Richard Harmon Fulton (January 27, 1927 – November 28, 2018) was an American Democratic politician who served as a member of the

Tennessee State Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any issue reg ...

and of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, and the second

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of the Metropolitan Government of

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

and Davidson County.

Personal life

Fulton was born in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

. He graduated from East Nashville High School and served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. After returning from his military service, he entered the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th sta ...

where he played for the

Volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

on the football team. He died on November 28, 2018, at a

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...

in Nashville at the age of 91.

Political career

State Senate

In 1954, Fulton was elected to the

in place of his brother Lyle, who suddenly died from cancer shortly after receiving the Democratic nomination for that post. Fulton was sworn in on January 3, 1955, but because he was only 29, below the minimum age for Senators under the Tennessee State Constitution, the Senate voted unanimously (28–0) to unseat him. Fulton could not serve in the Senate until he was elected in 1956 at the age of 31. He was reelected to the Senate in 1958, then left politics to begin a career in

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

Congress

In 1962, he entered the Democratic

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works ...

for the Nashville-based 5th Congressional District against incumbent Congressman Joseph Carlton Loser. The election commission initially declared Loser the winner; however, a friend of Fulton successfully filed suit to throw out the primary results after ''

The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, ...

'' reported corruption at the commission. In the rerun of the primary, Fulton defeated Loser and was victorious in November. Fulton voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He resigned from the House after his election as mayor.

Mayor of Nashville

Fulton served three terms as mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1975 until 1987. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1978 and 1986. In 1999, he embarked on a comeback mayoral bid where he made it to the runoff election, but then withdrew and endorsed his opponent Bill Purcell. During his tenure as mayor, Fulton was an influential voice in the development of key downtown streets, Riverfront Park, the Nashville Convention Center, the construction of Interstate 440, the expanded use of the Metro Development and Housing Agency and established of parks in the city. From 1983 until 1984, Fulton served as president of the United States Conference of Mayors.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fulton, Richard 1927 births 2018 deaths Democratic Party Tennessee state senators Heads of county government in Tennessee Mayors of Nashville, Tennessee United States Navy personnel of World War II Military personnel from Tennessee University of Tennessee alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee Presidents of the United States Conference of Mayors