Memphis Mayor AC Wharton delivers his State of the City speech Jan. 29, 2014, at the University of Memphis Law School. He framed his comments in what he called the five P’s: pension, public safety, poverty, a plan and potholes.
Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal
Many a long and pleasant trip was envisioned by visitors aboard the Elbaroda on December 28, 1954. Among the planners as the elegant yacht was shown to the public for the first time by Hoyt B. Wooten (Second from Right), the owner, were Col. Roane Waring (Left) Mayor Frank Tobey and Comdr. Clinton Critchfield (Right) head of the Coast Guard here. (Charles Nicholas / The Commercial Appeal)
Charles Nicholas, The Commercial Appeal
Mayor Paul Young speaks during the “Remembering MLK: The Man. The Movement. The Moment.” event to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. on the 56th anniversary of his assassination in front of the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., on Thursday, April 4, 2024.
Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal
Carnations and broad grins were apparent on Jan. 2, 1964, as the reins of municipal government passed to a new City Commission. Sworn into office at The Auditorium were (from left) Mayor William B. Ingram Jr., Commissioner of Public Works Pete Sisson, Commissioner of Fire and Police Claude A. Armour, Commissioner of Finances and Institutions James E. Moore and Commissioner of Public Service Hunter Lane Jr.
Bob Williams/The Commercial Appe
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland speaks during the opening of Concourse B on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, at Memphis International Airport.
Christine Tannous / The Commercial Appeal
Willie Herenton speaks during a Women for Herenton rally at the former mayor’s southside Memphis campaign headquarters on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019.
Joe Rondone/The Commercial Appeal
J.O. Patterson is sworn in as interim Mayor of Memphis on 1 Oct 1982, becoming the first black to occupy the city’s highest office. He was sworn in after Mayor Wyeth Chandler (Not Shown) stepped down to become a Circuit Court Judge. Mayor Patterson is being sworn in by Criminal Court Judge H.T. Lockhard (Left). He was flanked by his father, Bishop J. O. Patterson (Not Shown), head of the Church of God in Christ and Bishop Carroll T. Dozier (Not Shown) of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis.
The Commercial Appeal Files
Oct. 15, 2009 — Memphis mayoral candidate Myron Lowery, middle, discusses the early voter numbers with campaign manager and son Mickell Lowery, left, at his campaign headquarters during the final day of voting in the special election to replace Willie Herenton.
Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal
Tennessee Governor Buford Ellington (left), who traveled about the state with Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. John F. Kennedy (center), September 21, 1960 is pictured on the platform at the foot of Court Avenue in Memphis along with Memphis Mayor Henry Loeb (right). Both Kennedy and Loeb were PT boat skippers in WWII.
Memphis Press-Scimitar/The Commercial Appeal Files
(clockwise from top left) Walter Chandler Watkins Overton Joe Boyle E.H. Crump 1940: All four wore the Memphis mayor’s hat during a 39-hour span on the first two days of 1940.
Commercial Appeal File Photos
Paul Young is sworn in as Mayor of Memphis with his daughter Zoë Young, his son Paxton Young, and his wife Dr. Jamila Smith-Young beside him during the swearing in ceremony of Young and the Memphis City Council at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Memphis, Tenn., on Monday, January 1, 2024.
Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal
Mayor Frank Tobey presented trophies to Miss and Master Memphis, Jennie Barnette, 11, and Calvin Holt Jr.,9, who won their titles from 280 other children in the 18th city-wide beauty revue on July 25, 1953 at Overton Park.
Barney Sellers / The Commercial Appeal Files
County Commissioner Steven Mulroy, left, Mayor AC Wharton and County Historian Ed Williams unveil a new historical marker for the Zippin Pippin and Libertyland along East Parkway at Young Avenue Nov. 1, 2010. The marker commemorates the more than 80 years the wooden roller-coaster delighted visitors to Libertyland Amusement Park before the park was closed and the coaster relocated to Green Bay, Wis.
Mike Brown / The Commercial Appeal
Mayor Wyeth Chandler and wife Linda receive congratulations after Chandler was elected to a second four-year term on 6 Nov 1975. He defeated former Criminal Court Judge Otis W. Higgs to become the first Memphis mayor to be elected to a second consecutive term since his father, the late Walter Chandler, was re-elected in 1944.
Fred J. Griffith/The Commercial Appeal
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland speaks Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, during the 2020 Trailblazer Awards at Paradise Entertainment Center in Memphis.
