W. Haydon Burns
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W. Haydon Burns | |
---|---|
President of the United States Conference of Mayors | |
In office 1961–1962 | |
Preceded by | Richardson Dilworth |
Succeeded by | Anthony J. Celebrezze |
Personal details | |
Born | William Haydon Burns March 17, 1912 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | November 22, 1987 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | (aged 75)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Mildred Carlyon (m. 1934) |
Children | 2 |
Profession | business consulting |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Navy |
Battles/wars | World War II |
William Haydon Burns (March 17, 1912 – November 22, 1987) was an American politician. He was
Early life
Burns was born in
Mayor of Jacksonville
In 1949 Burns, a segregationist, announced his intention to run for
Burns's first term was an abbreviated two-year stint; he was thereafter re-elected four times, the longest consecutive stint of any mayor in the city's history. During his time in the mayor's office, he oversaw massive growth[clarification needed] in Jacksonville. He promoted the city around the world in an attempt to lure international investments and to get corporations to relocate offices to the city. He commissioned the production of a slide show called "The Jacksonville Story". Hundreds of audiences around the world saw it. The American National Exhibit showed a film version in the Soviet Union. Burns personally made presentations at The Hague and in Israel. He made "The Jacksonville Story" known from coast to coast, and so was Jacksonville's mayor.[citation needed]
He was elected president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, president of the Florida League of Municipalities, and delegate to the International Congress of Municipalities. While mayor, he won tax breaks for insurance companies and
A new courthouse and
The city faced many problems during Burns's term. Burns was a segregationist running on his ability to control Jacksonville’s racial conflicts, Burns deputized even firefighters to strengthen the city’s police force to resist integration. Racial violence ignited on August 27, 1960, during a protest to integrate downtown lunch counters in the
One of his final acts as mayor was his handling of the
Governorship
Burns defeated Republican Charles Holley in the November 3 general election to become Governor of Florida.[4] He was sworn in on January 5, 1965, to serve an abbreviated two-year term. This short term came about because the cycle of gubernatorial elections was changed so as not to coincide with presidential election years. While in office, he oversaw progress in the development of a new state constitution, as well as new areas of outdoor recreation and industry. Also, Governor Burns opposed the death penalty and allowed no executions (the last pre-Furman execution in Florida took place in 1964).[5]
In 1961 and 1962, he served as president of the United States Conference of Mayors.[6]
On November 15, 1965, at a news conference in Orlando, Governor Burns introduced Walt and Roy Disney to Florida as they announced that the state would be the location of their "East Coast Disneyland", Walt Disney World.[7]
The 1966 gubernatorial elections pitted the sitting governor against
Post-governorship
After his term ended, the governor returned to private business consulting in Jacksonville. In 1971, he made an attempt to be reelected mayor, but he was defeated by incumbent Hans Tanzler in the Democratic primary.[8] Many of the projects that he helped to create, such as the Civic Auditorium, rebuilt in 1996 and renamed the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, Wolfson Park, City Hall and the Jacksonville Coliseum, have all been replaced with newer structures. However, his work for the city's growth remains evident today.[citation needed] Haydon Burns remained in Jacksonville until his death in 1987.
Jacksonville's main public library, built in 1965, was named the
In 1966, the building located at 605 Suwannee Street in
In 2004, the city of Jacksonville renamed the old City Hall, built by Burns, as the Haydon Burns City Hall Annex.
References
- ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-J0yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jekFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1483,108683&dq=frank-whitehead+burns&hl=en [dead link]
- ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-Z0yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jekFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4438,496149&dq=haydon-burns+ashley&hl=en [dead link]
- ^ Tschimpke, Glenn: “Lou Ritter” Jax Daily Record, April 16, 2002
- ^ "St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-8166-4088-1
- ^ "Leadership". The United States Conference of Mayors. November 23, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Governor Haydon Burns Walt Disney Press Conference". Florida Memory. Florida Department of State. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- Daytona Beach Morning Journal. March 5, 1971. Retrieved May 31, 2011.