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Alva Hugh Maddox

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Alva Hugh Maddox
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama
In office
October 1, 1969 – January 15, 2001
Appointed byAlbert Brewer
Preceded bynewly created seat
Succeeded byR. Bernard Harwood Jr.
Personal details
Born(1930-04-17)April 17, 1930
Covington County, Alabama
DiedDecember 11, 2020(2020-12-11) (aged 90)
Montgomery, Alabama
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Virginia Roberts
(m. 1958)
Children1 son, 1 daughter
EducationUniversity of Alabama (B.A., J.D.)

Alva Hugh Maddox (April 17, 1930 – December 11, 2020) was an American jurist who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 1969 to 2001.[1]

Biography

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Born in Covington County, Alabama, to parents Christopher Columbus and Audie L. (née Freeman) Maddox,[2] he attended the University of Alabama, graduating in 1952 and receiving his J.D. degree from its law school in 1957. He served in the Korean War, and retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1982 as a colonel after 30 years of service.[3]

Maddox was admitted to the bar in 1957 and clerked for the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. The following year, he was a law clerk for the U.S. District Court of Alabama.[4] In 1959, he started working as an attorney in Montgomery. From 1961 to 1963, he served as a circuit judge for the 15th Judicial Circuit, after which term he served as legal adviser to Governor George Wallace in 1965, Governor Lurleen Wallace in 1967, and Governor Albert Brewer in 1968. Brewer appointed Maddox as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama on September 23, 1969, to a newly created seat,[5] and was sworn in on October 1, 1969.[6] He served until his retirement as a senior associate justice on January 15, 2001. During his 31 years on the court, he wrote 1,650 majority opinions, and he is the longest-serving Associate Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, having been elected five times following his appointment. He authored the treatise Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure,[7][3][8] which is featured in two scenes in the film My Cousin Vinny.

On June 14, 1958, he married Virginia Roberts, and they had two children. He died on December 11, 2020, in Montgomery, Alabama.[3]

Electoral history

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1970 general election: Alabama Supreme Court[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Alva Hugh Maddox 481,662 100.0
1976 general election: Alabama Supreme Court[10][11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Alva Hugh Maddox ~670,000[12] 100.0
1982 primary election: Alabama Supreme Court[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Alva Hugh Maddox 439,273 69.3
Democratic Lawrence A. Anderson 194,423 30.7
1982 general election: Alabama Supreme Court[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Alva Hugh Maddox 674,986 78.6
Republican Harry Lyons 184,056 21.4
1988 general election: Alabama Supreme Court[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Alva Hugh Maddox 685,114 58.0
Republican Donald Collins 495,541 42.0
1994 general election: Alabama Supreme Court[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Alva Hugh Maddox 691,424 100.0

References

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  1. ^ "Alabama Authors » Blog Archive » MADDOX, ALVA HUGH, 1930-". www.lib.ua.edu. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  2. ^ "Jefferson County death row inmate's request upheld by Alabama Supreme Court". 14 May 2011. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  3. ^ a b c "Alva Hugh Maddox". Montgomery Advertiser. 2020-12-11.
  4. ^ Billy Boll Weevil; a Pest Becomes a Hero. Huntsville, Ala.; Strode, 1976.
  5. ^ "Hugh Maddox Named To State Supreme Court". Alabama Journal. 1969-09-23.
  6. ^ "Hugh Maddox Sworn in as Supreme Court Judge". Alabama Journal. 1969-10-01.
  7. ^ Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure. 5 editions: 1990, 1994 (Michie Company), 1999, 2004, 2011 (Lexis-Nexis)
  8. ^ "Court chanages". Montgomery Advertiser. 2001-01-16.
  9. ^ Alabama Official and Statistical Register. 1971. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Alabama Official and Statistical Register. 1979. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  11. ^ "Mrs. McDaniel Wins PSC Post Without Hometown". Alabama Journal. 1976-11-03.
  12. ^ Maddox's race was omitted from the 1979 Alabama Official and Statistical Register. The vote totals of the two other unopposed Democratic Supreme Court justices were 670,833 and 666,544.
  13. ^ a b c d "Election Results Archive - State Supreme Court, 1970-2012". Alabama Secretary of State.