First African American circuit judge and first female state auditor to enter Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame

Story: Lisa Sollie

The Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame will induct its two newest members, former Justice Helen Shores Lee and former Secretary of State Agnes Baggett, at a ceremony on March 6 at 11:00 a.m. at the University of West Alabama’s Bridges Auditorium in Wallace Hall. The induction commemorates their remarkable contributions to Alabama’s political and legal history, marking pivotal milestones in their respective fields.

Agnes Baggett made history in Alabama politics as the first woman elected State Auditor, and she went on to serve as State Treasurer and Secretary of State over several terms, shaping Alabama’s political landscape for decades.

Helen Shores Lee blazed a trail in the legal world, becoming the first African American woman to serve in the Civil Division of the 10th Judicial Circuit Court of Alabama (Jefferson County, Birmingham Division), retiring from the bench in 2016, leaving behind a distinguished legacy.

Agnes Baggett
Born Agnes Wylene Beahn in Columbus, Georgia, Baggett moved to Montgomery, Alabama, after high school. Before entering politics, she worked in various legal roles, including as a law clerk for the district attorney’s office, a clerk in the Alabama Secretary of State’s office, and an assistant clerk with the Alabama Supreme Court. Her diverse background in government and law would lay the foundation for her future political career.

In 1967, Baggett ran for State Treasurer, using a memorable slogan featured on a litter bag: “You Keep Alabama Clean and I’ll help Keep the Capital Clean.” By emphasizing her image as a housewife, she positioned herself as someone who qualified for public service. She posed the rhetorical question, “who better to take care of the people’s house than a housewife?”

Baggett’s political career spanned more than 15 years by 1966, as she served in various elected offices. Along with several other women from the late 1940s through the 1970s, she became part of a group of women who cycled through constitutional offices so frequently that they became collectively known as the “ladies’ offices.” Baggett often reflected this “household” imagery in her public service ideals. In a speech titled “Advancing Women in Politics,” she stated, “Both women and men have exactly the same great stake in responsibility when they serve as a public servant, and indeed, we are public servants. My bosses are all the people of the state.”

As Secretary of State, Baggett brought innovation to the office, modernizing corporate records by creating a card index system to replace handwritten volumes, an innovation later replaced by computer software. She also secured funding from the Alabama State Legislature to microfilm land records, further enhancing the efficiency of the office.  

Baggett died in 1992 at the age of 87.

Helen Shores Lee
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, during a time known as “Old Alabama,” Lee was the daughter of Arthur Davis Shores, a prominent civil rights attorney who represented figures such as the first black students enrolled and accepted at the University of Alabama and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Due to her father’s legal work, Lee and her family faced constant threats, including shootings at their home, racial harassment, and bombings. These traumatic events left a lasting impact on Lee, prompting her to leave Birmingham eventually. However, upon returning in 1971, her perspective on the city had evolved. Reflecting on this in her family’s 2012 book Gentle Giant of Dynamite Hill: The Untold Story of Arthur Shores and His Family’s Fight for Civil Rights, she wrote, “Slowly my anger from the past began to subside.  It took time, but years later, my anger had changed into a sort of appreciation and much deeper understanding of the great racial strides Birmingham had finally made.” 

Upon her return to Birmingham, Lee worked as a clinical psychologist before being encouraged to study law to follow in her father’s footsteps. At 43, she enrolled in Cumberland Law School in Birmingham, earning her Juris Doctorate in 1987 and admission to the Alabama State Bar in 1988. Lee began her law practice that same year, and after her father died in 1996, she practiced law alongside her son, Arthur Shores Lee, in their firm where she was deeply involved in advocating for social justice and equality. She was appointed to the bench in 2000.

Lee died in 2008 at the age of 77.

Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame
The Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame was established in 1970 to honor the lives of outstanding women from the state of Alabama. Inductees must be deceased for at least two years, be from or affiliated with Alabama, and be selected by unanimous vote of the board of directors of the AWHF, which comprises a cross-section of the state and represents broad areas of interest.

The Hall of Fame, which relocated to the University of West Alabama in 2021, celebrates the achievements of Alabama’s most outstanding women. The induction of Baggett and Lee into the Hall of Fame is a testament to their contributions to the state’s political and legal landscape.

Event Details
The ceremony is open to the public, and admission is free. Tickets for the luncheon held at UWA’s Bell Conference Center following the ceremony are available for $50. The deadline for luncheon reservations is February 28. To purchase luncheon tickets or for more information, contact Dr. Valerie Pope Burnes, University of West Alabama history professor and the Hall of Fame’s executive secretary, at vburnes@uwa.edu or at (205) 652-3856.