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

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 of Alabama

Jamelle Folsom Jamelle Moore Folsom (November 11, 1927 – November 30, 2012) was an American First Lady of the U.S. state of Alabama, serving from 1948 to 1951 and again from 1955 to 1959. She was the wife and widow of Governor of Alabama James E. "Big Jim" ...

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, master's, education specialist, and doctorate degr ...

, 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 19 ...

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, 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 Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. (July 15, 1924 – March 28, 2014) was an American politician and military officer who served as a U.S. Senator representing Alabama from 1981 to 1987. He was the first Republican to be popularly elected to a Sen ...

, who was aided by the Ronald Reagan 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 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 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 ...

. 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. 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 sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

, 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, the executive secretary of the Alabama Education Association 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 Forrest Hood "Fob" James Jr. (born September 15, 1934) is an American civil engineer, entrepreneur, football player, and politician. He served as the 48th governor of Alabama, first as a Democrat, 1979–1983, and secondly as a Republican, 199 ...

, 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 Dorothy Ann Richards (née Willis; September 1, 1933 – September 13, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995. A Democrat, she first came to national attention as the Texas State Treasurer, w ...

in Texas,

Bruce King Bruce King (April 6, 1924 – November 13, 2009) was an American businessman and politician who for three non-consecutive four-year terms was the governor of New Mexico. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the longest-serving governor in N ...

in New Mexico, and

Mario Cuomo Mario Matthew Cuomo (, ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as ...

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, he was elected in 2002 with 50.6% of the vote and ree ...

in Tennessee (who eventually was elected there in 2002), Jack Mildren 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 Luther Johnson Strange III (born March 1, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Alabama from 2017 to 2018. He was appointed to fill that position after it was vacated by Sen. Jeff Sessions upon Ses ...

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 Bill Bradley of

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 The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, lobbyist, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 2009 ...

in 2004 Democratic presidential primaries, and U.S. Senator 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 ...

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

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 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 Kay Ellen Ivey (born October 15, 1944) is an American politician serving as the 54th and incumbent governor of Alabama since 2017. Originally a conservative Southern Democrat, Ivey became a member of the Republican Party in 2002. She was the 38th ...

. 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 Unit ...

bid for governor. 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 *

(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 – 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 *

(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 Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) ...

(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 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 t ...

– 13,532 (1.92%) Alabama gubernatorial election, 1994 *

(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%) *

(R) – 610,982 (49.14%) * Write-in candidates – 3,029 (0.24%) Election for lieutenant governor, 2010 *

(R) – 764,112 (51.47%) * Jim Folsom Jr. (D) – 718,636 (48.40%) * Write-in candidates – 1,945 (0.13%)

Early life and education

Early career

Governorship

Post-governorship and return to politics

Electoral history

References

External links