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Howell Heflin | |
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| United States Senator fromAlabama | |
| In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | John Sparkman |
| Succeeded by | Jeff Sessions |
| Chair of theSenate Ethics Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Ted Stevens |
| Succeeded by | Terry Sanford |
| 24thChief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama | |
| In office January 19, 1971 – January 17, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | J. Ed Livingston |
| Succeeded by | C. C. Torbert, Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Howell Thomas Heflin (1921-06-19)June 19, 1921 Poulan, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | March 29, 2005(2005-03-29) (aged 83) Sheffield, Alabama, U.S. |
| Resting place | Glendale Cemetery Leighton, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
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| Alma mater | Birmingham-Southern College (BA) University of Alabama (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Rank | Major |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |  Silver Star Purple Heart (2) |
Heflin speaks in support of abalanced budget amendment to the Constitution Recorded June 9, 1992 | |
Howell Thomas Heflin (June 19, 1921 – March 29, 2005) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of theDemocratic Party, he representedAlabama in theUnited States Senate from 1979 to 1997.
Heflin was born on June 19, 1921, inPoulan,Georgia. His father Marvin Heflin was a Methodist minister, and his mother, Louise Strudwick Heflin, a former teacher. He attended public school in Alabama, graduating from Colbert County High School inLeighton.[1] He earned hisBachelor of Arts degree in 1942 fromBirmingham-Southern College inBirmingham, where he became a member ofLambda Chi Alpha fraternity.[2][3] There was a tradition of politics in his family: He was a nephew ofJames Thomas Heflin, a prominent white supremacist politician and U.S. Senator, and great-nephew ofRobert Stell Heflin, aU.S. Representative.
DuringWorld War II, from 1942 to 1946, Heflin served as an officer in theUnited States Marine Corps.[4] He was awarded theSilver Star for valor in combat and received twoPurple Heart medals,[5] having seen action onBougainville andGuam.
After World War II, Heflin attended theUniversity of Alabama School of Law, from which he graduated in 1948. For nearly two decades, he served as a law professor, while concurrently practicing law inTuscumbia, Alabama.[5]
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In 1970, Heflin was elected Chief Justice of theAlabama Supreme Court, serving from 1971 to 1977.[6]
In1978, Heflin was elected to theUnited States Senate to succeed fellow DemocratJohn Sparkman, who had beenAdlai E. Stevenson's running mate in the1952 presidential election. Heflin won his party's nomination by defeating U.S. RepresentativeWalter Flowers ofTuscaloosa, a long-timeGeorge C. Wallace ally. The 1966 Republican gubernatorial nominee, former U.S. RepresentativeJames D. Martin ofGadsden, announced that he would challenge Heflin. But Martin switched to a second Senate race for a two-year term created by the sudden death of SenatorJames B. Allen, leaving Heflin without a Republican opponent.
In March 1981, President Reagan was shot during an assassination attempt byJohn Hinckley, Jr., outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D. C., Hinckley being brought to trial fourteen months afterward. Heflin espoused the view that the time between the incident and the trial was part of the need for an overhauling of the criminal justice system, "so that it can more efficiently and effectively deal with the rising epidemic of violent crime in this nation", and noted the shootings ofPope John Paul II andPresident of EgyptAnwar Sadat as incidents that had happened after the Reagan shooting, yet had already seen the assailants be convicted and either jailed or executed. Heflin stated that the delays in bringing defendants to trial formed "contempt for the system", in addition to denouncing the delays as part of the problem, calling for the Senate to form a "Crime Caucus", as part of an attempt to "put aside petty partisan politics and unite in an effort to wage a successful war on crime".[7]
In July 1981, Heflin announced he would introduce legislation calling for the creation of a national court of appeals, and that such legislation would relieve the Supreme Court of some of its present burdens, while increasing the national appellate capacity. The legislation was intended to also initiate a long-range study of the federal court system, and call for major reforms in the American judiciary. Heflin noted that only 289 of the 4,242 petitions for hearings submitted to the Supreme Court in the previous year were granted, and that a national appeals court would resolve feuds in the federal circuit courts.[8]
In1984, Heflin won a second Senate term, handily defeating Republican former U.S. RepresentativeAlbert L. Smith, Jr., of Birmingham, who had hoped to win by running on the re-election coattails of President Ronald Reagan. Heflin was re-elected to a third term in1990, defeatingState SenatorWilliam J. Cabaniss, who later served asUnited States Ambassador to the Czech Republic underGeorge W. Bush. Heflin did not run for re-election in1996, and was succeeded by RepublicanJeff Sessions.
In 1987, Heflin, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, voted against confirmation of JudgeRobert Bork to theSupreme Court of the United States.[9]
Heflin became chairman of theSelect Committee on Ethics. While on the Ethics Committee, he led the prosecution against fellow Democratic senatorHoward Cannon ofNevada for violations of Senate rules.
As aconservative Democrat, he strongly opposedabortion andgun control. Heflin supportedschool prayer in public schools, and opposed laws banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.[citation needed] He supported theGulf War of 1991, and opposed cuts in defense spending. WithFritz Hollings ofSouth Carolina, Heflin was one of only two Democrats in the Senate to vote against theFamily and Medical Leave Act. He occasionally voted with Republicans on taxes.[citation needed]
On other economic issues, he was more allied with his party's populist wing. He voted against theNorth American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), theGeneral Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), andattempts to weaken enforcement of consumer protection measures.[citation needed] He strongly supported affirmative action laws.[citation needed] He voted against confirmation ofClarence Thomas to theUnited States Supreme Court, citing Thomas's lack of experience.
In 1993, Heflin gave a memorable speech on the Senate floor in support of SenatorCarol Moseley Braun's successful effort to deny renewal of a Confederate Flag design patent for theUnited Daughters of the Confederacy. Heflin spoke of his pride and love for his Confederate ancestors, his respect for the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and his conflict in breaking with them over this issue. But, he said:
We live in a nation that daily is trying to heal the scars that have occurred in the past. We're trying to heal problems that still show negative and ugly aspects in our world that we live in today, and perhaps racism is one of the great scars and one of the most serious illnesses that we suffer from still today.[10]
Heflin lived at his long-time residence in Tuscumbia until his death on March 29, 2005, of aheart attack.[2] He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth Ann, his son H. Thomas, Jr., known as Tom, and two grandchildren.[11]
Heflin was the last Democrat to serve as a senator from Alabama until the swearing in ofDoug Jones (winner of theDecember 2017 special election) on January 3, 2018, 21 years to the day after Heflin left the seat.[a] Heflin had been a mentor to Jones, who worked for him as a senatorial aide.[12][13]
The University of Alabama School of Law has honored Heflin with the "Howell Heflin Conference Room" in the Bounds Law Library. Tuscumbia named a street "Howell Heflin Lane", in his honor. TheHowell Heflin Lock and Dam in Alabama is named in his honor. The Howell T. Heflin Seminar room in the Birmingham-Southern College Library is also named in his honor.
TheNew York Times characterized him as the "conscience of the Senate".[4]
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| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromAlabama (Class 3) 1978,1984,1990 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chief Justice of theAlabama Supreme Court 1971–1977 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by John Sparkman | United States Senator (Class 2) from Alabama 1979–1997 Served alongside:Donald W. Stewart,Jeremiah Denton,Richard Shelby | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Ethics Committee 1987–1992 | Succeeded by |
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| Class 3 | ||
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