1963 Birmingham municipal election: Difference between revisions

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[[Image:Albert Boutwell 1963.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Albert Boutwell in 1963]]
[[Image:Albert Boutwell 1963.jpg|right|thumb|Albert Boutwell in 1963]]
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]].  
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. Major issues discussed during the run-up to the election included how the city would react to building pressure for [[desegregation]], how to improve municipal finances, and how to polish the city's tarnished national image.


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.
44,736 voters cast ballots on a day marked by storms and high winds, the highest number to ever vote in a municipal election. The bar was raised during the [[April 2]] runoff, when 51,278 people appeared at the polls.


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%.
==Mayor==
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. They faced two-term [[Alabama State Senate|State Senator]] and then [[Lieutenant Governor of Alabama|Lieutenant Governor]] [[Albert Boutwell]], and attorney [[Tom King]].
 
All four candidates favored proposals to merge Birmingham's outlying suburbs into "[[One Great City]]", and all four favored maintaining racial segregation, though they differed in their intended approach. Boutwell and Connor emerged as front runners. Waggoner favored Connor's politics, but without Connor's celebrated viciousness. King, formerly more moderate, had adopted more or less the same platform as the higher-profile Boutwell.
 
Boutwell promised to mount a vigorous legal challenge to court-ordered integration, while Connor promised outright defiance of federal laws and courts. While Connor would keep pools and playgrounds closed, Boutwell outlined a plan to transfer ownership of public pools to private operators and to establish a reservation system for playgrounds and picnic shelters. On the Birmingham's economic stagnation, Connor applauded City Hall's diminished outlays because it meant low taxes. Boutwell pledged to spur economic development through public improvements and support for the growing [[UAB Medical Center|Medical Center]].
 
===Results===
* '''[[Albert Boutwell]]''', 17,343 votes (39%), 29,630 votes in runoff (58%), winner
* [[Bull Connor]], 13,780 votes (31%), 21,648 votes in runoff (42%)
* [[Tom King]], 11,650 votes (26%)
* [[J. T. Waggoner Sr]], 1,701 votes (4%)


==City Council==
==City Council==
[[Image:1963 Birmingham City Council.jpg|center|thumb|575px|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. 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]]).


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.
Only two of the qualifying candidates, attorney [[W. L. Williams Jr]] and Reverend [[James L. Ware]], were African-American.


