Jim Folsom, Jr.

Jim Folsom
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. May 14, 1949 Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Marsha Guthrie
Alma mater	Jacksonville State University
Religion	Episcopalianism

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.

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 attacking 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 "Chief of Staff" was longtime friend and confidant, Charlie Waldrep, of 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 ten 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%)

Alabama United States Senate election, 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:^[8]

Notes

1. "Former Ala. first lady Jamelle Folsom dies at 85". Associated Press (Montgomery Advertiser). 2012-12-02. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
2. 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
3. "Mercedes Picks State for Plant," The Huntsville Times, September 29, 1993, p. A1
4. "Rebel Flag Could Have Cost State Mercedes Plant," The Huntsville Times, October 2, 1993, p.A2
5. "James E. Folsom Jr. (1993–95)". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
6. Our Campaigns – Candidate – James E. "Jim" Folsom, Jr
7. "Folsom won't run for governor in '10 | al.com". Blog.al.com. April 1, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
8. "Candidate – James E. "Jim" Folsom, Jr". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 4, 2010.

External links

• Office of the Lt. Governor official government site
• Jim Folsom for Lt. Governor official campaign site
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Alabama Governor James Elisha Folsom, Jr. government profile
• Profile at the Encyclopedia of Alabama
• Biography at the Alabama Senate
• Profile at NNDB
• Alabama Democratic Party