Vivian Davis Figures facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vivian Figures
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| Member of the Alabama Senate from the 33rd district |
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| Assumed office January 28, 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Michael Figures |
| Member of the Mobile City Council | |
| In office January 1993 – January 1997 |
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| Succeeded by | Fred Richardson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 24, 1957 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Michael Figures
(m. 1982; died 1996) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of New Haven (BA) Faulkner University |
Vivian Davis Figures (born January 24, 1957) is an American politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She serves in the Alabama Senate, which is part of Alabama's state government. She represents the 33rd District in Mobile County. She was first elected in 1997.
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Early Life and Education
Vivian Figures grew up in Mobile, Alabama. She went to Williamson High School. After high school, she attended the University of New Haven in Connecticut. She earned a degree in Management Science. To pay for her college, she worked at Yale University and in her family's grocery store. She also started studying law at the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law. However, she had to stop her legal studies.
Vivian Figures is also involved in her community. She is the President and CEO of the Figures Legacy Education Foundation. She helps lead the Mobile Area Education Foundation. She is also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Political Career Highlights
Serving on the Mobile City Council
Vivian Figures began her political journey in 1993. She was elected to the Mobile City Council. As a council member, she worked hard for her community. She was known for speaking up for local residents. For example, she helped stop a plan to build a facility that would burn oil near downtown Mobile. She also suggested naming Mobile's new baseball park after the famous baseball player Hank Aaron. Hank Aaron was born in Mobile.
Joining the Alabama Senate
In 1996, Vivian Figures decided to run for the Alabama Senate. She wanted to take over the seat that her late husband, Senator Michael Figures, had held. She won the election and became a state senator in January 1997. She was re-elected without anyone running against her in 1998 and 2002.
In the Alabama Senate, Vivian Figures has important roles. She leads the Education Committee. She also chairs the Mobile County Local Legislation Committee. She has worked on many important laws. One of her main goals has been to pass a law to stop smoking in public indoor places across Alabama. She also helped bring a large Thyssen-Krupp steel plant to the Mobile area. This project created many jobs for people in the state.
Running for U.S. Senate
In 2008, Vivian Figures ran for a seat in the United States Senate. She was the Democratic Party's choice for the election. Famous baseball player Hank Aaron supported her campaign. He even helped raise money for her in different cities in Alabama. She ran against Jeff Sessions, who was a Republican. She was not elected to the U.S. Senate that year.
Leading in the Legislature
In 2012, Vivian Figures made history. The Democratic senators in Alabama chose her to be their floor leader. This meant she was the first woman ever to lead either the majority or minority party in the Alabama Legislature. This was a big step for women in politics in Alabama.
In 2019, she announced she would run to be the chair of the Alabama Democratic Party. However, she later decided to withdraw from that race. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she spoke about her concerns for lawmakers and staff. She worried about their safety if they met during the health crisis.
Family Life
Vivian Figures has three sons. Her middle son, Shomari Figures, is now a United States Representative for Alabama's 2nd district. He worked for the Obama administration and for Merrick Garland. Her youngest son, Jelani, played basketball for Morehouse College on a scholarship.
See also
- Black women in American politics
- List of African-American United States Senate candidates
