Lurleen Wallace

Lurleen Burns Wallace served as governor of Alabama from January 1967 until her death in May 1968, the first female governor of the state. She succeeded her husband, George Wallace, in office. At that time, Alabama's constitution did not allow consecutive terms, and after Mrs. Wallace's election, Mr. Wallace continued to exert gubernatorial authority.

Wallace was born on September 19, 1926, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. After graduating from high school, she worked for a year until marrying George Wallace in 1943. She spent the next 20 years as a homemaker until becoming first lady of Alabama in 1963.

Wallace passed away on May 6, 1968.

Sources:

National Governors Association. (n.d.). Gov. Lurleen Burns Wallace. Retrieved on July 21, 2020, from https://www.nga.org/governor/lureen-burns-wallace/.