On this day in Alabama history: Bennett secretary of state again
Jim Bennett is sworn in as Alabama's secretary of state by Gov. Robert Bentley on July 31, 2013. Bentley appointed Bennett to the office after Beth Chapman's resignation. Bennett held the position previously from 1993-2003 and also served in the state Legislature in both the House and the Senate. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama)
July 31, 2013
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley appointed Jim Bennett as secretary of state after Beth Chapman’s resignation. Bennett previously held this position from 1993-2003, appointed and then elected as a Democrat (1994) and as a Republican (1998). Bennett was the first Republican to serve as secretary of state since Reconstruction.
Bennett was also a member of both the Alabama House of Representatives and the Senate, and served for about nine years as labor commissioner under Gov. Bob Riley and Bentley. Before entering politics, Bennett was a reporter for the Birmingham Post-Herald.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.
Portrait of Jim Bennett. (BhamWiki)
For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.