Max Gersh / The Commercial Appeal
Edmund Orgill (left) 1956 – 1959
Barney Sellers, The Commercial Appeal
Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton, left, and Fred Jones entertain the crowd during a pre-party for the Southern Heritage Classic’s Nike Classic on Sept. 7, 2007.
Mark Weber / The Commercial Appeal
Presentation to his family of a large framed portrait of the late Phil M. Canale Sr. highlighted a memorial ceremony at The Peabody Feb. 16, 1952 by Shrine Luncheon Club honoring the attorney and civic leader. Walter Chandler, center, Shriner and former mayor, presented the portrait, which was accepted for his family by Phil M. Canale Jr., right. W. B. Hill, left, luncheon club president, presided at the ceremony.
The Commercial Appeal
The first gasoline buses rolled on the Poplar-Peabody line on 15 Sep 1935, but not before the ceremonial ribbon was cut by (From Left) Clifford Davis, Roane Waring, Watkins Overton and A.D. McWhorter.
The Commercial Appeal Files
Mayor Paul Young speaks at a press conference standing beside U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty after they and other local leaders met to discuss crime at city hall in Memphis, Tenn., on Wednesday, March 27, 2024.
Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal
J. Wyeth Chandler 1972 – 1982
James Reid / The Commercial Appeal
He dressed like a city dude but he rode lika a drover as he jogged through downtwon Memphis on 18 May 1964. This was typical of Mayor William B. Ingram Jr. in his two-hour ride as he led the Grand Parade, hat in hand and pipe in mouth, to wind up the five-day Cotton Carnival. The brown horse was docile, apparently as accustomed as his rider to the limelight. Barney Sellers / The Commercial Appeal files.
Barney Sellers, The Commercial Appeal
Mayor Jim Strickland speaks at the entrance to the newly renovated Tom Lee Park prior to the ribbon cutting to officially open it to the public in Downtown Memphis on Saturday, September 2, 2023.
Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal
Fred Goldsmith (left) received the kudos for his brother, Jack Goldsmith (not shown) on March 4, 1960, when the National Conference of Christians & Jews honored the latter at the Claridge Hotel. Admiring the medallion, which accompanied the citation, were (from left) Mayor Henry Loeb, Everett Cook and former mayor Walter Chandler. Mr. Goldsmith was snowbound in New York and unable to attend. The NCCJ citation described Jack Goldsmith as a “merchant, philanthropist, soldier, president of Goldsmith’s and (who) has supported the National Conference objectives, giving of his time and means.”
The Commercial Appeal Files
August 13, 2014 – Mayor AC Wharton shakes hands with Lincoln ‘Chips’ Moman, a producer, guitarist, and songwriter, during the unveiling of the American Studios historical marker at 831 Thomas Wednesday afternoon. Moman has worked with artists such as Elvis Presley, Carla Thomas, and B.J. Thomas. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal)
Yalonda M. James
Mayor Frank Tobey, center, beamingly offers Mrs. Regina Webb of 515 South Barksdale a sniff of the new loaf of Taystee bread introduced at a luncheon at the Peabody in June 1953. M.J. Curry, manager of Taystee, looks on.
The Commercial Appeal Files
Wed, 23 Apr 03 – Mayor Willie W. Herenton (cq) was all smiles after a life sized statue of him was unveiled in front of the Dr. Willie W. Herenton Renaissance Center on Walker Avenue. The statue, which was done by sculptor Eddie Dixon, was paid for by private funds. Photo by Dave Darnell/The Commercial Appeal assessment
Dave Darnell, The Commercial Appeal
Claude A. Armour, Inspector with the Memphis Police Department and a graduate of the thirty-fifth session of the FBI National Academy, dusts for latent fingerprints in the FBI Laboratory in Washington, D.C. in this photograph from June 1947.
The Commercial Appeal Files
Paul Young yells to the crowd while walking on stage to give a victory speech after winning the mayoral election during a watch party at Minglewood Hall in Memphis, Tenn., on Thursday, October 5, 2023.
Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland talks to The Commercial Appeal during an editorial board meeting about his decision to make history — or dislodge it, depending on the perspective — by selling two parks and their Confederate monuments.
Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal
Mayor Watkins Overton, second from right, made the dedicatory address and 9-year-old Judith Brenner, right, unlocked the plate glass doors with the jeweled key that she is holding when the new Julius Lewis store opened at 1460 Union Ave. and McNeil on March 12, 1951. Julius Lewis, second from left, and Edwin Clapp Lincoln Jr., left, a grandson of the founder of the Edwin Clapp Shoe Co. at East Weymouth, Mass., show their approval. Mr. Lincoln came to Memphis to attend the store’s opening. Judith is Mr. Lewis’ granddaughter.
