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Harold Guy Hunt (June 17, 1933 – January 30, 2009) was an American politician, pastor, and convicted felon who served as the 49thgovernor of Alabama from 1987 to 1993. He was the first Republican to serve as governor of the state since Reconstruction.
Hunt was born on June 17, 1933, in Holly Pond, Alabama to William Otto and Frances Holcombe Hunt. At an early age, Hunt joined the Mt. Vernon Primitive Baptist Church, which became a critical influence for the future governor. Less than a year out of high school at only 17 years of age, Hunt married Helen Chambers on February 25, 1951, and the couple had four children who continued his family's farming tradition.
During the Korean War, Hunt served in two divisions of the U.S. Army, earning the certificate of achievement for outstanding performance of military duty and the distinguished service medal. After his military service, Hunt returned to his family farm at Holly Pond and eventually was formally ordained as a minister in the Primitive Baptist Church.[1]
Political careerEdit
Hunt was active in the Republican Party from the days when the Democrats held near-total control of the state. He first ran for office in 1962, an unsuccessful run for the Alabama Senate.
In 1964, he was elected probate judge of Cullman County. Lyndon Johnson's signing of the Civil Rights Act caused many Democrats to split the ticket and vote for Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater that year, and Hunt was one of several Republicans swept into office on Goldwater's coattails making him the youngest probate judge in Alabama. He was reelected in 1970, stepping down in 1976 to honor a promise to serve only two terms.
After Reagan won the US election in 1980, he appointed Hunt as the Alabama State Director of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Committee. He resigned in 1985 to run for governor. His campaign was not taken seriously at first even among Republicans,[2] who were more concerned about helping SenatorJeremiah Denton win reelection. The press paid little attention to the Republican gubernatorial primary, fully expecting that the winner of the Democratic primary would be the next governor.
Concurrently, the Democratic primary saw then Alabama Attorney GeneralCharles Graddick in a runoff with Lieutenant GovernorBill Baxley. Graddick, the more conservative candidate, won by a few thousand votes. However, Baxley sued, claiming that Graddick violated primary regulations by encouraging Republicans to "cross over" and vote as Democrats. Graddick, for his part, maintained that this was legal because Alabama was an open primary state. The state Supreme Court told the Democrats to either declare Baxley the winner by default or hold another primary. The party picked Baxley.
Alabamians, accustomed to a system where anybody and everybody could vote in a primary, were outraged and took out their frustrations by voting for Hunt. In November, Hunt won the election by 13 points and 56 percent of the vote, receiving the most votes ever for a gubernatorial candidate at that time. Hunt's election surprised many Alabamians since the last Republican governor had left office 113 years earlier, at the end of Reconstruction.
He narrowly won reelection in 1990 after trailing most of the way. Hunt's election is widely credited for beginning the rise of the state Republican Party; only two Democrats have held the office since his tenure, and only one of them by election.
Hunt pushed through major tort reform and tried to bring more industry and tourism to the state, but had to wrangle through massive opposition in the state legislature.
As Governor, Hunt presided over eight executions in Alabama, all by electric chair.
Criminal charges, 1992Edit
In 1992, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that taxpayers could sue Hunt for flying on state-owned aircraft to preaching engagements, where Hunt received monetary 'love offerings.' The charges were eventually dropped.[3]
Criminal charges and convictionEdit
A grand jury indicted Hunt for theft, conspiracy, and ethics violations.[4] Prosecutors said that he took over $200,000 from a 1987 inaugural account and used it to for personal use such as marble showers and new lawnmowers.[5][6] Hunt was found guilty. As the state constitution does not allow convicted felons to hold office, Hunt was forced to resign on April 22, 1993.[7]
Hunt was also ordered to pay $212,000, given five years' probation, and serve 1,000 hours of community service. In February 1998 he asked the state parole board to reduce his probation by four months; the judge instead increased the probation by five years, since he had only paid $4,000 of his $212,000 fine.[8] In April 1998, having served his full sentence and paid his fine, the parole board granted Hunt a pardon.[9][10]
DeathEdit
Hunt died on January 30, 2009, at the age of 75,[2] after a long battle with lung cancer.[11]
^ ab"Guy Hunt, an Acclaimed but Ousted Governor of Alabama, Is Dead at 75". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 31, 2009. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
^"Grand Jury Indicts Alabama Governor Probe: Republican Guy Hunt is charged with taking $200,000 from his inaugural fund for personal use. Three associates are also accused. October 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine" Los Angeles Times.
^"For Ex-Alabama Governor, It's Truly a Season of Rebirth." The New York Times. 1.
