Jim Folsom Jr.

Jim Folsom Jr.


50th Governor of Alabama
In office April 22, 1993 – January 16, 1995
Preceded by	Guy Hunt
Succeeded by	Fob James
25th and 29th 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. (1949-05-14) May 14, 1949 Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Marsha Guthrie
Alma mater	Jacksonville State University
Religion	Episcopalianism
Military service
Allegiance	Alabama
Service/branch	Alabama National Guard
Years of service	1968-1970

James Elisha Folsom Jr. (born May 14, 1949) is an American Democratic politician who was the 50th Governor of Alabama from April 22, 1993 to January 16, 1995. He has also served as Lieutenant Governor of Alabama on two separate occasions.

Early life and career

Born in Montgomery, Alabama, he is the son of former First Lady of Alabama Jamelle Folsom and legendary two-term Alabama Governor James E. "Big Jim" Folsom Sr.^[1] Jim Folsom Jr. is therefore known as "Little Jim" even though he is well over six feet tall. In 1974, he graduated from Jacksonville State University, where he presently serves as a trustee.

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.

In 1980, he ran for the U.S. Senate and attacked the incumbent, Donald W. Stewart, as being too liberal for Alabama and called him a "puppet of the great Washington power structure." Although Stewart outspent Folsom with 500,000 to 75,000 USD, he very narrowly missed winning majority in the primary and lost in the runoff.^[2] He was re-elected to the Alabama Public Service Commission in 1982.

Folsom narrowly lost the next general election to Republican Jeremiah Denton, who was aided by the Ronald Reagan landslide, which helped Republican candidates across the country.

Folsom was elected Alabama Lieutenant Governor and served from January 19, 1987 to April 22, 1993 (being re-elected in 1990), where Folsom served as President and Presiding Officer of the Alabama State Senate and also served on the National Association of Lieutenant Governors. He served under Governor H. Guy Hunt, the first Republican Alabama Governor since Reconstruction. Hunt and Folsom also happen to be from the same (Cullman) county.

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 bars convicted felons from holding 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 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 Confederate flag from the state capitol to a memorial.^[4] His de facto Chief of Staff was his longtime friend and confidant, Charlie Waldrep, an attorney at Waldrep, Stewart & Kendrick, LLC. Governor Folsom also appointed a number of African Americans and women to his staff.^[5]

In 1994, he ran for a full four-year term in his own right, but was narrowly defeated by former Democratic Governor Fob James, who was running as a Republican. Although some regarded Folsom as a popular Governor, he won only 54% of the vote in the Democratic primary, not enough to defeat James in the general election.

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 in all with the previous six years he served as Lieutenant Governor, Folsom is the longest-serving Lieutenant Governor in Alabama history with 10 years of service with his third term ending on January 17, 2011.

Folsom endorsed former Governor of Vermont Howard Dean in 2004 Democratic presidential primaries.^[6] In the 1988 primaries, he supported Al Gore.

Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom Jr. announced on April 1, 2009, he would seek re-election as Lieutenant Governor in 2010 rather than run for the Democratic nomination for Governor.^[7] On November 2, 2010, Folsom was defeated in a re-election bid for an unprecedented fourth term by the Republican candidate, State Treasurer Kay Ivey.

Folsom is married to the former Marsha Guthrie. They have two children. He is an Episcopalian.

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%)

United States Senate election in Alabama, 1980

Jeremiah Denton (R) – 650,363 (50.15%)
Jim Folsom Jr. (D) – 610,175 (47.05%)

Democratic primary for Lt. 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 Lt. 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 Lt. 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%)

Alabama gubernatorial election, 1994

Fob James (R) – 604,926 (50.33%)
Jim Folsom Jr. (D) (Inc.) – 594,169 (49.43%)

Democratic primary for Lt. 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%)

Source:^[6]

References

↑ "Former Ala. first lady Jamelle Folsom dies at 85". Associated Press. Montgomery Advertiser. 2012-12-02. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
↑ Alan Abramowitz, Jeffrey Allan Segal, Senate Elections. First thorough study of modern elections to the U.S. Senate, University of Michigan Press, 1992, ISBN 0-472-08192-6, 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.
1 2 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.

Political offices
Preceded by Chris Whatley	Member of the Alabama Public Service Commission for the 2nd seat 1979–1987	Succeeded by Charles Martin
Preceded by Bill Baxley	Lieutenant Governor of Alabama 1987–1993	Succeeded by Don Siegelman
Preceded by Guy Hunt	Governor of Alabama 1983–1995	Succeeded by Fob James
Preceded by Lucy Baxley	Lieutenant Governor of Alabama 2007–2011	Succeeded by Kay Ivey
Party political offices
Preceded by Donald Stewart	Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Alabama (Class 1) 1980	Succeeded by Richard Shelby
Preceded by Bill Baxley	Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama 1986, 1990	Succeeded by Don Siegelman
		Succeeded by Don Siegelman
Preceded by Paul Hubbert	Democratic nominee for Governor of Alabama 1994
Preceded by Lucy Baxley	Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama 2006, 2010	Succeeded by James Fields

Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Alabama

Governors	W. Bibb T. Bibb Pickens Murphy G. Moore S. Moore Gayle Clay McVay Bagby Fitzpatrick Martin Chapman Collier Winston A. Moore Shorter Watts Parsons Patton Swayne Smith Lindsay Lewis Houston Cobb E. A. O'Neal Seay T. Jones Oates Johnston Samford Jelks Comer E. O'Neal Henderson Kilby Brandon Graves Miller Graves Dixon Sparks Folsom Sr. Persons Folsom Sr. Patterson G. Wallace L. Wallace Brewer G. Wallace James G. Wallace Hunt Folsom Jr. James Siegelman Riley Bentley

Lieutenant Governors	Applegate Moren McKinstry Ligon Cunningham Gray Seed Kilby Miller McDowell Davis Merrill Knight Carmichael Ellis Inzer Allen Hardwick Boutwell Allen Brewer Beasley McMillan B. Baxley Folsom Siegelman Windom L. Baxley Folsom Ivey

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