First Lady of Alabama
First Lady of Alabama is the title given to the wife of the Governor of Alabama. As of 2024, Alabama has had 54 governors. Two have been women. Seven were widowed or unmarried and could appoint a relative as official state hostess. Felicia Steptoe Pickett remains the youngest first lady in Alabama history. She may have been 16 when she married governor Reuben Chapman who was 39[1][2] although discrepancies in that chronology have been noted.[3][4] Patsy Riley wrote a book about 11 of the state's first ladies.[5]
List
[edit]| Name | Image | Years | Relation to Governor of Alabama | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Holman Freeman Bibb | 1817-1820 | wife of William Wyatt Bibb | |||
| Parmelia Thompson | 1820-1821 | wife of Thomas Bibb | |||
| Martha Lenoir | 1821-1825 | wife of Israel Pickens | |||
| n/a | 1825-1829 | John Murphy | |||
| Mary Parham Caller | 1829-1831 | wife of Gabriel Moore | |||
| n/a | 1831 | Samuel B. Moore | |||
| Sarah Ann Haynsworth Gayle | 1831-1835 | wife of John Gayle | |||
| Felicia Steptoe Pickett (1819–1870) | 1847-1849 | wife of Reuben Chapman[3] | |||
| Georgena Jones | 1890-1894 | wife of Thomas G. Jones | |||
| Elizabeth "Lizzie" Andrews Nabors | 1923-1927 | wife of William W. Brandon | |||
| Dixie Bibb Graves | 
|
1927–1931 | wife of Bibb Graves | Later became the first female U.S. senator from Alabama | |
| Margaret Otis Duggan Miller | 1931-1935 | wife of Benjamin M. Miller | |||
| Dixie Bibb Graves |
|
1935-1939 | wife of Bibb Graves | ||
| Juliet Dixon | 1939-1943 | wife of John Dixon | |||
| Runy Ellis | sister of Jim Folsom | ||||
| Jamelle Folsom | 1947-1951 | wife of Jim Folsom | |||
| Alice Persons | 1951-1955 | wife of Gordon Persons | |||
| Jamelle Folsom | 1955-1959 | wife of Jim Folsom | |||
| Mary Jo Patterson | 1959-1963 | wife of John Patterson | |||
| Lurleen Wallace | 
|
1963-1967 | wife of George Wallace | [6] | |
| n/a | 1967-1968 | Lurleen Wallace | |||
| Martha Farmer Brewer | 
|
1968-1971 | Albert Brewer | ||
| Cornelia Wallace | 1971-1979 | wife of George Wallace | |||
| Bobbie Mae Mooney James | 1979–1983 | wife of Fob James | |||
| Lisa T. Wallace | wife of George Wallace | ||||
| Helen Hunt (née Chambers) | 1987-1993 | wife of H. Guy Hunt | |||
| Bobbie Mae Mooney James | 1995–1999 | wife of Fob James | |||
| Lori Allen Siegelman | 1999-2003 | wife of Don Siegelman | [7] | ||
| Patsy Riley | 2003-2011 | wife of Bob Riley | [8] | ||
| Dianne Bentley | 2011-2017 | wife of Robert J. Bentley | |||
| n/a | 2017-present | Kay Ivey |
References
[edit]- ^ "Steptoe Pickett - A Vintage Vignette by John P. Rankin". huntsvillehistorycollection.org. February 27, 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ Kelly Kazek (August 21, 2018). "Vintage photos show Alabama's first ladies through history". al.
- ^ a b "Document List". huntsvillehistorycollection.org.
- ^ "Felicia Ann Pickett, [19 February 1819 - 28 October 1870], Born: Virginia, Died: Madison County, Alabama, Father: Stephen Steptoe Pickett, Mother: Sarah Orrick Chilton; Spouses: Reuben Chapman, Family, Genealogy". websites.umich.edu.
- ^ Alec Harvey (December 7, 2010). "Patsy Riley details lives of the other wives who've lived in Alabama's Governor's Mansion". al.
- ^ "Remembering our first lady governor - South Alabamian". South Alabamian -. May 17, 2023.
- ^ Chief, Dana Beyerle Montgomery Bureau. "Siegelman defends wife's travel". The Tuscaloosa News.
- ^ Intern, Patrick McCreless Times. "First lady Patsy Riley speaks to Woman's Club". Gadsden Times.