Kay Ivey, the first female Republican in Alabama history to hold the office of Lieutenant Governor, is only the second woman to serve as Governor of the state.

Acting Chief Justice Lyn Stewart administered the oath of office to Ivey just after 6 p.m. Monday.

Ivey assumes the role of governor upon the resignation of Robert Bentley, who stepped down today over a barrage of ethics complaints related to his relationship with former staffer Rebekah Caldwell Mason.

"Today is a dark day in Alabama but also one of opportunity," Ivey said Monday afternoon. "Together we steady the ship of state and improve the image of the state. These are my two priorities as governor."

Ivey told the crowd in Montgomery she "never desired and certainly never expected" to be governor but pledged "the people of Alabama can be sure there will be no disruption in the functions of the state of Alabama. Today's transition should be viewed as a positive opportunity and a demonstration of our successful practice of the rule of law.

"I pledge to each of you that I will do my very best. The Ivey administration will be open, it will be transparent and it will be honest," she said.

Alabama's only other female governor, Lurleen Burns Wallace, served only 16 months in office before her death in May 1968. The next gubernatorial election in Alabama is in November 2018.

The last time a Lieutenant Governor stepped into the governor's role was in 1993, when Jim Folsom Jr., a Democrat, was sworn in following Gov. Guy Hunt's removal from office due to a conviction for state ethics law violations. Folsom lost his bid for election to the governor's post in November 1994 to Fob James.

Ivey also becomes one of only five female governors in the U.S., joining Republican Susana Martinez of New Mexico and Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, and Democrats Kate Brown of Oregon and Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island.

Who is Kay Ivey?

Ivey is a native of Camden, a small town in Wilcox County. She's a graduate of Auburn University where she helped on-campus efforts for Lurleen Wallace's gubernatorial campaign. She went on to teach high school and work in banking before leaving to serve in Gov. Fob James' cabinet.

Ivey later served as director of government affairs and communications for the Alabama Commission on Higher Education before running for state treasurer in 2002. She was reelected in 2006.

In 2010, Ivey announced she was running for governor, joining a crowded field of Republicans that included Bentley and current Congressman Bradley Byrne. Ivey exited the race early and announced plans to run for Lieutenant Governor, defeating incumbent Jim Folsom Jr. in a wave of GOP victories.

Ivey was the first Republican woman to hold the office in state history. Four years later, she became the first Republican Lieutenant Governor re-elected to the office, easily defeating Democratic challenger James Fields.