Chris McNair

Chris McNair

Jewell Christopher McNair (born 1926) is a photographer, a former Jefferson County Commissioner, a former state legislator. He and his wife, Maxine lost their daughter Denise in the 1963 bombing of Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church.

After working for years as a milkman, McNair opened a photography studio In 1962. Chris McNair Studios on 6th Avenue South has since expanded into a multi-faceted business including a frame shop, art gallery and meeting space. A small exhibit area in the gallery serves as a memorial to Denise's memory. McNair's two other daughters, Lisa and Kim, both work in the gallery.

McNair served on the County Commission from 1986 until his abrupt resignation on March 29, 2001. Governor Don Seigelman appointed Steve Small, Jr to succeed him. He mounted an unsuccessful challenge Richard Shelby's U. S. Senate seat in the 1992 Democratic primary. At his retirement, McNair's reputation was of a fair-minded and penny-pinching public servant who brought dignity to his office.

Beginning in 1996 McNair oversaw a program of repairs to the Jefferson County Sewer System which were mandated by federal court order. On April 21, 2006 McNair was convicted on 11 counts of bribery and conspiracy involving contractors for the sewer project. He pleaded guilty to a twelfth count of conspiracy in February 2007. On September 19, 2007 he was sentenced to five years of prison and ordered to pay $851,927 in restitution.

References

• Walton, Val (September 19, 2007) "McNair sentenced to prison in sewer bribery case." Birmingham News.
• Stewart, Virginia (July 27, 2001) "There's life beyond public life." Birmingham Business Journal.
• Kizzire, Jamie (March 30, 2001) "Career marked by integrity: Public officials praise retiring McNair." Birmingham Post-Herald.