Floyd Adams Jr. (May 11, 1945 – February 1, 2014) was an American politician from the

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state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, and a former

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. He was a

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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 Armstrong may refer to: Places * Armstrong Creek (disambiguation), various places * Armstrong River (disambiguation), various rivers Antarctica * Armstrong Reef, Biscoe Islands Argentina * Armstrong, Santa Fe Australia * Armstrong, Victori ...

. He was married to Deborah Adams and has two grown children. He was a consultant and a newspaper publisher at the Herald of Savannah
Savannah Herald
.

Political career

Adams was first elected to Savannah's City Council in 1982. He defeated

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be ...

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 The mayor is the highest elected official in Savannah, Georgia. Since its incorporation in 1789, the city has had 67 mayors. On May 27, 1958, the term for mayor was extended from two years to four years by popular vote and with approval of the st ...

and won a narrow victory over Republican

Susan Weiner. 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 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) 21st-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) 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians