Grady Howard was the first

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 ...

Spring Lake, North Carolina Spring Lake is a town in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. The 2010 census recorded the population at 11,964 people, with an estimated population in 2019 of 12,005. History The current name of the town first appeared around 1 ...

and a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life and career

Howard was born in

Greer, South Carolina Greer is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, Greenville and Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Spartanburg counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 35,308, making ...

, the son of Narsissie "Cissy" and Davis Milford Howard in South Carolina. Grady Howard was elected first democratic mayor of Spring Lake during the town's incorporation in 1951.''Fayetteville Observer''
April 5, 1989 In April 1951, Howard was appointed mayor of Spring Lake by the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

following the town's incorporation. He went on to win a special municipal election and continue to serve for 10 years. He served four more years in two later terms. He served as the first president of the Greater Spring Lake

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

organized in 1962 and for almost 20 years on the Cumberland County Joint Planning Board. He was active in the Spring Lake

Lions Club Lions Clubs International, is an international service organization, currently headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. , it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members (including the youth wing Leo clubs, Leo) in more than 200 ge ...

and was a past commander of

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

Post No. 230 in Spring Lake. He also served as chairman of the Spring Lake Democratic precinct. Howard held membership in the North Carolina Beekeepers' Association, handling gallberry and gum honey in several farms in Cedar Creek and

Harnett County, North Carolina Harnett County ( )Talk Like a Tarheel
, from the North Carolina Co ...

.''Fayetteville Observer''
April 4, 1989, He was a member of Cape Fear Valley Hospital's original board of trustees and a member of Highland

Baptist Church Baptists are a denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers ( believer's baptism) and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches generally subscribe to the doctrines of ...

Taylors, South Carolina Taylors is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greenville County, South Carolina, Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 23,222 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is part of the Greenville, South Caroli ...

although he attended the First

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...

in Spring Lake for more than 50 years. The Grady Howard conference room was dedicated on June 24, 1979 at the new Spring Lake Town Hall.

Personal life

Howard was married to Elma Mattie Walker (1917–2007) from 1941 until his death in 1989. He had one daughter: Dianne, and two granddaughters: Jami and Megan. His granddaughter Jami McLaughlin was elected Mayor Pro Tem in Spring Lake in 2003 and served two terms.

Notes

* Pate, HB. and J Sheppard.(2007) Spring Lake, North Carolina. Arcadia Publishing. .

External links

* http://www.spring-lake.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Grady 1911 births 1989 deaths Mayors of places in North Carolina People from Greer, South Carolina People from Spring Lake, North Carolina 20th-century North Carolina politicians