Former Alabama State Sen. Jimmy Holley dies at 80

Troy University Board of Trustees President Pro-Tem Gibson Vance (left) presented a resolution commending State Sen. Jimmy Holley (R-Elba) for his service to the University and the State of Alabama during a luncheon in his honor in Montgomery on Thursday, June 30, 2022. (Troy photo/Joey Meredith)

Former Alabama State Sen. Jimmy Holley of Elba has died at the age of 80.

He died peacefully on Monday, November 4, at the Elba Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Holley, a Republican who retired from the Alabama Senate in November of 2022 with nearly a half-century of service in the Legislature, represented Pike, Covington, Coffee and Dale counties in the Senate for six terms and served from 1974–1994 in the Alabama House of Representatives.

In addition to his Legislative service, Holley served Troy University as an administrator from 1984 until 2007, retiring as Director of the Regional Inservice Center and as Assistant to the Vice Chancellor, as well as prior service as Director of the Center for Developmental Education.

Outside of his public service, Holley was a cattle farmer and small businessman. Among Holley’s accomplishments were securing infrastructure improvements in support of Fort Rucker (now Fort Novosel,) quality of life improvements for the communities he served and worked to expand both education funding and high-speed internet access. He was also deeply involved in the support of workforce development and is credited with helping to establish the Alabama Aviation College in Ozark.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.