Leland Speed (October 20, 1899 – August 8, 1971)
was an investment banker and former
mayor of Jackson, Mississippi and the husband of
Katherine Ettl.
Biography
Speed was born on October 20, 1899, in
Covington County, Mississippi
Covington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,340. Its county seat is Collins. The county is named for U.S. Army officer and Congressman Leonard Covington.
History
Covin ...
, to Joseph W. and Nebraska Pickering Speed. He received a business degree from
Bowling Green College. He ran for mayor successfully in 1945, defeating incumbent
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...
. He ran again in 1949, but was defeated by
Allen C. Thompson
Allen Cavett Thompson (November 6, 1906 – October 18, 1980) was an American politician in the state of Mississippi. Affiliated with the Democratic Party, he served in the Mississippi House of Representatives and as mayor of Jackson, Missi ...
. He died of "an apparent heart attack" at his home in Jackson on August 8, 1971.
The library at
Mississippi College
Mississippi College (MC) is a private university affiliated with the Mississippi Baptist Convention and located in Clinton, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1826, MC is the second oldest Baptists, Baptist-affiliated college or university in ...
is named after Speed. The funds for the library were given by his children.
Personal life
Speed married
Katherine Rhymes in 1931. They had five children: Leland Rhymes (1932–2021), James (1934–1935), Joseph Liston, Shellie (Speed) Bartlett, and
Lake Chambers (born 1948).
References
20th-century mayors of places in Mississippi
Mayors of Jackson, Mississippi
1899 births
1971 deaths
People from Covington County, Mississippi
American investment bankers
{{Mississippi-mayor-stub