===Candidates===
===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]]).
{| border="0" width="775"
{| border="0" width="775"
|-
|-
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* [[Maxie Boyett]], retired Labor Department employee
* [[Maxie Boyett]], retired Labor Department employee
* [[Austin Brock]], sales representative
* [[Austin Brock]], sales representative
* [[John Bryan]], retired from [[Birmingham Chamber of Commerce]]
* [[John Bryan]], retired educator and civic leader
* [[Ross Callaway]], steel worker
* [[Ross Callaway]], steel worker
* [[Robert Carlisle]], former banker
* [[Robert Carlisle]], former banker
Line 34: Line 43:
* [[Warren Crow III]], real estate executive
* [[Warren Crow III]], real estate executive
* [[Henry Darnell]], former police officer
* [[Henry Darnell]], former police officer
* [[H. G. Davis, Jr]], [[Lloyd Noland Hospital]] lab director and pathologist
* [[H. G. Davis Jr]], [[Lloyd Noland Hospital]] lab director and pathologist
* [[Alan Drennen]], insurance agent
* [[Alan Drennen]], insurance agent
* [[Taft Epstein]], jeweler ([[Epp's Jewelry Co.]])
* [[Taft Epstein]], jeweler ([[Epp's Jewelry Co.]])
* [[G. V. Eyraud, Jr]], attorney
* [[G. V. Eyraud Jr]], attorney
* [[H. G. Franklin]], businessman
* [[H. G. Franklin]], businessman
* [[Robert Gafford]], businessman
* [[Robert Gafford]], businessman
* [[Dan Gaylord]], businessman
* [[Dan Gaylord]], businessman
* [[J. C. Gentle]], businessman
* [[J. C. Gentle]], businessman
* [[Harry Gilmer]], product representative
* [[Harry U. Gilmer]], product representative for [[TCI]]
* [[Charles Giorlando]], salesman
* [[Charles Giorlando]], salesman
* [[John Golden]], attorney
* [[John Golden]], attorney
Line 51: Line 60:
* [[R. E. Hill]], automobile company employee
* [[R. E. Hill]], automobile company employee
* [[Calvin Holcombe]], former [[Jefferson County Sheriff's Office]] employee
* [[Calvin Holcombe]], former [[Jefferson County Sheriff's Office]] employee
* [[Lee House]], superintendent of [[Hillcrest Golf and Country Club]]
* [[Lee House]], superintendent of [[Hillcrest Golf & Country Club]]
* [[Frank James]], attorney
* [[Frank James]], attorney
* [[Clarence Kelley]], attorney
* [[Clarence Kelley]], attorney
* [[Harold Knight]], attorney
| valign="top" |
| valign="top" |
* [[Harold Knight]], attorney
* [[Edwin Ledford]], attorney
* [[Edwin Ledford]], attorney
* [[Frederick Livingston]], photographer
* [[Frederick Livingston]], photographer
Line 78: Line 87:
* [[Charles L. Smith]], merchant
* [[Charles L. Smith]], merchant
* [[Bobby L. Smith]], insurance salesman
* [[Bobby L. Smith]], insurance salesman
* [[Cecil Songer, Jr]], elementary school teacher
* [[Cecil Songer Jr]], elementary school teacher
* [[Fred Stone]], accountants manager
* [[Fred Stone]], accountants manager
* [[Bruce Thrasher]], labor represntative
* [[Bruce Thrasher]], labor represntative
Line 85: Line 94:
* [[Loy Vaughan]], principal of [[Elyton School]]
* [[Loy Vaughan]], principal of [[Elyton School]]
* [[James L. Walker]], principal of [[Wylam School]]
* [[James L. Walker]], principal of [[Wylam School]]
* [[M. G. Walker, Jr]], welding equipment supplier
* [[M. G. Walker Jr]], welding equipment supplier
* [[Milton Walker]], millwright and former professional baseball player
* [[Milton Walker]], millwright and former baseball player
* [[James Ware (minister)|James Ware]], minister [[Trinity Baptist Church]]
* [[James L. Ware]], minister [[Trinity Baptist Church]]
* [[Don Watts]], auto parts broker
* [[Don Watts]], auto parts broker
* [[Carl Wells]], businessman
* [[Carl Wells]], businessman
* [[M. E. Wiggins]], businessman
* [[M. E. Wiggins]], businessman
* [[W. L. Williams, Jr]], attorney
* [[W. L. Williams Jr]], attorney
* [[David Wood]], retired newspaper executive
* [[David Wood]], retired newspaper executive
* [[Tom Woods]], merchant
* [[Tom Woods]], merchant
|}
|}
===Results===
[[Image:1963 Birmingham City Council.jpg|center|thumb|575px|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]]
Voters were required to select nine candidates at large. Ballots with more or less than nine marks were ruled invalid. The top 18 finishers advanced to the runoff election. In the runoff, the top four vote-getters were awarded four-year terms, with the next five taking two-year terms to establish staggered vacancies in future biennial elections.
* '''[[John Bryan]]''', 19,843 votes (44% of ballots), 29,691 votes in runoff (58% of ballots), awarded 4-year term
* '''[[M. E. Wiggins]]''', 19,092 votes (43% of ballots), 29,164 votes in runoff (57% of ballots), awarded 4-year term
* '''[[Nina Miglionico]]''', 14,962 votes (33% of ballots), 23,100 votes in runoff (51% of ballots), awarded a 2-year term
* '''[[George Seibels]]''', 14,426 votes (32% of ballots), 27,400 votes in runoff (53% of ballots), awarded a 4-year term
* '''[[Alan Drennen]]''', 12,966 votes (29% of ballots), 25,797 votes in runoff (50% of ballots), awarded a 2-year term
* '''[[John Golden]]''', 12,520 votes (28% of ballots), 23,351 votes in runoff (46% of ballots), awarded a 2-year term
* '''[[Tom Woods]]''', 11,194 votes (25% of ballots), 24,249 votes in runoff (47% of ballots), awarded a 2-year term
* [[Frank James]], 11,003 votes (25% of ballots), 19,347 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
* [[Harwell Davis Jr]], 10,280 votes (23% of ballots), 19,879 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
* [[Don Watts]], 10,261 votes (23% of ballots), 17,445 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
* [[W. L. Williams Jr]], 9,339 votes (21% of ballots), 8,829 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
* '''[[Don Hawkins]]''', 9,211 votes (21% of ballots), 27,540 votes in runoff (54% of ballots), awarded a 4-year term
* [[Marvin Prude]], 9,124 votes (20% of ballots), 21,579 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
* [[J. L. Ware]], 8,722 votes (19% of ballots), 8,698 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
* [[Warren Crow III]], 8,592 votes (19% of ballots), 20,252 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
* [[Dan Gaylord]], 8,137 votes (18% of ballots), 17,692 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
* [[Bruce Thrasher]], 8,108 votes (18% of ballots), 13,937 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
* '''[[E. C. Overton]]''', 7,815 votes (17% of ballots), 23,379 votes in runoff (46% of ballots), awarded a 2-year term
[[E. C. Overton]], who barely slipped into the runoff, edging [[R. R. Andrews]] by only 19 votes, gained a large amount of support in March, finishing in the top three overall. The two African-American candidates, who finished 11th and 14th in the general election, fell far behind in the runoff as the limits of their support emerged on the smaller ballot. After the newly-elected councilors took office, they elected Wiggins to serve as President of the Council.


