The following biographical sketch was compiled at the time of induction into the Academy in 1999.

Don Siegelman was born in Mobile, Alabama, on February 24, 1946, the son of Andrea and Leslie Bouchet Siegelman, Sr.

Governor Siegelman received his elementary and high school education in Mobile. After graduating from Murphy High School, he earned a bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Alabama, where in his junior year he was president of the Student Government Association. He received his law degree from Georgetown University, where, while in law school, he worked as a Capitol Hill police officer and served as a clerk at the U.S. Department of Justice. He later studied international law at Oxford University.

In 1978 Governor Siegelman was elected Secretary of State of Alabama. During his two terms in that office, he took the lead in revising and improving the state's election and voting laws.

Governor Siegelman was elected Attorney General of Alabama in 1986. While attorney general, he was successful in persuading the legislature to pass anti-crime, pro-victim legislation and to strengthen laws to protect children from drug dealers. He also secured passage of some of the toughest drug and anti-drunk driving laws in the nation.

Governor Siegelman was elected Lieutenant Governor of Alabama in 1994. As presiding officer of the Senate, he continued his efforts to strengthen Alabama's drunk driving laws, proposed a bill for making domestic violence a new category of crime in Alabama, and pushed for tougher campaign finance laws.

When he was elected Governor of Alabama, Don Siegelman became the first person in state history to hold four constitutional offices--Secretary of State, Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor, and Governor.

Governor Siegelman is married to Lori Allen, and they have two children, Dana and Joseph.