Vivian Davis Figures
Encyclopedia
Vivian Davis Figures is a Democratic
member of the Alabama Senate
, representing the 33rd District in Mobile County
since she was elected on January 28, 1997 to serve the remaining term of her late husband, Senator Michael A. Figures, who was the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. She was re-elected without opposition in 1998 and 2002.
Figures graduated from Williamson High School in Mobile, and received her bachelor of science degree in Management Science from the University of New Haven
in Connecticut. She put herself through college by working at Yale University
, and in a family owned grocery. She was attending Jones School of Law
in Montgomery when her husband's death forced her to discontinue her legal education. Figures has three sons. Her youngest, Jelani, is on a basketball scholarship at Morehouse College
. His brother, Shomari, is a law student at the University of Alabama
. Figures's oldest son, Akil, is serving a term in a federal penitentiary on drug charges. At her son's sentencing, Figures stated, "I also pray that other children and other families will learn from our experience."
Figures is President/CEO of Figures Legacy Education Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors of the Mobile Area Education Foundation. She is a past at-large member of the Democratic National Committee. She was initiated in the Delta Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha
sorority in 2002.
Before her service in the Alabama Senate, Figures was a member of the Mobile City Council. In that capacity, she was known as a staunch community advocate. Early in her council career, she led the opposition to a proposed facility for burning petroleum-contaminated oil near downtown Mobile. As a council member, Figures was also the initial proponent of naming Mobile's new minor league baseball park for home run legend Hank Aaron, a Mobile native. In Figures's 2008 U.S. Senate race, Aaron campaigned for Figures and hosted fundraisers in several Alabama cities.
In the Alabama Senate, Figures serves as the chairwoman of the Education and Mobile County Local Legislation Committees. In the legislature, Figures may be best known as the perennial sponsor of a bill to ban smoking in indoor, public places statewide in Alabama. In the 2008 general session, the bill passed the Senate, was believed to have sufficient support to pass the House, and Governor Bob Riley
had indicated he would sign it. The bill died when legislative filibusters prevented a final vote in the House. Figures was also instrumental in the passage of economic incentives that were critical in the location of a Thyssen-Krupp steel plant near Mobile.
Figures was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate
seat currently held by
Republican Jeff Sessions
in the 2008 election, after winning the June 2008 Democratic primary with 64% of the vote. An August 28, 2007 poll showed Sessions defeating Figures 59% to 37%. A May 27, 2008 Rasmussen poll showed Sessions winning 62% to 29%. A Rasmussen poll taken a month later indicated that Figures had closed the gap by several percent, to a 58% to 34% margin. According to finance reports filed just prior to the June primaries, Sessions had raised $5.5 million over the last six years, compared to $199,000 Figures had raised since beginning her campaign. On November 4, she was defeated by Sessions with 37% of the vote to Sessions' 63%.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Alabama Senate
Alabama Senate
The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal amount of districts across the state, with each district containing at least 127,140 citizens...
, representing the 33rd District in Mobile County
Mobile County, Alabama
Mobile County[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of a tribe of Indians, the Maubila tribe . As of 2011, its population was 415,704. Its county seat is Mobile, Alabama...
since she was elected on January 28, 1997 to serve the remaining term of her late husband, Senator Michael A. Figures, who was the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. She was re-elected without opposition in 1998 and 2002.
Figures graduated from Williamson High School in Mobile, and received her bachelor of science degree in Management Science from the University of New Haven
University of New Haven
The University of New Haven is a private university that combines a liberal arts education with professional training. The university comprises five colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the Tagliatela College of Engineering, the Henry C...
in Connecticut. She put herself through college by working at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, and in a family owned grocery. She was attending Jones School of Law
Thomas Goode Jones School of Law
The Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, also known as Jones Law, JLS or JSL, is one of the professional graduate schools of Faulkner University. Located in Montgomery, Alabama-History:...
in Montgomery when her husband's death forced her to discontinue her legal education. Figures has three sons. Her youngest, Jelani, is on a basketball scholarship at Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
. His brother, Shomari, is a law student at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
. Figures's oldest son, Akil, is serving a term in a federal penitentiary on drug charges. At her son's sentencing, Figures stated, "I also pray that other children and other families will learn from our experience."
Figures is President/CEO of Figures Legacy Education Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors of the Mobile Area Education Foundation. She is a past at-large member of the Democratic National Committee. She was initiated in the Delta Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...
sorority in 2002.
Before her service in the Alabama Senate, Figures was a member of the Mobile City Council. In that capacity, she was known as a staunch community advocate. Early in her council career, she led the opposition to a proposed facility for burning petroleum-contaminated oil near downtown Mobile. As a council member, Figures was also the initial proponent of naming Mobile's new minor league baseball park for home run legend Hank Aaron, a Mobile native. In Figures's 2008 U.S. Senate race, Aaron campaigned for Figures and hosted fundraisers in several Alabama cities.
In the Alabama Senate, Figures serves as the chairwoman of the Education and Mobile County Local Legislation Committees. In the legislature, Figures may be best known as the perennial sponsor of a bill to ban smoking in indoor, public places statewide in Alabama. In the 2008 general session, the bill passed the Senate, was believed to have sufficient support to pass the House, and Governor Bob Riley
Bob Riley
Bob Riley may refer to:* Bob Riley, 52nd Governor of Alabama* Bob C. Riley, acting Governor of Arkansas for 11 days in 1975* Bob Riley , sports car designer and founder of Riley Technologies...
had indicated he would sign it. The bill died when legislative filibusters prevented a final vote in the House. Figures was also instrumental in the passage of economic incentives that were critical in the location of a Thyssen-Krupp steel plant near Mobile.
Figures was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
seat currently held by
Republican Jeff Sessions
Jeff Sessions
Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III is the junior United States Senator from Alabama. First elected in 1996, Sessions is a member of the Republican Party...
in the 2008 election, after winning the June 2008 Democratic primary with 64% of the vote. An August 28, 2007 poll showed Sessions defeating Figures 59% to 37%. A May 27, 2008 Rasmussen poll showed Sessions winning 62% to 29%. A Rasmussen poll taken a month later indicated that Figures had closed the gap by several percent, to a 58% to 34% margin. According to finance reports filed just prior to the June primaries, Sessions had raised $5.5 million over the last six years, compared to $199,000 Figures had raised since beginning her campaign. On November 4, she was defeated by Sessions with 37% of the vote to Sessions' 63%.
External links
- Alabama State Legislature - Senator Vivian Davis Figures official government website
- Vivian Davis Figures official U.S. Senate campaign website