Floyd Adams Jr. (May 11, 1945 – February 1, 2014) was an American politician from the U.S state of Georgia, and a former Mayor of Savannah, Georgia. He was a Democrat.

Background

Adams was born on May 11, 1945, in Savannah, Georgia. He attended St. Pius X Catholic High School and received a degree from Armstrong Atlantic State University. He was married to Deborah Adams and has two grown children. He was a consultant and a newspaper publisher.

Political career

Adams was first elected to Savannah's City Council in 1982. He defeated incumbent Roy L. Jackson, who represented the First District, which has been predominantly African-American. He won the Democratic nomination with 75% of the vote in 1986 and had no Republican opponents. In 1992, he became Alderman at Large and served until 1996. In 1995, he ran for Mayor of Savannah and won a narrow victory over Republican incumbent

Susan Weiner Susan Scher Weiner (c. 1946 – August 11, 2012) was an American politician from U.S. state of Georgia, and was the first woman to become Mayor of Savannah. She was a Republican. Background Weiner, who was Jewish, was born as Susan Scher in Alb ...

. He took office in January 1996, becoming the first African-American mayor in the city's history. Under his tenure, Savannah hosted the sailing competition during the

1996 Summer Olympic Games The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

. Adams was re-elected in 1999, but was prevented from seeking re-election in 2003 due to term limits. In 2006, Adams ran for Savannah–Chatham County Board of Education President. He finished a close third, behind winner Joe Buck, a Republican, and Democratic incumbent Hugh Golson. Adams entered the 2007 mayoral election in Savannah. His main opponents were incumbent

Otis Johnson Otis Samuel Johnson (born 1942) is an American social worker, educator and politician from the U.S. state of Georgia who served as the Mayor of Savannah from 2004 until 2012. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Background Mayor Johnson is ...

and former County Commissioner John McMasters. He was defeated by Johnson on November 6, 2007, finishing 2nd.

Death

On February 1, 2014, Adams died in Savannah at St. Joseph's Hospital, of undisclosed causes, and was buried with a

Catholic funeral A Catholic funeral is carried out in accordance with the prescribed rites of the Catholic Church. Such funerals are referred to in Catholic canon law as "ecclesiastical funerals" and are dealt with in canons 1176–1185 of the 1983 Code of Canon L ...

. He was 68 years old.Death

Footnotes

External links

fro
Oral Histories of the American South
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Floyd 1945 births 2014 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state) Armstrong State University alumni Mayors of Savannah, Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) city council members African-American mayors in Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) Democrats African-American city council members in Georgia (U.S. state) African-American Catholics 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians