Boyd Cypert

{{short description|American athlete, businessman, and politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name=Alfred Boyd Cypert

|honorific-suffix=JD

|image=

|imagesize=

|alt=

|caption=

|office=Arkansas Sixth Judicial District Attorney

|term_start=1926

|term_end=1931

|deputy=Carl Edward Bailey

|lieutenant=

|predecessor=

|successor=Carl Edward Bailey

|constituency=Pulaski and Perry County, Arkansas

|majority=

|birth_date=Little Rock, Arkansas

|birth_place={{birth date|1889|8|8}}

|death_date=Washington, D.C.

|death_place={{death date and age|1973|1|9|1889|8|8}}

|restingplace=National Memorial Park

|party=Democratic Party

|spouse=Blanche Cypert

|residence=

|alma_mater=University of Arkansas, Harvard Law School

|occupation=

|profession=Baseball player, lawyer

|signature=

|website=

|branch=United States Army

|serviceyears=

|rank=

|unit=

|commands=

|battles=World War I

|awards=

}}

Alfred Boyd Cypert (August 8, 1889 – January 9, 1973) was a professional baseball player, lawyer, Democratic Party politician and business manager. Cypert was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and attended the University of Arkansas where he played baseball and football for the Razorbacks. He enrolled in Harvard Law School in 1912 and graduated in 1913. In 1914, he played one game with the Major League Baseball (MLB) Cleveland Naps. After his baseball career was over, Cypert served as the district attorney in Little Rock and in 1931 ran an unsuccessful bid for Arkansas Attorney General against four-term incumbent Hal Norwood. Later in his life, Cypert served as the business manager of the University of Arkansas' athletic department.

Early life and baseball career

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Boyd Cypert

|image=

|position=Third baseman

|birth_date={{birth date|1889|8|8}}

|birth_place=Little Rock, Arkansas

|death_date={{death date and age|1973|1|9|1889|8|8}}

|death_place=Washington, D.C.

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=June 27

|debutyear=1914

|debutteam=Cleveland Naps

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=June 27

|finalyear=1914

|finalteam=Cleveland Naps

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=At-bats

|stat1value=1

|stat2label=Hits

|stat2value=0

|stat3label=

|stat3value=

|teams=

Cleveland Naps (1914)

}}

Alfred Boyd Cypert was born on August 8, 1889, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Thomas and Bessie Cypert of Arkansas and Tennessee, respectively.{{cite web|title=1900 United States Census|work=U.S. Census Bureau|publisher=U.S. Federal Government|year=1900}} In 1900, Thomas Cypert was working as a grocery store clerk in Little Rock. By 1910, Thomas Cypert found work as a real estate agent.{{cite web|title=1910 United States Census|work=U.S. Census Bureau|publisher=U.S. Federal Government|year=1910}} Boyd Cypert had one sibling, his brother Thomas Cypert, Jr. In 1910, Boyd Cypert enrolled at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. While at the University of Arkansas, he was a member of Xi chapter of Kappa Sigma fraternity.Xi Chapter: Century of Tradition at the University of Arkansas While at school, he played third base{{cite web|title=Inductees: Class of 1972|url=http://www.arksportshalloffame.com/inductees/|work=Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame|publisher=Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame|accessdate=May 30, 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417195305/http://www.arksportshalloffame.com/inductees/|archivedate=April 17, 2016}} for the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team. He also was the quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks football for three years (1910–12).

