Maynard Jackson
| Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| 54th & 56th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia | |
|
In office 1974–1982 |
|
| Preceded by | Sam Massell |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Young |
|
In office 1990–1994 |
|
| Preceded by | Andrew Young |
| Succeeded by | Bill Campbell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 23, 1938 Dallas, Texas |
| Died | June 23, 2003 (aged 65) Arlington, Virginia |
| Resting place | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Burnella "Bunnie" Hayes (divorced) (2) Valerie Richardson |
| Children |
Elizabeth, Brooke and Maynard, III (first marriage) |
| Alma mater |
Morehouse College Boston University Law School North Carolina Central University Law School |
| Profession | Attorney, Politician |
| Religion | Baptist |
Elizabeth, Brooke and Maynard, III (first marriage)
Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. (March 23, 1938 – June 23, 2003) was an American politician and attorney from Georgia, a member of the Democratic Party, and elected in 1973 at the age of 35 as the first African-American mayor of Atlanta, Georgia and of any major city in the South. He served three terms (1974–82, 1990–94), making him the second longest-serving mayor of Atlanta, after six-term mayor (1937–41, 1942–62) William B. Hartsfield.
He is notable also for public works projects, primarily the new Maynard H. Jackson International terminal at the Atlanta airport, and for greatly increasing minority business participation in the city. After his passing, the Atlanta Hartsfield airport was re-named the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to honor his service to the expansion of the airport, the city and its people.
Jackson was born into a family that valued education and political activism. His maternal grandfather was civil rights leader John Wesley Dobbs, who worked to successfully overturn the white primary in Georgia. He also gained the hiring of black police officers in Atlanta and lighting of Auburn Street, the main retail street of the black community. Maynard's mother Irene (Dobbs) Jackson was one of his five daughters; all graduated from Spelman College, encouraged by their parents. Irene earned a doctorate in France and became a Professor of French at the college. His father Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Sr. was a Baptist minister from New Orleans of Louisiana Creole mixed-race ancestry. He became active in civil rights in Dallas, Texas, where he had grown up after his family moved. His grandfather Alexander Stephens Jackson had been a Baptist minister and educator in Louisiana and Texas. The young Jackson's father died when he was fifteen; his grandfather Dobbs became even more influential in his life.
...
Wikipedia