Cornelius Decator Scully (March 11, 1878 – September 22, 1952), served as Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, United States, from 1936 to 1946.

Early life

Scully was born in Pittsburgh in 1878, ascending into public service by becoming City Solicitor before running for City Council. It was his tenure and leadership of council that in 1936 catapulted him to the mayor's office during the contentious administration of his predecessor William McNair, with whom Scully had often feuded.

Pittsburgh Mayor's Office

Scully led Pittsburgh during major transformations in its history. By the mid-1930s Pittsburgh was in the process of making progress on pollution and smoke controls, this in the era of the area being referred to as the "Smoky City". During his administration many steps were taken to clean the city up including the opening of new public parks (Mellon, Moore and Pioneer parks). He also concentrated on projects to supply the city with pure mountain water. The oncoming Allied

Allies of World War II

The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...

 powers industrial needs of World War II (already gearing up in Europe and Asia by the time Scully took the oath of office), put many of his environmental reforms on hold until his successor Lawrence took office after the war. Pittsburgh's mills

Steel mill

A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...

 were said to run 24 hours a day 7 days a week, even on Christmas Day, to supply the forces of freedom during the war. The massive workload of the area's factories, mills and shipyards, while a point of immense pride among Pennsylvanians, only reinforced negative stereotypes of the city as a polluted and dirty environment.

Scully put some of his dreams of Pittsburgh's beauty and clean air on hold for the needs of his wartime country; on other issues he made much progress for the city. Some of his successes included forwarding the Home Rule Charter to serious consideration in Harrisburg, allowing the city more autonomy from the Commonwealth

Commonwealth (United States)

Four of the constituent states of the United States officially designate themselves Commonwealths: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia....

. He also improved infrastructure, implementing the use of parking meters downtown

Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Downtown Pittsburgh, colloquially referred to as the Golden Triangle and officially the Central Business District, is the urban Downtown center of Pittsburgh. It is located at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River whose joining forms the Ohio River. The "triangle" is...

and rebuilding the expressway-like downtown thruway Bigelow Blvd.