The Commercial Appeal Files
October 20, 2011 – from left, Rep Steve Cohen, Memphis Mayor AC Wharton, and FAA administrator Randy Babbitt talk before the dedication of the new air traffic control tower at Memphis International Airport Thursday morning.
Mike MAPLE, The Commercial Appeal
Myron Lowery
Dave Darnell, The Commercial Appeal
The Commercial Appeal files On July 17, 1946, at 2:55 p.m., the Memphis Belle rolled to a stop in front of the Administration Building at Municipal Airport and ended its final flight. The plane had been stored in Altus, Okla. Mayor Walter Chandler (fifth left in white suit) and some 200 people greeted the Belle and the final flight’s crew (from left) Stuart Griffin, radioman; Lt. James Gowdy, navigator; Capt. Hamp Morrison, co-pilot; Capt. Robert Little, pilot; Sgt. Percy Roberts Jr., engineer; Capt Robert Taylor, co-navigator and Tech Sgt. Charles Crowe, engineer. (Editor’s Note: This crew was the crew that flew the plane from Altus, Okla.; not the wartime flight crew)
Willie Herenton, former Memphis mayor and current mayoral candidate, poses for a portrait at his campaign headquarters in Memphis, Tenn., on Friday, July 21, 2023.
Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal
Church of God In Christ Senior Bishop C.H. Mason Sr. (Left) and Mayor Edmund Orgill confer on 3 Dec 1958.
The Commercial Appeal Files
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland meets with the media at the I Am A Man Plaza in Memphis, Tenn., prior to the the eighth straight day of protests on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, in reaction to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after being pinned down by a white Minneapolis police officer on Memorial Day.
Justin Ford / For CommercialAppeal.com
City of Memphis Mayor Wyeth Chandler (left) and Shelby County Mayor Roy Nixon (right) wait for the proper moment to present a key to the city, county and universe to Santa Claus at the Merry Christmas Memphis parade December 2, 1977. Police estimated that more than 100,000 people lined the street for the 2 1/2 hour parade that began with the lighting of a Christmas tree on Overton Square near the corner of Madison and Cooper. 36 floats and acts and more than 50 bands participated in the parade.
Dave Darnell, The Commercial Appeal
Mayor Paul Young speaks about all the progress his administration has made within their first 100 days on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn.
Stu Boyd II-The Commercial Appeal
Walter Chandler 1955 1940-1946
Staff Photo, The Commercial Appeal
The Commercial Appeal files Mayor Watkins Overton and two members of his staff slip away from their work at City Hall to admire the bed of red and white tulips in full bloom on Adams in March 1951. The tulips are a gift to the Mayor from Enschede, Holland. Mrs. Ann Roth (left), the Mayor’s secretary, picks one of the flowers for her boss’s lapel while Miss Louise Archer admires a white tulip in the background.
The Commercial Appeal Files
August 29, 2007 – From left, Sen. Bob Corker, Penn Owen, Blue Ribbon Task Force Member, and Shelby County Mayor AC Wharton talk at the Med Blue Ribbon committee where they met to discuss Med-related issues Wednesday.
Mike Maple
April 18, 2017 – Former Memphis mayor and city school superintendent Willie Herenton stands for an interview after speaking at the Rotary Club of Memphis.
Kevin McKenzie, The Commercial Appeal
Wallace Madewell (center) 1982
Dave Darnell / The Commercial Appeal
Barney Sellers/The Commercial Appeal files August 22, 1959 — The five-man team who will lead the governmental destinies of Memphis for the four years beginning in January 1960 includes (from left) Henry Loeb, mayor; William W. Farris, public works commissioner; Jimmy Moore, finances and institutions commissioner and John T. “Buddy” Dwyer, public service commissioner. The fifth member, Claude A. Armour, police and fire commissioner, whose vote total was second only to Mr. Loeb’s, was vacationing when this photograph was made on Aug. 22, 1959.
Barney Sellers
February 19, 1955 – The weather was cold but the greeting was warm in February 1955 when John Roosevelt (right), son of the late president, was welcomed to Memphis by Mayor Frank Tobey. Mr. Roosevelt was in town to address the Rotary Club.
The Commercial Appeal Files
