James Elisha 'Jim' Folsom Jr. (born May 14, 1949) is an American politician who was the 50th

governor of Alabama A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

from April 22, 1993, to January 16, 1995. He has also served as the

lieutenant governor of Alabama The lieutenant governor of Alabama is the president and presiding officer of the Alabama Senate, elected to serve a four-year term. The office was created in 1868,1868 Const. art. V, § 1 abolished in 1875,1875 Const. art. V, § 1 and recreated in ...

on two occasions. He is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Early life and education

Born in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

, he is the son of former

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

of Alabama Jamelle Folsom and legendary two-term Alabama Governor James E. "Big Jim" Folsom Sr. 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 Jacksonville State University (JSU) is a public university in Jacksonville, Alabama. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in six academic schools leading to bachelor's degree, bachelor's, master's degree, master's, educati ...

, where he presently serves as a trustee.

Early career

During his first run for a political office, he lost the primary to incumbent Democratic Congressman

Tom Bevill Tom Donald Fike Bevill (March 27, 1921 – March 28, 2005) was an American attorney, politician, and Democratic fifteen-term U.S. congressman who represented Alabama's 4th Congressional District and Alabama's 7th congressional district from 1967 ...

by an overwhelming margin. However he was elected to the

Alabama Public Service Commission The Alabama Public Service Commission, commonly called the PSC, was established by an act of the Alabama Legislature in 1915 to primarily replace the State Railroad Commission. The PSC's responsibility was expanded in 1920 to include regulating ...

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, Donald W. Stewart, as being too

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

for Alabama and called him a "puppet of the great Washington power structure." Although Stewart outspent Folsom $500,000 to $75,000, he very narrowly missed winning a majority in the primary and Folsom won the runoff. In the general election, Folsom lost by a narrow margin to

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Jeremiah Denton, who was aided by the

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

landslide, which helped Republican candidates across the country. Folsom was re-elected to the Alabama Public Service Commission in 1982. James Folsom was elected Alabama

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

and served from January 19, 1987, to April 22, 1993 (being re-elected in 1990). During both terms, as a matter of law, Folsom was also President and Presiding Officer of the Alabama State Senate. He served under Governor

H. Guy Hunt Harold Guy Hunt (June 17, 1933 – January 30, 2009) was an American politician, pastor, and convicted felon who served as the 49th governor of Alabama from 1987 to 1993. He was the first Republican to serve as governor of the state since Rec ...

, the first Republican Alabama Governor since Reconstruction. Hunt and Folsom also happen to be from the same ( Cullman) county. Folsom also was a member of the National Association of Lieutenant Governors.

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 Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

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. Within six days after taking office Governor Folsom ordered the removal of the

Confederate flag The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...

from the state capitol to a memorial. 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. In

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

, he ran for a full four-year term in his own right. Although some regarded Folsom as a popular governor, three candidates challenged him in the Democratic primary, the most serious being

Paul Hubbert Paul R. Hubbert (December 25, 1935 – October 14, 2014) was an American politician and Democratic gubernatorial candidate from the U.S. state of Alabama. From 1969 to 2011, he was executive secretary-treasurer of the Alabama Education Associa ...

, the executive secretary of the

Alabama Education Association The Alabama Education Association (AEA) is a statewide professional organization that represents public school employees in the state of Alabama. It is based in the state capital of Montgomery. The AEA is the largest education association in Ala ...

and nominee for governor in 1990. Folsom after a fierce and sometimes nasty primary, fended off Hubbert's challenge with 54% of the vote. But Hubbert's primary challenge damaged Folsom, who in the General Election, was narrowly defeated by former Democratic Governor Fob James, who was running as a Republican. Even though 1994 was a tough year for Democrats and that Folsom was facing a popular former governor in James and had spent a lot of money to win his primary against Hubbert, the result was narrow. In fact, Folsom lost by less than 10,000 votes or 49.7%-50.3% to James. 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 Philip Norman Bredesen Jr. (born November 21, 1943) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 48th governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was elected in 20 ...

in Tennessee (who eventually was elected there in 2002),

Jack Mildren Larry Jack Mildren (October 10, 1949 – May 22, 2008), was an All-American quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, and professional football player with the Baltimore Colts and New England Patriots. A native Texan, he was later an oil compa ...

in Oklahoma, and

Nick Theodore Nick Andrew Theodore (born September 16, 1928) is a former American politician from South Carolina. He was the first Greek-American elected to the South Carolina State Legislature. He served as a state representative from 1963 to 1966 and 1970 t ...

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

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Bill Bradley William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. He served three terms as a Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey (1979–1997). He ran for the Democratic Party's nomination f ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

in the 2000 Democratic presidential primaries, Governor of Vermont Howard Dean in 2004 Democratic presidential primaries, and

and future President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries. In 2016, he was a strong supporter of former

Governor of Maryland The Governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...

Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...

for president.Our Campaigns – Candidate – Folsom, Jr., James E. "Jim"
/ref> 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. On November 2, 2010, Folsom was defeated by three percentage points in his re-election bid for a fourth term by the Republican nominee, Kay Ivey. Folsom explored a potential

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

bid for governor. Folsom is married to the former Marsha Guthrie. They have two children. He is an

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

Electoral history

Democratic primary for the U.S. House of Representatives – AL 4th district, 1976 *

(Inc.) – 90,168 (80.87%) * Jim Folsom Jr. – 21,335 (19.13%) Democratic primary for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, 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 Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Indo-Iranian languages, Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and r ...

– 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 lieutenant governor, 1986 * Jim Folsom Jr. – 331,527 (37.72%) * John Teague – 277,899 (31.62%) *

Hinton Mitchem Hinton Mitchem (May 18, 1938 – January 22, 2013) was a Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 9th District from 1979 to January 1987 and then again from June 1987 to January 2011. Early years Hinton Mitchem was born on May ...

– 203,112 (23.11%) *

Melba Till Allen Melba Till Allen (March 3, 1933 – October 20, 1989) was an American politician who served as the Auditor of Alabama from 1967 to 1975 and as the Treasurer of Alabama from 1975 to 1978. Allen (D) was convicted in 1978 of using her office to o ...

– 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%) *

– 24,254 (3.45%) *

Tom Hayden Thomas Emmet Hayden (December 11, 1939October 23, 2016) was an American social and political activist, author, and politician. Hayden was best known for his role as an anti-war, civil rights, and intellectual activist in the 1960s, authoring th ...

– 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 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

External links

Office of the Lt. Governor
''official government site''
Jim Folsom for Lt. Governor
''official campaign site''
Appearances
on

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...

programs
Alabama Governor James Elisha Folsom Jr.
government profile
Profile
at the Encyclopedia of Alabama

at the Alabama Senate
Alabama Democratic Party
, - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Folsom, James E. Jr. 1949 births American Episcopalians Democratic Party governors of Alabama Folsom family of Alabama Governors of Alabama Lieutenant Governors of Alabama Living people People from Cullman, Alabama Politicians from Montgomery, Alabama