Walter Lee Mingledorff Jr. (November 7, 1914 – February 18, 1985) was a politician from
Georgia, United States, and was a former
Mayor of Savannah. He was a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
and belonged to the local ''Citizen's Committee'' faction of the party.
Background
He was born in the
Savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...
area and made a career in the
shipyard
A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...
industry. He was married to Huldah Cail.
Political career
City politics
Mingledorff ran for Mayor of Savannah and defeated Conservative Democratic candidate Charles Musante in 1954. He took office on January 24, 1955 and became the first Savannah mayor to serve under the
council-manager form of municipal government. The number of aldermen was reduced from twelve to six under the new city charter.
He was re-elected for a two-year term in 1956 with his second term beginning January 21, 1957 and for a four-year term in 1958.
The Mingledorff administration is credited with a number of accomplishments, including:
* Eliminating the city's deficit
* Establishing a municipal civil service
* Implementing an urban renewal program
* Improving the road system, with the construction of expressways
County politics
Mingledorff resigned as mayor on August 1, 1960
[ to become a candidate on the Chatham County Commission.][Savannah Morning News, July 31, 1960, ] He was succeeded as Mayor by vice-mayor Malcolm Maclean for the remainder of his term running through October 1, 1962.[
]
References
External links
Mayor's official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mingledorff, Walter Lee
1914 births
1985 deaths
20th-century mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state)
Mayors of Savannah, Georgia