Former Alabama Governor Dies

Alabama Alabama Governor Republican Guy Hunt died Friday in the hospital. He battled lung cancer for several years.

by The Associated Press

Published: Fri, January 30, 2009 - 3:17 pm CST Last Updated: Fri, January 30, 2009 - 4:23 pm CST

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama's first Republican governor
since Reconstruction, Guy Hunt, has died in a Birmingham hospital.
He was 75.
Family spokesman Mark McDaniel said Hunt passed away at Trinity
Medical Center at 2:55 p.m. He had battled lung cancer since 2004
and had never recovered from gall bladder surgery he had in late
November.
Hunt was a farmer and Primitive Baptist preacher when he was
elected governor in 1986 amid an internal battle in the Democratic
Party. He was re-elected in 1990, but he was removed from office in
1993 due to an ethics conviction - the first Alabama governor
removed by a criminal conviction.
Hunt later got a pardon from the state parole board, but he was
never able to restart his political career. He made unsuccessful
races for governor and state Senate.
McDaniel says that despite Hunt's history-making political
career, his greatest honor in life was having the privilege of
preaching for more than 50 years.
As governor, Hunt was able to appoint hundreds of Republicans to
state boards and commissions and fill vacancies in state and county
offices with Republicans. By the time he left office, the
Republican Party had started winning other statewide offices and
Alabama had become a two-party state after a century of Democratic
dominance.
Funeral arrangements for Hunt are pending.

Statement from Governor Bob Riley:
“Governor Hunt was a true statesman who will be remembered as a strong leader and a man of unwavering faith. He helped put Alabama on the map for industry and tourism. As Alabama mourns the loss of a former governor, may we all remember Governor Hunt’s legacy of outstanding service to this state.”

Governor Riley has ordered all flags on state buildings to be lowered to half-staff to honor the former governor.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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