Frank Whitehead (mayor)
Encyclopedia
C. Frank Whitehead was an American
politician. He served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida
from 1945 to 1949. He was a member of the Democratic Party
.
Whitehead ran for Mayor of Jacksonville in 1945. He defeated incumbent John T. Alsop, Jr., who had served as mayor for eighteen years from 1923 to 1937 and from 1941 to 1945, in the Democratic
primary; as there was no general election, Whitehead became mayor. Among his initiatives was a plan to ease the city's growing traffic problems by building a new bridge out of pontoon
s over the St. Johns River
. This plan never came to fruition, but influenced the later construction of the conventional Fuller Warren Bridge. Whitehead was defeated in the 1949 mayoral race by upstart W. Haydon Burns
, who successfully courted African-American voters to overcome Whitehead.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician. He served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
from 1945 to 1949. He was a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
Whitehead ran for Mayor of Jacksonville in 1945. He defeated incumbent John T. Alsop, Jr., who had served as mayor for eighteen years from 1923 to 1937 and from 1941 to 1945, in the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary; as there was no general election, Whitehead became mayor. Among his initiatives was a plan to ease the city's growing traffic problems by building a new bridge out of pontoon
Pontoon
Pontoon may refer to:* Float , an air-filled structure providing buoyancy* Pontoon , the Australian/Malaysian casino game* Pontoon , a chiefly British version of the card game blackjack...
s over the St. Johns River
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...
. This plan never came to fruition, but influenced the later construction of the conventional Fuller Warren Bridge. Whitehead was defeated in the 1949 mayoral race by upstart W. Haydon Burns
W. Haydon Burns
William Haydon Burns was the 35th Governor of Florida from 1965 to 1967. He was also Mayor of the city of Jacksonville, Florida from 1949 to 1965.-Early life:...
, who successfully courted African-American voters to overcome Whitehead.