==References==
==References==
* Logue, Mickey (February 18, 1963) "[http://bplonline.cdmhost.com/u?/BPLSB02,3995 76 in race for council's nine seats]" ''Birmingham News'' - accessed via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
* Logue, Mickey (February 18, 1963) "[http://bplonline.cdmhost.com/u?/BPLSB02,3995 76 in race for council's nine seats]" ''Birmingham News'' - accessed via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
* {{LaMonte-1995}}
* Kimerling, Solomon P. & Pamela Sterne King (May 10, 2012–October 2013) "[https://templebeth-el.net/education/no-more-bull/ No More Bull: Birmingham's Revolution at the Ballot Box]" {{Weld}}
* Solomon, Jon (February 20, 2013) "Jabo Waggoner: State senator hopes he's half the man his dad was as Birmingham commissioner." {{BN}}
* Solomon, Jon (February 20, 2013) "Jabo Waggoner: State senator hopes he's half the man his dad was as Birmingham commissioner." {{BN}}


[[Category:Birmingham municipal elections]]
[[Category:Birmingham municipal elections]]
[[Category:1963 events]]
[[Category:1963 events]]

Latest revision as of 14:46, 4 February 2023

Albert Boutwell in 1963

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. Major issues discussed during the run-up to the election included how the city would react to building pressure for desegregation, how to improve municipal finances, and how to polish the city's tarnished national image.

44,736 voters cast ballots on a day marked by storms and high winds, the highest number to ever vote in a municipal election. The bar was raised during the April 2 runoff, when 51,278 people appeared at the polls.

Mayor

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. They faced two-term State Senator and then Lieutenant Governor Albert Boutwell, and attorney Tom King.

All four candidates favored proposals to merge Birmingham's outlying suburbs into "One Great City", and all four favored maintaining racial segregation, though they differed in their intended approach. Boutwell and Connor emerged as front runners. Waggoner favored Connor's politics, but without Connor's celebrated viciousness. King, formerly more moderate, had adopted more or less the same platform as the higher-profile Boutwell.

Boutwell promised to mount a vigorous legal challenge to court-ordered integration, while Connor promised outright defiance of federal laws and courts. While Connor would keep pools and playgrounds closed, Boutwell outlined a plan to transfer ownership of public pools to private operators and to establish a reservation system for playgrounds and picnic shelters. On the Birmingham's economic stagnation, Connor applauded City Hall's diminished outlays because it meant low taxes. Boutwell pledged to spur economic development through public improvements and support for the growing Medical Center.

Results

City Council

Seventy-six individuals filed papers of qualification to appear on the ballot. 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).

Only two of the qualifying candidates, attorney W. L. Williams Jr and Reverend James L. Ware, were African-American.

Candidates

Results

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

Voters were required to select nine candidates at large. Ballots with more or less than nine marks were ruled invalid. The top 18 finishers advanced to the runoff election. In the runoff, the top four vote-getters were awarded four-year terms, with the next five taking two-year terms to establish staggered vacancies in future biennial elections.

  • John Bryan, 19,843 votes (44% of ballots), 29,691 votes in runoff (58% of ballots), awarded 4-year term
  • M. E. Wiggins, 19,092 votes (43% of ballots), 29,164 votes in runoff (57% of ballots), awarded 4-year term
  • Nina Miglionico, 14,962 votes (33% of ballots), 23,100 votes in runoff (51% of ballots), awarded a 2-year term
  • George Seibels, 14,426 votes (32% of ballots), 27,400 votes in runoff (53% of ballots), awarded a 4-year term
  • Alan Drennen, 12,966 votes (29% of ballots), 25,797 votes in runoff (50% of ballots), awarded a 2-year term
  • John Golden, 12,520 votes (28% of ballots), 23,351 votes in runoff (46% of ballots), awarded a 2-year term
  • Tom Woods, 11,194 votes (25% of ballots), 24,249 votes in runoff (47% of ballots), awarded a 2-year term
  • Frank James, 11,003 votes (25% of ballots), 19,347 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
  • Harwell Davis Jr, 10,280 votes (23% of ballots), 19,879 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
  • Don Watts, 10,261 votes (23% of ballots), 17,445 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
  • W. L. Williams Jr, 9,339 votes (21% of ballots), 8,829 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
  • Don Hawkins, 9,211 votes (21% of ballots), 27,540 votes in runoff (54% of ballots), awarded a 4-year term
  • Marvin Prude, 9,124 votes (20% of ballots), 21,579 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
  • J. L. Ware, 8,722 votes (19% of ballots), 8,698 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
  • Warren Crow III, 8,592 votes (19% of ballots), 20,252 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
  • Dan Gaylord, 8,137 votes (18% of ballots), 17,692 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
  • Bruce Thrasher, 8,108 votes (18% of ballots), 13,937 votes in runoff (% of ballots)
  • E. C. Overton, 7,815 votes (17% of ballots), 23,379 votes in runoff (46% of ballots), awarded a 2-year term

E. C. Overton, who barely slipped into the runoff, edging R. R. Andrews by only 19 votes, gained a large amount of support in March, finishing in the top three overall. The two African-American candidates, who finished 11th and 14th in the general election, fell far behind in the runoff as the limits of their support emerged on the smaller ballot. After the newly-elected councilors took office, they elected Wiggins to serve as President of the Council.

References

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