Sam Massell
| Sam Massell | |
|---|---|
| 53rd Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia | |
|
In office 1970–1974 |
|
| Preceded by | Ivan Allen, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Maynard Jackson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 26, 1927 Atlanta, Georgia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia |
| Occupation | Real estate businessman |
| Religion | Jewish |
Sam Massell (born August 26, 1927) is a businessman who served from 1970 to 1974 as the 53rd mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. He is the first Jewish mayor in the city's history.
A lifelong Atlanta resident, Massell has had successful careers in real estate brokerage, elected office, tourism, and association management. He earned his Bachelor's degree in commercial science from Atlanta Division of the University of Georgia in 1951.
For twenty years, Massell was a Realtor, having become vice president of the Allan-Grayson Realty Company, then one of the largest commercial brokerage firms in Atlanta. During that time, he was elected a charter member of the "Million Dollar Club" of the Atlanta Real Estate Board. He was further honored on three occasions by the Georgia Association of Real Estate Boards for the "Outstanding Transaction of the Year."
While in real estate, Massell also became active in a wide range of civic work, which eventually led to the political arena. He served twenty-two years in elected offices, first as a city councilman in the town of Mountain Park, where he owned a lakehouse. He then went to serving on the Atlanta City Executive Committee and then ran to serve eight years as President of Atlanta's Board of Aldermen (now the City Council). He ran for Mayor of Atlanta in 1969 and won the race in a runoff. Mayor Massell was also the president of the 15,000-member National League of Cities. In addition, he has served a four-year term on the board of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. He was a board member of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.
Among other achievements, his mayoral administration is credited with establishing the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, the Omni Coliseum (the first enclosed arena in Atlanta), and Woodruff Park in Central City, all without higher ad valorem taxes. He also pioneered minority opportunities in city government, appointing the first female to the Atlanta City Council and the first African Americans as municipal department heads.
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