Felix Reginald Albritton Jr. in his sheriff’ s uniform.
Albritton credits the Association’ s PLAN 2018 leadership program for helping him look beyond the daily grind.“ It’ s given me a new way of thinking,” he said.“ There’ s so much more to being a commissioner than just keeping the roads patched.”
If Judge Albritton did not deliberately apprentice his younger son in preparation for public service, he did set an example that is still evident more than a quarter century after his death.
As Terry put it,“ He treated everybody the same.”
To this day, citizens of Wilcox County will ask the commissioner if Reginald Albritton was his dad, as if trying to confirm his credibility.
Commissioner Albritton’ s
Great-Grandfather George“ Lee” Albritton Sr. __________
Sheriff | 1900-1904, 1932-36
The family tradition of public service to Wilcox County began with George“ Lee” Albritton Sr.( in coat and tie). The bowtie-wearing gentleman at the lower left is Clifford“ Clip” Albritton, who completed his late brother’ s term as probate judge in the 1940s.
“ My daddy was known for being able to build some bridges across racial barriers,” Albritton said.
Judge Albritton’ s lengthy career did not necessarily come easily. Leading up to many elections, there would be three generations working on the campaign, headquartered in the living room and dining room of the family home. As for technology, they had a telephone and a typewriter; everything else – including addressing envelopes to every household in the county – was done by hand.
Wilcox County
“ The grit behind it was my mother,” the commissioner recalled.“ She could organize.”
He and his wife, Lou Anne, have two adult children, though neither of them moved back to the area after finishing college.
If family tradition holds, perhaps they will be able to look back on his years in office and say, as their aunt does of her own father,“ There was a sense of pride that he was making the sacrifice to make a better place.”
In other words, he did what he could. n
Wilcox County Clout
Considering its small population, you might not expect Wilcox County to qualify as a political powerhouse, but it is native soil for U. S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. Ivey is the state’ s second governor from the county. Benjamin Meek Miller served as chief executive 1931-35.
In more recent years, the Bonner family of Camden has been prominent, with Jo serving a decade in Congress and his sister Judy in the president’ s mansion at the University of Alabama until 2015.
“ It’ s pretty amazing to have that much substantial political clout,” said County Commissioner Bill Albritton.
COUNTY COMMISSION | 35