The 1963 Birmingham municipal election was held on March 5, 1963 to elect a mayor and fill nine at-large seats on the newly-approved Birmingham City Council, which replaced the former Birmingham City Commission.
It was the first election held after the City of Birmingham adopted the Mayor-Council Act of 1955 as its form of government. Though all three members of the outgoing City Commission refused to leave office and filed suit to keep their positions, two of them, Bull Connor and J. T. Waggoner, Sr, qualified for the mayoral ballot.
The election was won by Lieutenant Governor of Alabama [[Albert Boutwell], a moderate who defeated Connor in a run-off. In the general election, Boutwell won 39% of the vote to Connor's 31%. Tom King polled 26% and Waggoner 4%.
City Council
The Birmingham City Council in 1963: 1st row, L-R: E. C. Overton, Nina Miglionico, M. Edwin Wiggins, George Seibels. 2nd row, L-R: Alan Drennen, Tom Woods, Don Hawkins, John Golden. Not pictured: John Bryan
Seventy-six individuals filed papers of qualification to appear on the ballot. Voters were required to select nine candidates at large. Ballots with more or less than nine marks were ruled invalid. John Bryan, Don Hawkins, George Seibels, and M. E. Wiggins were elected to four year terms. Alan Drennen, John Golden, Nina Miglionico, E. C. Overton and Tom Woods were elected to two-year terms. Wiggins was elected President of the Council.
Candidates
Thirty-four of the 76 candidates qualified from Birmingham's 10th Precinct (East Birmingham). Seventeen qualified from Precinct 21 (downtown Birmingham); 13 from Precinct 9 (West End), 3 from Precinct 42 (North Birmingham) and one from Precinct 52 (Wylam).
- Eleanor Abercrombie, publisher of Alabama Legal Advisor
- Boysie Anderson, transit company employee
- R. R. Andrews, insurance executive
- N. C. Aspinwall, president of United Security Life Insurance
- Izas Bahakel, attorney
- M. L. Boackle, distributing company employee
- Maxie Boyett, retired Labor Department employee
- Austin Brock, sales representative
- John Bryan, retired from Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
- Ross Callaway, steel worker
- Robert Carlisle, former banker
- Guy Carter, businessman
- Charles E. Clark, attorney
- Ollice Crain
- R. G. Crosby, draftsman
- Warren Crow III, real estate executive
- Henry Darnell, former police officer
- H. G. Davis, Jr, Lloyd Noland Hospital lab director and pathologist
- Alan Drennen, insurance agent
- Taft Epstein, jeweler (Epp's Jewelry Co.)
- G. V. Eyraud, Jr, attorney
- H. G. Franklin, businessman
- Robert Gafford, businessman
- Dan Gaylord, businessman
- J. C. Gentle, businessman
- Harry Gilmer, product representative
- Charles Giorlando, salesman
- John Golden, attorney
- Sam Harris, real estate agent
- W. S. Hart, accountant
- Don Hawkins, industrial sales
- George Higginbotham, attorney
- R. E. Hill, automobile company employee
- Calvin Holcombe, former Jefferson County Sheriff's Office employee
- Lee House, superintendent of Hillcrest Golf and Country Club
- Frank James, attorney
- Clarence Kelley, attorney
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- Harold Knight, attorney
- Edwin Ledford, attorney
- Frederick Livingston, photographer
- Gabriel Magdalani, restauranteur
- Fred Melof, safety engineer
- Nina Miglionico, attorney
- W. D. Mullins, businessman
- W. N. Nielson, industry executive
- E. C. Overton, optometrist
- Hubert Page, electrician
- L. E. Parker, former police sergeant
- Jack Porterfield, attorney
- Marvin Prude, businessman
- Bennett Pruet, metallurgist
- Robert Redus, real estate agent
- Norman Robie, railroad worker
- Raymond Rowell, electronics distributor
- Charles Sanders, chiropractor
- George Seibels, businessman
- Maurine Slaughter, real estate broker
- James Simpkins
- Charles L. Smith, merchant
- Bobby L. Smith, insurance salesman
- Cecil Songer, Jr, elementary school teacher
- Fred Stone, accountants manager
- Bruce Thrasher, labor represntative
- Phillip Tortorici, hardware salesman
- S. T. Tucker, TCI employee
- Loy Vaughan, principal of Elyton School
- James L. Walker, principal of Wylam School
- M. G. Walker, Jr, welding equipment supplier
- Milton Walker, millwright and former professional baseball player
- James Ware, minister Trinity Baptist Church
- Don Watts, auto parts broker
- Carl Wells, businessman
- M. E. Wiggins, businessman
- W. L. Williams, Jr, attorney
- David Wood, retired newspaper executive
- Tom Woods, merchant
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References
- Logue, Mickey (February 18, 1963) "76 in race for council's nine seats" Birmingham News - accessed via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
- Solomon, Jon (February 20, 2013) "Jabo Waggoner: State senator hopes he's half the man his dad was as Birmingham commissioner." The Birmingham News