Steve Windom
Steve Windom | |
|---|---|
| 27thLieutenant Governor of Alabama | |
| In office January 18, 1999 – January 20, 2003 | |
| Governor | Don Siegelman |
| Preceded by | Don Siegelman |
| Succeeded by | Lucy Baxley |
| Member of theAlabama Senate from the35thdistrict | |
| In office March 1989 – November 4, 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Menton |
| Succeeded by | George Callahan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Stephen Ralph Windom November 6, 1949 Florence,South Carolina,U.S. |
| Political party |
|
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Alabama(BS,JD) |
Stephen Ralph Windom(born November 6, 1949) is an American attorney and politician who served as member of theAlabama State Senatefrom 1989 to 1998 and as the27thlieutenant governor of Alabamafrom 1999 to 2003.
Windom's political career began in the Alabama State Senate, where he served for two terms and an initial partial term decided by a special election. In 1997, he switched his party affiliation fromDemocraticto Republican.
In 1998, Windom was elected Lieutenant Governor, becoming the first Republican Lieutenant Governor of Alabama sinceReconstruction.He served under DemocraticGovernorDon Siegelmanas Alabama's Governor and Lieutenant Governor are elected separately.[1]He did not run for re-election in 2002, insteadrunning for Governor.He lost in the Republican primary to CongressmanBob Rileyand subsequently returned to the private sector.
Early life and education
[edit]Windom was born inFlorence, South Carolina.[2]He graduated fromSidney Lanier High School.[3]He then received his B.S. and J.D. degrees from theUniversity of Alabama.[2]In 1974, he moved nearMobile, Alabamaand began to practice law.[3]
Career
[edit]State Senate
[edit]He was first elected as a Democrat to the Alabama State Senate in 1989.[3]During his time in the Senate, he was selected to be the Banking and Insurance Committee chairman for 8 years.[3]Although his first two terms were as a Democrat, he switched to the Republican Party in 1997 for his last term as a legislator.[4]
He was a delegate forBill Clintonat the1992 Democratic National Convention.[5]He was a delegate forGeorge Bushat the2000 Republican National Convention,and served as co-chair of the Alabama Bush-Cheney campaign.[6]
While in office, Windom was selected Conservation Legislator of the Year by the Alabama Wildlife Federation in 1995, Legislator of the Year by theNational Federation of Independent Businessin 1996, and Legislator of the Year in 1997 by the Independent Insurance Agents.[6]After his career in the Senate, he joined the Sirote Permutt lawfirm.[7]He also ran for the position of Lieutenant Governor.
Lieutenant governor
[edit]Windom's 1998 campaign for Lieutenant Governor was marked by scandal when false allegations involving a prostitute were made against him by supporters of his opponent. Garve Ivey, an Alabama plaintiffs' attorney, was eventually convicted of witness tampering and criminal defamation for conspiring withprivate investigatorWes Chappell to defame Windom. A formercall girl,who had been paid to make false allegations, testified at the trial.[8]Despite the efforts to publicly malign him, Windom was elected.[9]He thus became the first Republican Lieutenant Governor of Alabama sinceReconstruction.The last Republican to hold the office wasAlexander McKinstry,who served from 1872 to 1874.
Windom gained notoriety in 1999 for discreetly urinating into a jug behind his desk while presiding over theSenate,purportedly to avoid being stripped of most of his powers as presiding officer by the Democratic majority while going to the bathroom.[10]
Windom did not run for reelection in 2002, insteadrunning for Governor.He was defeated in the 2002 primary by then-CongressmanBob Rileyin a landslide.[11]Riley went on to defeat Governor Siegelman by a very narrow margin.
Subsequent career
[edit]After leaving public office, Windom opened a legal and lobbying practice, Steve Windom, LLC.[12]In the Republican primary on June 3, 2008, Windom's wife, Mary Becker Windom, was elected to a seat on theAlabama Court of Criminal Appeals.[13]She became the Court's Presiding Judge in 2012.
Personal life
[edit]Windom and his first wife Cathy Conditt Windom have two sons Robert and Thomas. He and his second wife, Mary Becker, have no children[14][2]
Electoral history
[edit]2002 Republican Primary: Governor[15]
| Candidate | Votes Received | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Riley | 262,851 | 73.5% |
| Steve Windom | 63,775 | 17.8% |
| Tim James | 30,871 | 8.6% |
1998 General Election: Lieutenant Governor[16]
| Candidate | Votes Received | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Windom(R) | 652,465 | 50.3% |
| Dewayne Freeman(D) | 644,818 | 49.7% |
1998 Republican Primary: Lieutenant Governor[16]
| Candidate | Votes Received | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Windom | 178,065 | 52.8% |
| John Amari | 159,006 | 47.2% |
References
[edit]- ^Alabama Department of Archives and History: Lieutenant Governors
- ^abcAlabama Department of Archives and History: Steve Windom
- ^abcdLt. Gov. Steve Windom to speak at TSU spring commencementArchivedMay 28, 2010, at theWayback Machine
- ^"Mobile's Sen. Windom Ready to Leave Democrats, Join GOP,"The Birmingham News,June 25, 1997, p. 1B
- ^"Windom Campaigning as Little-d Democrat,"The Birmingham News,October 4, 1998, p. 27A
- ^abSteve Windom LLC: Home
- ^Siegelman tight-lipped over moneyThe Birmingham News
- ^"Lawyer Convicted in Plot to Defame Candidate,"The New York Times,June 23, 2000
- ^Alabama Secretary of State: 1998 General Election Results – County Level
- ^Associated Press(June 9, 2007)."Senate floor fight viewed as giving US state Alabama's image a black eye".RetrievedMarch 19,2008.
- ^"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
- ^Alabama Judicial System Online
- ^Alabama Secretary of State 2002 Election ResultsArchivedApril 30, 2008, at theWayback MachineJuly 3, 2008
- ^abAlabama Secretary of State Election ResultsJuly 3, 2008
