Roger Hugh Bedford Jr. (born July 2, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician from

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. He is a former Democratic member of the

Alabama Senate The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district conta ...

, where he represented the 6th District from 1994–2014. He previously served from 1982 to 1990.

Career

Bedford received his education at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

, and his J.D. degree from

Cumberland School of Law Cumberland School of Law is an American Bar Association, ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1847 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and is the 11th oldest law schoo ...

Samford University Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama. In 1841, the university was founded as Howard College by Baptists. Samford University describes itself as the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United Sta ...

. He is a

Rotarian Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

, and belongs to the

Alabama State Bar The Alabama State Bar is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Alabama. The Alabama State Bar was established in 1923 and is governed by th1975 Alabama Code, Title 34, Chapter 3 It is the "licensing and regulatory age ...

, the Cattlemen's Association, the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

Ducks Unlimited Ducks Unlimited (DU) is an American nonprofit organization 501(c) dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. It has had a membership of around 700,000 since January 2013. ...

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than ...

, Executive member of the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

, and the Greater Alabama Council. In 1996 Bedford was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, but was defeated by Republican

Jeff Sessions Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 84th United States Attorney General from 2017 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as United State ...

. On April 2, 2009, multiple sources reported Senator Bedford had received encouragement to run for the Democratic nomination for Alabama governor in 2010. He did not enter the race. Later that month, on April 30, 2009, Bedford inserted a " poison pill" into a Senate bill that would have made it easier for U.S. soldiers serving overseas to vote, thereby causing it to fail. The poison pill "would prohibit a federal candidate or officeholder from transferring funds to a state campaign for office" and was widely seen as an attempt at preventing

Artur Davis Artur Genestre Davis (; born October 9, 1967) is an American attorney and former politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives for from 2003 to 2011. He was also a candidate for the Democratic nomina ...

from transferring funds from his Congressional campaign to his state race for governor.

Family

He is married to the former Maudie Darby from

Florence, Alabama Florence is a city in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwestern corner. It is situated along the Tennessee River and is home to the University of North Alabama, the oldest college in the st ...

and they are the parents of one child: Roger, III.

References

External links

Project Vote Smart – Senator Roger Bedford, Jr. (AL)
profile * ''Follow the Money'' – Roger Bedford, Jr. *
200620021998
campaign contributions * , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bedford, Roger Jr. 1956 births Democratic Party Alabama state senators Living people Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American politicians University of Alabama alumni Cumberland School of Law alumni 21st-century American politicians Candidates in the 1996 United States elections