Ala. Code § 41-9-321
The commission shall be composed of 18 members, one of whom shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, one of whom shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees of the University of Montevallo, and one of whom shall be a member of the Alabama Historical Commission, chosen by such commission in the manner prescribed by it. Fourteen members shall be appointed by the Governor and the remaining member who shall by virtue of historical background be knowledgeable about the early Alabama iron industry, be chosen by the commission membership and designated "historian." Four of the first members appointed by the Governor shall be appointed for eight-year terms, four shall be appointed for six-year terms, four shall be appointed for four-year terms, and two shall be appointed for two-year terms. Beginning in 1990, future appointments by the Governor shall include no less than three seats each to persons legally residing in Jefferson, Tuscaloosa and Bibb Counties. The first members appointed by the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama and the University of Montevallo and the first member representative of the Alabama Historical Commission shall be appointed for two-year terms. Successors to these first members shall all be appointed for eight-year terms. The term of the historian shall be set by the commission.
Vacancies on the board during a term shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the term in the same manner and by the same appointing authority as the member whose place is being filled.
Ala. Code § 41-9-321 (1975)