Jere Beasley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jere Locke Beasley | |
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| In office January 18, 1971 – January 15, 1979 Acting Governor, June 5 to July 7, 1972 |
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| Governor | George Wallace |
| Preceded by | Albert Brewer |
| Succeeded by | George McMillan |
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| Born | December 12 1935 Tyler, Texas |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Sara Baker |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Methodist |
Jere Locke Beasley (born December 12, 1935) was the acting governor of the U.S. State of Alabama from June 5 to July 7, 1972. Born in Tyler, Texas, he was lieutenant governor when Governor George Corley Wallace was shot and severely injured in an assassination attempt in Laurel, Maryland, on May 15, 1972. Since Wallace was out-of-state for more than 20 days, recovering in a Maryland hospital, the state constitution required that the lieutenant governor take over in the interim.
Beasley won the first round of Democratic primary for Lt. Governor in 1970, but failed to win majority. He, however, won a runoff. In 1974 he faced a strong challenge from Charles Woods, who finished first in first round. Beasley, however, won the second. He sought nomination for Governor in 1978, but finished distant fifth.
Beasley is currently the senior member of the firm Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.. He has practiced law as an advocate for victims of wrongdoing since 1979. During his career, he has tried literally hundreds of cases. One of Beasley's cases prompted a major automobile manufacturer to recall its unsafe vehicles, while another made a major tractor manufacturer put rollover protection on all of its tractors. Still another prompted a major insurance company to seek out thousands of its policyholders who had been wronged in an effort to correct their policies. Beasley has appeared as a lecturer throughout the country at numerous legal seminars and other events.
Beasley has been profiled in Time Magazine, Business Week, and many other noted publications. He was co-lead counsel in the record $11.9 billion Jury verdict award against ExxonMobil Corp. on behalf of the state of Alabama. The claims by the State of Alabama were based on breach of contract and fraud. Exxon had cheated the State by intentionally underpaying royalties on natural gas from the Mobile Bay field. The future anticipated gain to Exxon, as a direct result of their fraudulent conduct would have been almost one billion dollars.
Beasley's area of practice include Products Liability, Insurance Fraud litigation, Business litigation, and Personal Injury litigation. In addition to his trial practice, he is actively involved in many civic endeavors, such as the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Lions Club, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is on the Board of Directors for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.
Beasley is married to the former Sara Baker of Adamsville, Alabama. They have three children and four grandchildren. He is an avid follower of Auburn University sports and Boston Red Sox baseball. He attends church at St. James United Methodist Church in Montgomery.
[edit] Electoral history
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor, 1970
- Jere Beasley - 256,081 (29.03%)
- Hugh Morrow - 185,333 (21.01%)
- Tom Radney - 163,462 (18.53%)
- Joe Money - 100,131 (11.35%)
- Jack Giles - 81,789 (9.27%)
- Joe Goodwyn - 75,085 (8.51%)
- James Gullate - 10,627 (1.21%)
- Jay Thomas - 9,631 (1.09%)
Democratic runoff for Lieutenant Governor
- Jere Beasley - 572,258 (57.78%)
- Hugh Morrow - 418,228 (42.23%)
Race for Lieutenant Governor, 1970
- Jere Beasley (D) - 589,618 (72.26%)
- Robert French (R) - 126,506 (15.50%)
- Isaiah Hayes (Alabama National Democrat) - 92,176 (11.30%)
- John G. Crommelin (Independent) - 7,678 (0.94%)
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor, 1974
- Charles Woods - 310,351 (38.68%)
- Jere Beasley (inc.) - 308,182 (38.41%)
- Richard Dominick - 150,455 (18.75%)
- Ron Creel - 25,392 (3.17%)
- Coleman Brown - 7,943 (0.99%)
Democratic runoff for Lieutenant Governor
- Jere Beasley (inc.) - 393,077 (56.10%)
- Charles Woods - 307,643 (43.90%)
Race for Lieutenant Governor, 1974
- Jere Beasley (D) (inc.) - 433,495 (72.06%)
- Don Collins (R) - 153,814 (25.57%)
- Edna L. Bowling (Prohibition) - 9,857 (1.64%)
- John Watts (Independent, write-in) - 4,387 (0.73%)
Democratic primary for Governor, 1978
- Fob James - 256,196 (28.47%)
- Bill Baxley - 210,089 (23.35%)
- Albert Brewer - 193,479 (21.50%)
- Sid McDonald - 143,930 (15.99%)
- Jere Beasley - 77,202 (8.58%)
- K.C. Foster - 4,948 (0.55%)
- Horace Howell - 4,730 (0.53%)
- Jim Folsom - 4,632 (0.52%)
- Bob Muncaster - 1,776 (0.20%)
- Shorty Price - 1,396 (0.16%)
- Charles Woods - 700 (0.08%)
- Fred Sandefer - 622 (0.07%)
- Cornelia Wallace - 217 (0.02%)
See: [1]
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Albert Brewer |
Lieutenant Governor of Alabama 1971–1979 |
Succeeded by George McMillan |
| Preceded by George Wallace |
Acting Governor of Alabama 1972 |
Succeeded by George Wallace |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Albert Brewer |
Democratic Party nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama 1970 (won), 1974 (won) |
Succeeded by George McMillan |
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