Steve Windom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Steve Windom | |
 Video capture from Alabama State House security video, depicting then-Lt. Gov. Steve Windom as he urinated into a jug (under the desk) to avoid relinquishing the presiding chair. |
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| In office January 1999 – January 2003 |
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| Governor | Don Siegelman (D) |
| Preceded by | Don Siegelman (D) |
| Succeeded by | Lucy Baxley (D) |
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Alabama State Senator
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| In office 1989 – 1999 |
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| Succeeded by | George Callahan (R) |
| Constituency | 35th District |
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| Born | November 6, 1949  Florence, South Carolina |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Mary Windom |
| Children | 2 |
Stephen Ralph Windom (born November 6, 1949) is an American politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of Alabama from 1999 to 2003. Windom was born in Florence, South Carolina, and received his B.S. and J.D. degrees from the University of Alabama.[1]
[edit] Biography
Windom was the first Republican Lieutenant Governor to serve in Alabama since Reconstruction, though he served under Democrat Don Siegelman (Alabama's Governor and Lieutenant Governor are elected separately).[2] Before becoming a Republican, Windom served several terms in the Alabama Legislature as a Democrat (1989 - 1999), and was a delegate for Bill Clinton at the 1992 Democratic National Convention.[3] He was also a delegate for George Bush at the 2000 Republican National Convention and served as the co-chair of the Bush-Cheney campaign in Alabama.[4] While in office, Windom was selected Conservation Legislator of the Year by the Alabama Wildlife Federation in 1995, Legislator of the Year by the National Federation of Independent Business in 1996, and Legislator of the Year in 1997 by the Independent Insurance Agents.[5]
Windom's 1998 campaign for Lieutenant Governor was marked by accusations that he had hired, and later raped, a prostitute. An Alabama lawyer was eventually convicted of witness tampering and criminal defamation in connection with his efforts in originating those accusations.[6]
Windom gained notoriety in 1999 for discreetly urinating into a jug behind his desk while presiding over the Senate, purportedly to avoid being stripped of most of his powers as presiding officer by the Democratic majority while going to the bathroom. [7] Windom was apparently unaware that Alabama State House security maintained videotapes of security camera feeds, and the resulting video record was leaked to the public.[8]
In the 2002 Republican gubernatorial primary, Windom was defeated by then-Congressman Bob Riley by a 73-18% margin.[9]
Since his departure from elective office, Windom has opened a legal and lobbying practice, Steve Windom, LLC.[10] Windom's wife, Mary Windom, won the Republican primary on June 3, 2008, for a seat on the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals.[11]
[edit] References
- ^ Alabama Department of Archives and History: Steve Windom
- ^ Alabama Department of Archives and History: Lieutenant Governors
- ^ "Windom Campaigning as Little-d Democrat," The Birmingham News, October 4, 1998, p. 27A
- ^ Steve Windom LLC: Home
- ^ Steve Windom LLC: Home
- ^ "Juror Says Case Didn't Clear Windom," The Birmingham News, July 4, 2000, p. 1A
- ^ Associated Press (2007-06-09). Senate floor fight viewed as giving US state Alabama's image a black eye. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
- ^ YouTube: Alabama Lt. Gov. Steve Windom Urinating in the Senate Chamber
- ^ "Alabama Democrats Renominate Gov. Siegelman," The Washington Post, June 5, 2002, p. A16
- ^ Steve Windom LLC: Home
- ^ "Place 1 GOP Race Going to Runoff," The Birmingham News, June 4, 2008, p. 1B
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