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Alben Barkley Trivia Quiz

A quiz on Harry Truman's vice president, and the 35th vice-president of the United States, Alben Barkley.

A multiple-choice quiz by AdmiralShark. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
AdmiralShark

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
215,649

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
214

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Where was Barkley born? Hint

Missouri

Tennessee

Kentucky

Ohio

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Question 2 of 10

2. What was the occupation of Barkley's father? Hint

store owner

lawyer

farmer

riverboat pilot

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Question 3 of 10

3. Barkley attended, at different times in his life, three different colleges or universities. Which of the following was not one of the three? Hint

Marvin College

Emory College

University of Cincinnati

University of Virginia

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Question 4 of 10

4. Barkley married Dorothy Brower in 1903 and they, eventually, had three kids together. How many boys and girls did the Barkley's have? Hint

2 boys, 1 girl

3 girls

2 girls, 1 boy

3 boys

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Question 5 of 10

5. How many years did Barkley serve in the U.S. House of Representatives? Hint

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Question 6 of 10

6. Who did Barkley defeat to be elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time? Hint

William Bradley

Frederic Sackett

John Robison

Richard Ernst

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Question 7 of 10

7. What was unusual about Alben Barkley's keynote speech at the 1948 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia? Hint

He never predicted victory in November

Keynote speech was made at 2am

He never mentioned President Truman

He didn't make the keynote speech

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Question 8 of 10

8. Barkley was the first vice-president to get married while in office.

True

False

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Question 9 of 10

9. What political office did Barkley hold after leaving the vice-presidency? Hint

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

State governor

none

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Question 10 of 10

10. Where did Barkley die? Hint

Washington DC

Texarkana, TX

Paducah, KY

Lexington, VA

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Where was Barkley born?

Answer: Kentucky

Barkley born on November 24, 1877 to John Wilson and Electra Eliza Barkley near Lowes, Kentucky.

2. What was the occupation of Barkley's father?

Answer: farmer

John Wilson Barkley was an impoverished tenant farmer who primarily raised dark tobacco.

3. Barkley attended, at different times in his life, three different colleges or universities. Which of the following was not one of the three?

Answer: University of Cincinnati

Barkley attended Marvin College (which no longer exists) in 1897. He also attended Emory College (now Emory University) from 1897 to 1898 and attended the University of Virginia for two months in 1902.

4. Barkley married Dorothy Brower in 1903 and they, eventually, had three kids together. How many boys and girls did the Barkley's have?

Answer: 2 girls, 1 boy

Their one son, David, was born in 1906. Their two daughters were Marian (born 1909) and Laura (born 1911). They stayed married until Dorothy died in 1947 from heart disease.

5. How many years did Barkley serve in the U.S. House of Representatives?

Answer: 14

Barkley served in the House from 1913 to 1927. He left the House when he was elected to the Senate.

6. Who did Barkley defeat to be elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time?

Answer: Richard Ernst

Ernst served one term in the Senate (1921-27) but was defeated for re-election by Barkley. Ernst died in 1934. Barkley would remain in the Senate till becoming vice-president in 1948.

7. What was unusual about Alben Barkley's keynote speech at the 1948 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia?

Answer: He never predicted victory in November

Barkley's keynote speech ran for 68 minutes. It was only later did the reporters realize that the one thing that Barkley's speech had not said was that the Democrats would win in November. Because of the speech, the convention delegates picked Barkley for vice-president.

8. Barkley was the first vice-president to get married while in office.

Answer: True

Barkley met Jane Hadley, the widow of a St. Louis attorney, in July, 1949. A romance began between the two, which resulted in the two being married in November 1949.

9. What political office did Barkley hold after leaving the vice-presidency?

Answer: U.S. Senate

Kentucky returned Barkley to the U.S. Senate in 1954, when he defeated the incumbent, John Cooper.

10. Where did Barkley die?

Answer: Lexington, VA

On April 30, 1956, Barkley was in Lexington to give a speech at a mock convention at Washington and Lee University. Just moments after saying, during his speech "I'm glad to sit on the back row, for I would rather be a servant in the House of the Lord than to sit in the seats of the mighty.", Barkley suffered a major heart attack and died. He was buried in Paducah, Kentucky.

Source: Author AdmiralShark

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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