Reviewed by: Pat Byington
State’s first African American Circuit judge and female auditor honored by Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame
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On Thursday, March 6, the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame inducted its two newest members—former Justice Helen Shores Lee and former Secretary of State Agnes Baggett—at a ceremony in the University of West Alabama’s Bridges Auditorium in Wallace Hall.
Read on to learn more about the two inductees.
Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame inducts Justice Helen Shores Lee and Agnes Baggett
Two trailblazing women were inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame last week at the University of West Alabama.
Agnes Baggett made history in 1955 as the first Alabama woman elected as State Auditor. After her term, Agnes went on to serve as State Treasurer and Secretary of State with the slogan, “You Keep Alabama Clean and I’ll help Keep the Capital Clean.”
Helen Shores Lee—the granddaughter of civil rights attorney Arthur Shores—made waves in the legal world as the first African American woman to serve in the Civil Division of the 10th Judicial Circuit Court of Alabama.
About the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame
Established in 1970 to “provide a permanent place of honor for Alabama’s most outstanding women“, the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame (AWHF) celebrates women whose lives and work were integral to the story of Alabama. Past inductees include the likes of:
- Helen Keller
- Julia Tutwiler
- Mother Angelica
- Coretta Scott King
- Evelyn Daniel Anderson
- Rosa Parks
- Mildred Westervelt Warner
- Zora Neale Hurston
To be eligible for induction into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame, an individual must be:
- Deceased for at least two years
- From or affiliated with the state of Alabama
- Selected by unanimous vote of the board of directors of the AWHF
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