hunt, hunt, redirects, here, english, professional, golfer, hunt, golfer, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, lead, section, short, adequatel. Guy Hunt redirects here For the English professional golfer see Guy Hunt golfer This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article s lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article November 2018 This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources H Guy Hunt news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message Harold Guy Hunt June 17 1933 January 30 2009 was an American politician pastor and convicted felon who served as the 49th governor of Alabama from 1987 to 1993 He was the first Republican to serve as governor of the state since Reconstruction H Guy HuntGovernor Guy Hunt at Redstone Army Airfield on June 20 199049th Governor of AlabamaIn office January 19 1987 April 22 1993LieutenantJim Folsom Jr Preceded byGeorge WallaceSucceeded byJim Folsom Jr Personal detailsBornHarold Guy Hunt 1933 06 17 June 17 1933Holly Pond Alabama U S DiedJanuary 30 2009 2009 01 30 aged 75 Birmingham Alabama U S Political partyRepublicanSpouse s Helen ChambersAnne SmithChildren4ProfessionPastor farmer politicianMilitary serviceAllegiance United StatesBranch service United States ArmyYears of service1951 1955Battles warsKorean War Contents 1 Early life 2 Political career 3 Election as governor 4 Criminal charges 1992 5 Criminal charges and conviction 6 Death 7 References 8 External linksEarly life EditHunt was born on June 17 1933 in Holly Pond Alabama to William Otto and Frances Holcombe Hunt At an early age Hunt joined the Mt Vernon Primitive Baptist Church which became a critical influence for the future governor Less than a year out of high school at only 17 years of age Hunt married Helen Chambers on February 25 1951 and the couple had four children who continued his family s farming tradition During the Korean War Hunt served in two divisions of the U S Army earning the certificate of achievement for outstanding performance of military duty and the distinguished service medal After his military service Hunt returned to his family farm at Holly Pond and eventually was formally ordained as a minister in the Primitive Baptist Church 1 Political career EditHunt was active in the Republican Party from the days when the Democrats held near total control of the state He first ran for office in 1962 an unsuccessful run for the Alabama Senate In 1964 he was elected probate judge of Cullman County Lyndon Johnson s signing of the Civil Rights Act caused many Democrats to split the ticket and vote for Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater that year and Hunt was one of several Republicans swept into office on Goldwater s coattails making him the youngest probate judge in Alabama He was reelected in 1970 stepping down in 1976 to honor a promise to serve only two terms He was State Chairman of Ronald Reagan s presidential campaigns in 1976 and 1980 and chaired the state s Republican delegation at the 1976 and 1980 Republican National Conventions In the 1978 Alabama gubernatorial election Hunt was the Republican nominee for governor but he lost in a massive landslide to then Democrat Fob James Election as governor EditSee also 1986 Alabama gubernatorial election After Reagan won the US election in 1980 he appointed Hunt as the Alabama State Director of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Committee He resigned in 1985 to run for governor His campaign was not taken seriously at first even among Republicans 2 who were more concerned about helping Senator Jeremiah Denton win reelection The press paid little attention to the Republican gubernatorial primary fully expecting that the winner of the Democratic primary would be the next governor Concurrently the Democratic primary saw then Alabama Attorney General Charles Graddick in a runoff with Lieutenant Governor Bill Baxley Graddick the more conservative candidate won by a few thousand votes However Baxley sued claiming that Graddick violated primary regulations by encouraging Republicans to cross over and vote as Democrats Graddick for his part maintained that this was legal because Alabama was an open primary state The state Supreme Court told the Democrats to either declare Baxley the winner by default or hold another primary The party picked Baxley Alabamians accustomed to a system where anybody and everybody could vote in a primary were outraged and took out their frustrations by voting for Hunt In November Hunt won the election by 13 points and 56 percent of the vote receiving the most votes ever for a gubernatorial candidate at that time Hunt s election surprised many Alabamians since the last Republican governor had left office 113 years earlier at the end of Reconstruction He narrowly won reelection in 1990 after trailing most of the way Hunt s election is widely credited for beginning the rise of the state Republican Party only two Democrats have held the office since his tenure and only one of them by election Hunt pushed through major tort reform and tried to bring more industry and tourism to the state but had to wrangle through massive opposition in the state legislature As Governor Hunt presided over eight executions in Alabama all by electric chair Criminal charges 1992 EditIn 1992 the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that taxpayers could sue Hunt for flying on state owned aircraft to preaching engagements where Hunt received monetary love offerings The charges were eventually dropped 3 Criminal charges and conviction EditA grand jury indicted Hunt for theft conspiracy and ethics violations 4 Prosecutors said that he took over 200 000 from a 1987 inaugural account and used it to for personal use such as marble showers and new lawnmowers 5 6 Hunt was found guilty As the state constitution does not allow convicted felons to hold office Hunt was forced to resign on April 22 1993 7 Hunt was also ordered to pay 212 000 given five years probation and serve 1 000 hours of community service In February 1998 he asked the state parole board to reduce his probation by four months the judge instead increased the probation by five years since he had only paid 4 000 of his 212 000 fine 8 In April 1998 having served his full sentence and paid his fine the parole board granted Hunt a pardon 9 10 Death EditHunt died on January 30 2009 at the age of 75 2 after a long battle with lung cancer 11 References Edit Guy Hunt 1987 93 a b Guy Hunt an Acclaimed but Ousted Governor of Alabama Is Dead at 75 The New York Times Associated Press January 31 2009 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 20 2020 Governor Liable to Suits on His Use of Planes The New York Times Grand Jury Indicts Alabama Governor Probe Republican Guy Hunt is charged with taking 200 000 from his inaugural fund for personal use Three associates are also accused Archived October 10 2012 at the Wayback Machine Los Angeles Times For Ex Alabama Governor It s Truly a Season of Rebirth The New York Times 1 Prosecution Rests Case Against Hunt Alabama Ethics Law Trips Trial Judge The Washington Post Guy Hunt Archived March 24 2008 at the Wayback Machine Alabama Department of Archives and History National News Briefs Alabama Ex Governor Gets More Probation The New York Times PAROLE BOARD PARDONS FORMER GOV GUY HUNT Akron Beacon Journal Guy Hunt 1987 93 Archived from the original on March 16 2013 Retrieved March 13 2013 Former Ala Gov Guy Hunt dies at 75 Dothan Eagle January 30 2009 Archived from the original on February 2 2009 External links EditAppearances on C SPANPolitical officesPreceded byGeorge Wallace Governor of AlabamaJanuary 19 1987 April 22 1993 Succeeded byJames E Folsom Jr Party political officesPreceded byElvin McCary Republican Party nominee for Governor of Alabama1978 lost Succeeded byEmory FolmarPreceded byEmory Folmar Republican Party nominee for Governor of Alabama1986 won 1990 won Succeeded byFob James Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title H Guy Hunt amp oldid 1174357821, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
