Reaction To Governor Hunt’s Death

Alabama Obit Guy Hunt Alabama's first Republican governor since Reconstruction died Friday afternoon at a hospital in Birmingham. He was 75 years old.

by Jamie Burch

Published: Fri, January 30, 2009 - 7:50 pm CST Last Updated: Fri, January 30, 2009 - 7:53 pm CST

Guy Hunt, Alabama's first Republican governor since Reconstruction, died Friday afternoon at a hospital in Birmingham. He was 75 years old.

Gov. 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.

Sen. Jeff Sessions
"I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of Gov. Hunt.”

“Gov. Hunt loved Alabama and he gave his heart and soul to it. He came out of the soil of the state. He grew up on a farm and in the church—just as so many folks in Alabama have. He was a deeply religious man—a minister of the gospel—and a steadfast and consistent warrior for the values that he held dear. They were the old values, and he never departed from them.

“Gov. Hunt played a pivotal role in the political victories of President Ronald Reagan as one of his top southern leaders. He worked tirelessly on Reagan’s unsuccessful l976 bid and his successful 1980 campaign, chairing Alabama’s delegation to the Republican convention.

“When Gov. Hunt was elected governor, he assembled one of the state’s best cabinets and brought reform and efficiency to department after department. Many thought that his first election victory was an accident of history, but after an outstanding performance during his first term, Alabama voters rewarded him with a resounding re-election. He was one of the Alabama’s most important Republican leaders of the 20th century, being its first Republican governor since Reconstruction. Not only was his deep connection with the average, working-class Alabamian a source of political strength, but it was also a major factor in the growth of the Republican Party in Alabama. He was clearly a historic figure in that political transformation. He brought the Republican Party from the country clubs and the boardrooms to the rural communities and the workplace.

My sympathies are extended to Gov. Hunt’s wife, Anne, his son, Keith, and his daughters Pam, Sherrie, and Lynn. They can all take great pride in his accomplishments, and in his service to the state he dearly loved"

Alabama Republican Party
"The party is deeply saddened by the news. Governor Guy Hunt faithfully served the people of Alabama and the Republican Party for many years during a time when the State was almost fully controlled by the Democrats. He is an icon among Alabama Republicans and many elected officials can attribute their success to the barriers he overcame."

Representative Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn)
“Governor Hunt had a lasting impact on the Alabama Republican Party. His contribution to this state and our party simply cannot be measured. Any successes we have and will continue to experience can be traced directly back to his legacy. Our prayers and sympathy certainly go out to his family and the many people he influenced throughout his life.”

Attorney General Troy King
“Rarely do men come to know their heroes as their friends. Such was the case with my friendship with Governor Guy Hunt though. It is easy now, some fifteen years after Governor Hunt left office to forget what his election signaled. After all, Governor Hunt was the first Republican governor elected in Alabama in nearly 130 years when he was inaugurated in 1987. In fact, every Republican officeholder to follow him into statewide office since is the heir to his accomplishments.

“When Governor Hunt arrived and assembled his cabinet, he changed the standard for governance in Alabama. New standards of excellence were established by Governor Hunt’s cabinet selections to the level where Alabamians now expect the best, not the most loyal or partisan, to run their government. It was also Governor Hunt who brought a spirit of bi-partisanship to his governance.

“I had the privilege to be on hand when the Guy Hunt Rest Area near Cullman was dedicated. What I said then sums up how I feel today. I told the crowd that there are some who will see their names chiseled onto buildings or placed on roads and bridges. Governor Hunt has earned the right to be one of them. But then there are others whose decency and examples so inspire those who follow that their names are chiseled on the lives of those they touch and whose legacies are living legacies. Such is Harold Guy Hunt. I know. I am one who was greatly influenced by him.
“Paige and I are praying for Mrs. Anne and the entire Hunt family during these sad days.”

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