He had served in the Alabama State House for 20 years and the State Senate for 12 years. Jack Biddle, 94, of Gardendale, died Sunday.
Gardendale Mayor Stan Hogeland posted this announcement on his Facebook Sunday night:
Our city lost another great man today in Jack Biddle. Jack served in the Alabama Legislature, both the House and Senate, for 30 years. Jack loved people and especially our city. For me, he was a friend and always an encourager. I loved talking to Jack and he always had a story to tell. I know he is dancing with Mrs. Nena tonight in heaven. Please remember the family as they say their final goodbyes. Loved my buddy.
Biddle and his late wife Nena were warriors for mental health. Jack served on the UAB Department of Psychiatry Advisory Board. He was a Trustee of the Department of Mental Health and Retardation. The Department of Mental Health named their building in the Southside of Birmingham the "Jack and Nena Biddle Building."
Jack Biddle III was born in Birmingham in 1930. He served in the Alabama State House from 1974 to 1994 and the State Senate from 1994 to 2006.
He earned a Bachelor's degree from Samford University, then Howard College. He was a real estate broker and developer and an assistant to the CEO of Drummond Company.
Biddle served on the Alabama Historical Society, the Alabama, the Archeological Association, the Alabama Wildlife Federation, the Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Board, and the Jefferson County Coroner's Medical Examiners Board.
In February 2001, U.S. Highway 31 in northern Jefferson County from the southern boundary of the City of Gardendale northward to the Blount/Jefferson County line was designated as Jack Biddle Highway.
He and his late wife, Nena, had two children, John and Carolyn. Nena Biddle died in 2022. Jack had served as her caregiver during her declining years.
Arrangements are pending.
Jim Zeigler is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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