Manuel Joseph Maloof (May 10, 1924–August 7, 2004) was the Chief Executive Officer and Commission Chairman of

DeKalb County, Georgia DeKalb County (, , ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 764,382, making it Georgia's fourth-most populous county. Its ...

, prominent Atlanta politician and owner of Manuel's Tavern, a popular

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

bar.

Early life

Manuel Maloof was born in Atlanta, his parents were Gibran Mansour (William M) "Brown" Maloof and Lillian Shikany Maloof. He was the second of seven children. His father emigrated to the U.S. from Kafarakab,

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

in 1907; his mother was born in Savannah to Lebanese parents from Zahle, Lebanon. After graduating from Tech High School he served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as an Army Air Forces mechanic and mess sergeant. While stationed in England he met his wife, Dolly Green. In 1956 Maloof purchased Harry's Delicatessen on Highland Avenue, just outside DeKalb County, later transforming it to Manuel's Tavern which is still in operation.

Tavern proprietor

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...

'' describes Maloof's colorful tenure as owner of Manuel's Tavern:

In 1968-69,
Paul Hemphill Paul James Hemphill (February 18, 1936 – July 11, 2009) was an American journalist and author who wrote extensively about often-overlooked topics in the Southern United States such as country music, Evangelicalism, American football, footba ...
, a popular columnist for The Atlanta Journal, drank at Manuel's Tavern and wrote columns that made the proprietor into a local folk hero. Mr. Maloof was portrayed as a bartender-philosopher and a talented organizer of political protests. In December 1965, Mr. Maloof had organized 16 other tavern operators to successfully protest a move by the Atlanta Board of Aldermen to raise the Atlanta beer license fee from $144 to $750.

In the 1980s, the sideroom of the tavern served as the home for the theatre company of the

Shakespeare Tavern The Shakespeare Tavern is an Elizabethan era, Elizabethan playhouse located in downtown Atlanta, downtown Atlanta, GA, Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Starting productions at Manuel's Tavern in Atlanta in 1984, the Tavern ...

before they moved to their own building in 1990.

Political career

Maloof first won a seat on the DeKalb County Commission as a Democrat in 1974 after losing a previous attempt in 1972. He served on the commission until 1978. He then defeated incumbent commission chairman Walter B. Russell, Jr. in 1980. During his first term as chairman, the county changed its form of government to one headed by a chief executive officer. In 1984 Maloof defeated Liane Levetan in the first DeKalb election for CEO. He was re-elected in 1988. He also served as chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission, a metro planning group, and the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia. In May 1989, DeKalb County named its six-story county administration building and its annex the Manuel J. Maloof Center for DeKalb County Governmental Administration. Maloof served as CEO until December 1992. Maloof is known for pushing through the construction of the interstate cloverleaf known as Spaghetti Junction and for diversifying the hiring for top government positions in DeKalb. He is also remembered for his colorful and often caustic observations and actions. Maloof, a Melkite Catholic, died in 2004. He was cremated and his ashes are in an urn over the bar at Manuel's Tavern.

References

External links

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Manuel's Tavern History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maloof, Manuel 1924 births 2004 deaths American Melkite Greek Catholics American politicians of Lebanese descent Businesspeople from Atlanta Lebanese Melkite Greek Catholics 20th-century American businesspeople United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II