28, at Eutaw Cemetery. An archive of his papers is held by the University of Alabama School of Law. The William Bacon Oliver Lock and Dam and William Bacon Oliver Lake, both on the Black Warrior River, are named for him, with the name of the Lock and Dam coming from legislation introduced by Armistead I. Selden Jr.