GOVERNOR FOB JAMES - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 01/08/1998 - HFSID 345108

FOB JAMES

The 48th Governor of Alabama signs this typed letter in which he grants and admirer an autographed photo and assures him that he was going to continue doing his best for the state

Typed Letter Signed: “Fob James Jr.” in black felt tip. 8½x11. Place: Indianola, IO. Date: January 8, 1998. In full: “William Geiger, 1311 East Euclid, Indianola, IO 50125. Dear William: Thank you for writing to me to request an autographed photo. I appreciate your letter, and therefore, I am pleased to include a photo for you. In addition, I would like to assure you that I will hold a steady course and continue to do what is best for Alabama. Again, thank you for your letter and interest. Sincerely, Fob James, Jr. Governor. FJ/kd”. Forrest Hood James, Jr (b. 1934) is an American politician and civil engineer who served two terms as the 48th Governor of Alabama, from 1979 to 1983 as a Democrat, and again from 1995 to 1999 as a Republican. James played professional football in Canada as a member of the Montreal Alouettes during the 1956 season and entered the Army to serve two years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Corps of Engineers. He took a “tough” position on crime and criminals when he and his prison commander, Ronal Jones, reinstituted chain gangs for Alabama's prison inmates; Forrest approved other strict policies instituted by Jones but balked at the commissioner's suggestion that chain gangs be extended to include female prisoners, and James put an end to the chain gang shortly thereafter because of a lawsuit brought by a coalition of community human rights groups. Regarding crime issues, he also cited as one of his “major accomplishments” the revision of the Alabama Criminal Code, which made it one of the toughest in the U.S. The publicized and longest religious battle James endured was the controversy surrounding the posting of the Ten Commandments and the offering of a daily prayer in the courtroom of Etowah County Judge Roy S. Moore. In a suit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, U.S. District Court Dudge Ira DeMent, and appointee of President George H. W. Bush, ordered the removal of the commandment plaque and cessation of the prayers because they violated the First Amendment guarantee of separation of church and state. He is the CEO of Escambia County Environmental Corporation. Slightly creased. Otherwise, fine condition.