In 1912, Cypert enrolled at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.{{cite book|title=Harvard Alumni Directory|url=https://archive.org/details/harvardalumnidi00univgoog|year=1919|publisher=Harvard Alumni Association|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|page=[https://archive.org/details/harvardalumnidi00univgoog/page/n187 171]}} He graduated in 1913. Cypert signed a professional baseball contract in 1913. He played his first and only professional game on June 27, 1914, as a member of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Cleveland Naps.{{cite web|title=Al Cypert Statistics and History|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cyperal01.shtml|work=Baseball-Reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=May 30, 2011}} In that game, he struck out once in one at-bat. Defensively, Cypert played third base. During World War I, Cypert served in the United States Army and later received an honorable discharge.{{cite web|title=World War I Discharge Records|url=http://www.ark-ives.com/search/detail.asp?sec=ww1_discharge_records&id=24104|work=Arkansas History Commission|publisher=Arkansas History Commission|accessdate=May 31, 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320075332/http://www.ark-ives.com/search/detail.asp?sec=ww1_discharge_records&id=24104|archivedate=March 20, 2012}} In 1921, Cypret was a pitcher for the Arkansas Razorbacks alumni baseball team.{{cite news|title=All-Stars Lose Second Game, 7-6|newspaper=Fayetteville Daily Democrat|date=March 21, 1921|location=Fayetteville, Arkansas|page=1}}

Law and political career

By 1920, Cypert worked as a general practice lawyer in Little Rock, Arkansas.{{cite web|title=1920 United States Census|work=U.S. Census Bureau|publisher=U.S. Federal Government|year=1920}} In late-January 1922, Cypert was nominated for the position of district attorney in Little Rock.{{cite news|title=Consider Promotion Merited|newspaper=Fayetteville Daily Democrat|date=February 1, 1922|location=Fayetteville, Arkansas|page=1}} However, it was not until 1926 when Cypert was elected Arkansas Sixth Judicial District Attorney.{{cite web|title=Carl Edward Bailey (1894–1948)|url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=86|work=University of Arkansas|publisher=The Central Arkansas Library System|accessdate=May 30, 2011}} His constituency covered Pulaski and Perry County, Arkansas. His deputy district attorney was Carl Edward Bailey, who would later go-on to be the Governor of Arkansas. In 1928, Cypert prosecuted Charles Smith, the president of Advancement of Atheism, on blasphemy charges after he was distributing pamphlets which read: "Evolution is true; the Bible is a lie; and God is a ghost".{{cite news|title=Glaring Banner on Evolution Displayed at Atheists' Headquarters|newspaper=The Evening Independent|date=November 13, 1928|agency=United Press International|location=St. Petersburg, Florida|page=9}}{{cite news|title=Atheists Freed on $100 Bond|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=November 16, 1926|agency=United Press International|location=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|page=35}}

In November 1928, after the State of Arkansas passed a law banning the teaching of evolution, Cypert stated that he was not going to hunt down offenders, instead that he was going to enforce the law when asked to do so.{{cite news|title=Arkansas Has Trouble With Evolution Law|newspaper=Berkeley Daily Gazette|date=November 27, 1928|agency=United Press International|location=Berkeley, California|page=3}} In 1929, Cypert prosecuted Reece A. Claude, the state railroad commissioner, on bribery charges after investigating a bill in the Arkansas Legislature which Claude allegedly attempted to pay state officials to pass.{{cite news|title=Arkansas Horse Racing Bill Causes Another Flare-Back|newspaper=The Kingsport Times|date=May 15, 1929|location=Kingsport, Tennessee|page=1}} In 1931, Cypert ran for Arkansas Attorney General against Hal Norwood, who previously held the office.{{cite journal|journal=The Arkansas Historical Quarterly|year=1998|volume=57|pages=136, 138|publisher=Arkansas Historical Association}} Cypert eventually lost the race. He was succeeded at his position of Arkansas Sixth Judicial District Attorney by Carl Edward Bailey.

Later life

By 1930, Cypert was living in Little Rock, Arkansas with his wife, Blanch Cypert and their daughter, Belly.{{cite web|title=1930 United States Census|work=U.S. Census Bureau|publisher=U.S. Federal Government|year=1930}} Boyd Cypert was hired as the University of Arkansas' business manager in 1934.{{cite news|title=Tickets Go Fast For Owl Invasion|newspaper=San Antonio Express|date=November 6, 1934|location=San Antonio, Texas|page=9}} In 1936, Cypert considered running for Arkansas Attorney General again.{{cite news|title=Cypert Mentioned for Atty. General|newspaper=Fayetteville Daily Democrat|date=April 18, 1936|location=Fayetteville, Arkansas|page=1}} He died on January 9, 1973, at the age of 83 in Washington, D.C.