Jim Folsom Jr.
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Jim Folsom Jr. | |
---|---|
Lieutenant Governor of Alabama | |
In office January 15, 2007 – January 17, 2011 | |
Governor | Bob Riley |
Preceded by | Lucy Baxley |
Succeeded by | Kay Ivey |
In office January 19, 1987 – April 22, 1993 | |
Governor | Guy Hunt |
Preceded by | Bill Baxley |
Succeeded by | Don Siegelman |
Personal details | |
Born | James Elisha Folsom Jr. May 14, 1949 Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Marsha Guthrie |
Alma mater | Jacksonville State University |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States Alabama |
Branch/service | Alabama National Guard |
Years of service | 1968–1970 |
James Elisha 'Jim' Folsom Jr. (born May 14, 1949) is an American politician who was the
Early life and education
Born in
Early career
During his first run for a political office, he lost the primary to incumbent Democratic Congressman Tom Bevill by an overwhelming margin. However he was elected to the Alabama Public Service Commission in 1978.
Folsom unlike his father was a moderate-to-conservative Democrat. He won support from groups his father had long opposed, especially a group of conservative business people known as the Big Mules. In 1980, Folsom ran for the U.S. Senate and attacked the incumbent,
Folsom was re-elected to the Alabama Public Service Commission in 1982.
James Folsom was elected Alabama
Governorship
In 1993, Hunt was convicted of state ethics law violations regarding the funding of Hunt's second inaugural ceremonies. Like most states, Alabama's constitution prohibits convicted felons from serving in office. As a result, Hunt was forced to resign on April 22, 1993, and Folsom automatically became governor.
Only weeks after Folsom assumed the office, state officials were approached by Mercedes-Benz about the possibility of locating its first manufacturing plant outside its native Germany in Alabama. Over the following months, Folsom led Alabama's efforts to recruit the facility, culminating in an October 1993 announcement that Alabama had beaten 30 other states for the coveted facility. The prestige of the Mercedes plant opened the door for future automotive plants to locate in the state.[3]
Within six days after taking office Governor Folsom ordered the removal of the
In
Compared to other prominent Democratic incumbent Governors who lost that year such as Ann Richards in Texas, Bruce King in New Mexico, and Mario Cuomo in New York, Folsom ran much more strongly than they did. He also ran stronger than Democratic nominees in other Southern states with governor's races, such as Phil Bredesen in Tennessee (who eventually was elected there in 2002), Jack Mildren in Oklahoma, and Nick Theodore in South Carolina.
Post-governorship and return to politics
In 2006, Folsom reentered state politics, running again as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. He won the Democratic nomination unopposed, and in the general election, he narrowly defeated Republican lawyer Luther Strange for a third, nonconsecutive four-year term. Folsom is the longest-serving lieutenant governor in Alabama history with 10 years of service; his third term ended on January 17, 2011.
Folsom endorsed former
He announced on April 1, 2009, that he would seek re-election as lieutenant governor in 2010 rather than run for the Democratic nomination for governor.
Folsom is married to the former Marsha Guthrie. They have two children. He is an
Electoral history
Democratic primary for the U.S. House of Representatives – AL 4th district, 1976
- Tom Bevill (Inc.) – 90,168 (80.87%)
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 21,335 (19.13%)
Democratic primary for the United States Senate, 1980
- Donald W. Stewart(Inc.) – 222,540 (48.63%)
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 163,196 (35.67%)
- Finis St. John – 51,260 (11.20%)
- Margaret E. Stewart – 20,582 (4.50%)
Democratic runoff for the United States Senate, 1980
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 204,186 (50.60%)
- Donald W. Stewart– 199,365 (49.40%)
- Jeremiah Denton (R) – 650,363 (50.15%)
- Jim Folsom Jr. (D) – 610,175 (47.05%)
Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, 1986
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 331,527 (37.72%)
- John Teague – 277,899 (31.62%)
- Hinton Mitchem – 203,112 (23.11%)
- Melba Till Allen – 66,439 (7.56%)
Democratic runoff for lieutenant governor, 1986
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 517,724 (57.49%)
- John Teague – 382,836 (42.51
Election for lieutenant governor, 1986
- Jim Folsom Jr. (D) – 726,111 (61.85%)
- Don McGriff (R) – 447,978 (38.16%)
Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, 1990
- Jim Folsom Jr. (Inc.) – 510,814 (80.87%)
- William McKinley Branch – 120,861 (19.13%)
Election for lieutenant governor, 1990
- Jim Folsom Jr. (D) (Inc.) – 768,988 (67.33%)
- Bob McKee (R) – 373,072 (32.67%)
Democratic primary for governor, 1994
- Jim Folsom Jr. (Inc.) – 380,227 (54.04%)
- Paul R. Hubbert– 285,554 (40.59%)
- Margaret E. Stewart – 24,254 (3.45%)
- Tom Hayden – 13,532 (1.92%)
- Fob James (R) – 604,926 (50.33%)
- Jim Folsom Jr. (D) (Inc.) – 594,169 (49.43%)
Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, 2006
- Jim Folsom Jr. – unopposed
Election for lieutenant governor, 2006
- Jim Folsom Jr. (D) – 629,268 (50.61%)
- Luther Strange (R) – 610,982 (49.14%)
- Write-in candidates – 3,029 (0.24%)
Election for lieutenant governor, 2010
- Kay Ivey (R) – 764,112 (51.47%)
- Jim Folsom Jr. (D) – 718,636 (48.40%)
- Write-in candidates – 1,945 (0.13%)
References
- ^ "Former Ala. first lady Jamelle Folsom dies at 85". Montgomery Advertiser. Associated Press. December 2, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ISBN 978-0-472-08192-9
- ^ "Mercedes Picks State for Plant," The Huntsville Times, September 29, 1993, p. A1
- ^ "Rebel Flag Could Have Cost State Mercedes Plant," The Huntsville Times, October 2, 1993, p.A2
- ^ "James E. Folsom Jr. (1993–95)". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
- ^ Our Campaigns – Candidate – Folsom, Jr., James E. "Jim"
- ^ "Folsom won't run for governor in '10 | al.com". Blog.al.com. April 1, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
External links
- Office of the Lt. Governor official government site
- Jim Folsom for Lt. Governor Archived June 12, 2019, at the Wayback Machine official campaign site
- Appearances Archived October 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine on C-SPAN programs
- Alabama Governor James Elisha Folsom Jr. Archived May 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine government profile
- Profile at the Encyclopedia of Alabama
- Biography at the Alabama Senate
- Alabama Democratic Party Archived March 24, 2005, at the Wayback Machine