Bio
Emory McCord Folmar was born in Pike County, Alabama on June 3, 1930. Folmar graduated from Montgomery’s Sidney Lanier High School and served as a United States Army ranger during the Korean War. He attended the University of Alabama and graduated with a degree in business. During his time at Alabama Folmar was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and served as the cadet colonel of the Army JROTC. While at Alabama he met Anita Pierce, whom he would marry in 1952. Folmar entered politics in 1975 by winning a seat on the Montgomery city council, later becoming the council president. In 1977, Folmar assumed the position of Mayor for the first time, after then Mayor James Robinson was forced to resign following a police-related scandal .
Folmar held the position of Mayor for twenty-two years, the longest consecutive tenure of any Montgomery mayor. Folmar was also at the vanguard of the state’s Republican Party, serving as its chairman. As a result of his involvement in the Republican Party, he received political appointments from both President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W Bush. In 1982 Folmar unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Alabama against incumbent George Wallace. Folmar took 40% of the vote, proving to be a formidable opponent for Wallace who was seeking his fourth term in office. Folmar finally relinquished his role as Mayor of Montgomery in 1999 when he lost to Democrat Bobby Bright. Emory Folmar died on November 11, 2011 at the age of 80.
