Lucy Baxley
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Lucy Baxley (born December 21, 1937) served as the Lieutenant Governor of Alabama, from 2003 to 2007 and was the Democratic candidate for Governor in 2006. Though Alabama has had a female governor, Baxley is the first woman to hold the state's office of lieutenant governor.
She was born in 1937 near Pansey, Alabama, a small town near Dothan. Lucy attended college but did not graduate.
She first married at 18; later, she married Bill Baxley,who was an Attorney General of Alabama for two terms from 1971 to 1979 and later Lieutenant Governor of Alabama from 1983 to 1987. Bill Baxley later became involved with another woman which was reported in the newspapers; they later divorced. She is currently married to Jim Smith. They married in 1996.
In 1994, she was elected Treasurer of the State of Alabama. In 1998, Baxley was re-elected to that post. In 2002, Lucy Baxley was elected the 29th Lieutenant Governor of Alabama, receiving more votes than either candidate for Governor. She also served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1996.
In 2005, Baxley announced plans to run for Governor of Alabama. Her main opponent in the primary was former Governor Don Siegelman. In large part because of Siegelman's indictment for bribery and racketeering she was able to secure important endorsements from the Alabama Democratic Conference and the New South Coalition, as well as the Alabama State Employees Association. Despite keeping a relatively low-profile campaign, she coasted to a win in the primary election on June 6 with 60% of the vote. Baxley was an underdog in the general election against incumbent Republican Bob Riley, trailing as much as 30% in some polls. Baxley did better than expected in the election, but still lost to incumbent Bob Riley, acquiring 42% of the votes, compared to Riley's 58% of all votes. [1]
Baxley was admitted to UAB hospital in Birmingham, Alabama on November 23, 2006, Thanksgiving Day. She had become ill Wednesday evening and doctors kept her for tests and observations. A spokeswoman for UAB announced that Baxley had suffered a mild stroke, but was expected to fully recover. A statement was issued via her family that asked Alabamians to keep Baxley in their prayers. No further details of the lieutenant governor's condition were given at the time.[2]
She was discharged from UAB on November 29 and then moved to Lakeshore Rehabilitation Center, also in Birmingham. She remained there until being released December 29. She is still receiving outpatient rehabilitation. The cause of Baxley's stroke has not been determined.[3] Following the advice of her neurologist, Baxley did not return to Montgomery to preside over the opening of the Senate, her last official duty as Lt. Governor. According to Sen. Lowell Barron, D-Fyffe, "Lucy’s situation is serious." It was difficult for her to move her left leg and "she was unable to move her left arm."[4]
Baxley's term ended in 2007, and she was succeeded by fellow Democrat and former Governor Jim Folsom, Jr..
Contents |
[edit] Electoral History
2006 General Election: Governor
| Candidate | Votes Received | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| *Bob Riley (R) | 718,327 | 57.45% |
| Lucy Baxley (D) | 519,827 | 41.57% |
| Write-in | 12,247 | 0.98% |
2006 Democratic Primary: Governor
| Candidate | Votes Received | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Lucy Baxley | 279,165 | 59.84% |
| Don Siegelman | 170,016 | 36.44% |
| Joe Copeland | 4,141 | 0.89% |
| Nathan Mathis | 4,000 | 0.86% |
| Katherine Mack | 3,392 | 0.73% |
| James Potts | 3,333 | 0.71% |
| Harry Lyon | 2,490 | 0.53% |
2002 General Election: Lieutenant Governor
| Candidate | Votes Received | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Lucy Baxley (D) | 694,442 | 51.48% |
| Bill Armistead (R) | 630,839 | 46.76% |
| Lyn Curtis Adams (L) | 21,884 | 1.62% |
| Write-in | 1,873 | 0.14% |
1998 General Election: State Treasurer
| Candidate | Votes Received | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| *Lucy Baxley (D) | 810,746 | 64.59% |
| Tom Davis (R) | 443,901 | 35.37% |
| Write-in | 496 | 0.04% |
1994 General Election: State Treasurer
| Candidate | Votes Received | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Lucy Baxley (D) | 562,733 | 50.03% |
| James Martin (R) | 561,701 | 49.93% |
| Write-in | 444 | 0.03% |
1994 Democratic Primary: State Treasurer
| Candidate | Votes Received | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Lucy Baxley | 313,154 | 55.20% |
| Elizabeth Alexander | 157,184 | 27.71% |
| Steven R. Phelps, Sr. | 96,958 | 17.09% |
- = Incumbent
Bold = Winner
Note: All votes are official results from the Alabama Secretary of State website. Alabama Secretary of State
[edit] See also
| Preceded by Steve Windom |
Lieutenant Governor of Alabama 2003 – 2007 |
Succeeded by Jim Folsom, Jr. |
[edit] External links
- Lucy Baxley's campaign website
- Article from the Decatur Daily
[edit] References
- ^ Elections. Associated Press. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
- ^ Doctors expect Baxley to recover fully from stroke. Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
- ^ Lt. Gov. Baxley released from rehab hospital. WALA-TV. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
- ^ Baxley skips Senate opening for stroke recovery. Decatur Dailey. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Baxley, Lucy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Alabama politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1937 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Pansy, Alabama, United States of America |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
| Lieutenant Governors of Alabama |  |
|---|---|
| Applegate • Moren • McKinstry • Cunningham • Ligon • Gray • Seed • Kilby • Miller • McDowell • Davis • Merrill • Knight • Carmichael • Ellis • Inzer • Allen • Hardwick • Boutwell • Allen • Brewer • Beasley • McMillan • B. Baxley • Folsom • DeGraffenried • Siegelman • Windom • L. Baxley • Folsom |
