On This Day In Alabama History: Howell Heflin Left Senate After Three Terms

By Alabama NewsCenter Staff

Howell T. Heflin, a Democratic senator from Alabama, concluded the last of his three terms in the U.S. Senate on this day. Heflin, a native of Georgia and son of a Methodist minister, entered politics in 1970 when he was elected chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. He declined to seek re-election, and in 1977 returned to private law practice in Tuscumbia. In 1978, however, he ran successfully for the Senate, defeating, among others, Gov. George Wallace. In the Senate, Heflin served on the Agriculture, Commerce and Judiciary committees, and chaired the Ethics Committee. On the Judiciary Committee, notably, he voted against the nomination of Alabamian Jeff Sessions to become a federal judge. Overall, Heflin developed a reputation for bipartisanship, humor and independence. He was progressive on civil rights issues and conservative on defense. Because of failing health, Heflin did not seek re-election in 1996 and returned to Tuscumbia. He died in 2005.

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