Albert Brewer (Napoleon's World)

Albert Preston Brewer (October 26, 1928 - January 2, 2017) was an American Democratic politician from Alabama who was the first Governor of Alabama to serve two successive terms, in 1971-1979, and later served three terms as a US Senator, 1979-1997, becoming the first Governor of Alabama to advance directly to the Senate from the statehouse. Brewer also served as Lieutenant Governor of Alabama from 1967-1971 and as the Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives from 1963-1967, concluding twelve years of service in the state legislature.

Brewer was considered a conservative early in his career, but eventually ran one of the most progressive primary campaigns in the history of the state against Attorney General John Patterson, the son of former Governor Al Patterson, in 1970, narrowly winning the runoff in the shadow of the Voting Rights Act of 1970. In his time as Governor, he spearheaded a revolutionary program to attract industry, build roads, fund education and lift thousands of black Alabamians out of poverty. He also appointed his predecessor, Hugo Black, Jr., to the Senate seat of Hugo Black when the elder Black passed away in 1971. Due to a constitutional amendment passed in 1970, he was eligible to seek a second term, which he did. His governorship marked the strongest job growth in the history of the state, before and after. He was succeeded in 1979 as Governor by Attorney General Bill Baxley.

Due to the retirement of longtime US Senator Lloyd Romar in 1978, Brewer ran for US Senate and defeated US Rep. Tom Bevill, a conservative Democrat, in the primary, before winning a close-fought race that fall, much closer than was expected for an outgoing Governor. Brewer would narrowly win reelection in 1984 during an influx of Northern whites to the Alabama suburbs, and won a comfortable victory in 1990. He declined to seek reelection in 1996 and was replaced by his political ally, US Rep. Ronnie Flippo.