Lucy Baxley

Lucy Mae Bruner Baxley Smith (December 21, 1937 – October 14, 2016) was an American politician who served from 2003 to 2007 as the 28th lieutenant governor of Alabama and from 2008 to 2012 as president of the Alabama Public Service Commission.

She was the first woman to hold the state's office of lieutenant governor.

Baxley was born Lucy Mae Bruner in 1937 near rural Pansey, located near the larger city of Dothan in Houston County in southeastern Alabama.

Baxley attended Auburn University at Montgomery but did not graduate.

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.

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.

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.

From 1996 until her death in 2016, Baxley was married to Jim Smith.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 lost to Riley, 58-42 percent.

In 2006, she was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for governor.

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.

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.

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.

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's term as lieutenant governor ended in 2007, and she was succeeded by fellow Democrat and former Governor Jim Folsom, Jr., of Cullman.

In 2008, Baxley was elected President of the Alabama Public Service Commission, and was the only Democrat to win statewide that year.

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.

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.

Until Doug Jones's swearing in after his victory over Republican Roy Moore in the 2017 U.S. Senate special election, Baxley had been the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama.