Lucy Baxley

Baxley was born Lucy Mae Bruner in 1937 near rural Pansey, located near the larger city of Dothan in Houston County in southeastern Alabama."Sounds Like Alabama", The Birmingham News, November 5, 2006, p. 1E Baxley attended Auburn University at Montgomery but did not graduate.{{Verify source|date=May 2020}}

In 1994, Baxley was elected Alabama State Treasurer, in which capacity she pursued office modernization, including the first personal computers for staffers. She worked for expansion of the Prepaid Affordable College Tuition Program."Office Upgrades on Ms. Baxley's Agenda", The Birmingham News, October 3, 1998 p. 12A In 1998, Baxley was re-elected to that post. In 2002, Baxley defeated Bill Armistead in the election as elected lieutenant governor, having received more votes than either candidate for governor that year.[http://www.sos.state.al.us/downloads/election/2002/AL-2002-General-Certification.pdf Secretary of State: Certification of General Election Results, 2002] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316214044/http://www.sos.state.al.us/downloads/election/2002/AL-2002-General-Certification.pdf |date=2010-03-16 }} She also served as a delegate to the 1996 Democratic National Convention, which met in Chicago to renominate the Clinton-Gore ticket, which lost in Alabama.

In 2005, Baxley announced plans to run for governor in 2006. 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, the New South Coalition, and the Alabama State Employees Association."ADC Backs Baxley for Governor", The Birmingham News, May 14, 2006, p. 15A"State Employees Group Backs Baxley", The Birmingham News, May 13, 2006, p. 2B Despite running a relatively low-profile campaign, she coasted to a win in the primary election on June 6 with 60 percent of the vote.[http://www.sos.state.al.us/downloads/election/2006/primary/DemocraticPrimary-OfficialCertification-06-06-2006.pdf Secretary of State: Certification of Primary Election Results, Democratic Party, 2006] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910172214/http://www.sos.state.al.us/downloads/election/2006/primary/DemocraticPrimary-OfficialCertification-06-06-2006.pdf |date=2008-09-10 }} Baxley was an underdog in the general election, however, against incumbent Republican Bob Riley, trailing by as much as 30 points in some polls. Baxley proposed a raise in the minimum wage of $1 per hour, which generated some criticism from her opponents."Letter to the Editor: State Doesn't Need More Comedy", The Montgomery Advertiser, September 13, 2006, p. A7 She was heavily outspent in the campaign by Riley and pointed to Riley's receipt of large contributions from recipients of industrial development subsidies."Baxley Blasts Riley over Contributions", The Birmingham News, July 29, 2006, p. 1B"Riley, Baxley Make Final Push for Office", The Birmingham News, November 6, 2006, p. 1A Baxley lost to Riley, 58-42 percent.[http://www.sos.state.al.us/downloads/election/2006/general/certification-statewide-offices-12-29-2006.pdf Secretary of State: Certification of General Election Results, 2006] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316214643/http://www.sos.state.al.us/downloads/election/2006/general/certification-statewide-offices-12-29-2006.pdf |date=2010-03-16 }}

Baxley's term as lieutenant governor ended in 2007, and she was succeeded by fellow Democrat and former Governor Jim Folsom, Jr., of Cullman. Making a political comeback in 2008, Baxley defeated Republican Twinkle A. Cavanaugh to become president of the Alabama Public Service Commission. She replaced the retiring Jim Sullivan. She was then defeated by Cavanaugh in 2012 during her bid for reelection.[http://sos.alabama.gov/sites/default/files/voter-pdfs/2012/2012GeneralResults-AllStateAndFederalOfficesAndAmendments-WithoutWrite-inAppendix.pdf State of Alabama: Canvas of Results, General Election, November 6, 2012]

In each of her campaigns for office, Baxley utilized media bearing the title of the iconic CBS situation comedy starring Lucille Ball, I Love Lucy."'I LOVE LUCY' Signs Won Baxley Fame", The Birmingham News, March 8, 2000, p. 2B

Baxley was admitted to UAB hospital in Birmingham on November 23, 2006, Thanksgiving Day. She had become ill Wednesday evening, while visiting her family in Birmingham. 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 her condition were given at the time."Baxley Doctors Expect Baxley to Recover Fully from Stroke", The Montgomery Advertiser, November 25, 2006, p. A1

She was discharged from UAB on November 29 and then moved to Lakeshore Rehabilitation Center in Birmingham. She remained there until being released December 29."Lucy Baxley Released from Rehab Hospital", Mobile Press-Register, December 30, 2006, p. B2 The cause of Baxley's stroke has not been determined. 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 lieutenant governor."Baxley Skips Senate Opening Because of Stroke Recovery", Mobile Press-Register, January 10, 2007, p. B2 According to Senator Lowell Barron, a Democrat from 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." Following her discharge, she underwent outpatient rehabilitation."Baxley Works Hard to Adjust to Life After Stroke", The Montgomery Advertiser, April 9, 2007, p. A1

Baxley first married at the age of eighteen; later, she married Bill Baxley, who from 1971 to 1979 was the state attorney general and later from 1983 to 1987 the lieutenant governor. Bill Baxley became involved with another woman in a widely publicized affair, and the couple divorced in 1987. From 1996 until her death in 2016, Baxley was married to Jim Smith."Confidence Regained, Baxley Aims for Top", The Birmingham News, May 15, 2006, p. 1A

A licensed real estate broker, Baxley opened a real estate practice in suburban Birmingham after leaving the office of lieutenant governor in 2007.[http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2007/04/23/story6.html "Ex-Lt. Gov. Baxley Forms Real Estate Business," Birmingham Business Journal, April 20, 2007] She died at her home in Birmingham, Alabama on October 14, 2016 at age 78.{{cite web|url=http://wiat.com/2016/10/14/former-al-lt-governor-lucy-baxley-dies-at-78/|title=Former Alabama Lt. Governor Lucy Baxley dies at 78|author=Wiat Staff|date=14 October 2016}}

2012 General Election: Alabama Public Service Commission

2008 General Election: Alabama Public Service Commission

2006 General Election: Governor

2006 Democratic Primary: Governor

2002 General Election: Lieutenant Governor

1998 General Election: State Treasurer

1994 General Election: State Treasurer

1994 Democratic Primary: State Treasurer

* = Incumbent

Bold = Winner

Note: All votes are official results from the Alabama Secretary of State website.[http://www.sos.state.al.us/ Alabama Secretary of State]

• List of female lieutenant governors in the United States

{{reflist|2}}

• {{Cite web |url=http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/040620/baxley.shtml |title=Article from the Decatur Daily |access-date=March 24, 2005 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20041124144842/http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/040620/baxley.shtml |archive-date=November 24, 2004 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}
• [http://lucybaxley.remax-alabama.com/remaxal/index.asp?acc=105846 RE/MAX Alabama: Lucy Baxley]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• {{C-SPAN|1022064}}

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Category:1937 births

Category:2016 deaths

Category:Alabama Democrats

Category:American businesspeople in real estate

Category:American United Methodists

Category:Auburn University at Montgomery alumni

Category:Businesspeople from Alabama

Category:Lieutenant governors of Alabama

Category:People from Houston County, Alabama

Category:People from Vestavia Hills, Alabama

Category:State treasurers of Alabama

Category:Women in Alabama politics

Category:20th-century American businesspeople

Category:20th-century Methodists