William W. Gullett
Encyclopedia
William Waitman Gullett (born October 11, 1922) served as the first County Executive of Prince George's County, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 from 1971 to 1974. He had previously served three terms as the Mayor of College Park
College Park, Maryland
College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The population was 30,413 at the 2010 census. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S...

 from 1963 to 1969, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of Maryland, 1967–68 and a Presidential Elector for Maryland in 1972.

Gullett was born in Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...

 to parents Noah and Clara Virgin (Willett) Gullett. He married Helen Jaunita Hammons in Springfield on March 20, 1943. Their first son, William Jr., was born in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

, followed by Christopher and twin daughters, Michele and Nicole, in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 Gullett's son, William, was shot and killed on February 16, 1969, as a young Prince George's County police officer.
Gullet was elected as County Executive
County executive
A county executive is the head of the executive branch of government in a county. This position is common in the United States.The executive may be an elected or an appointed position...

 in a 1971 special election to choose the county's first executive under the new home rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....

 charter, defeating one Republican and five Democratic candidates. Although initially supported by a broad coalition of Republicans and a pro-charter, anti-development group led by local activist Julian C. Holmes, he lost support because of perceived poor performance and constant conflict with the Democratic-controlled County Council. He lost his bid for reelection in 1974 when the Prince George's County 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...

 swept Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

from power, defeating every Republican running for state or local office.

Further reading

  • Colen, B.D. "Gullett Seeks Re-election As County Executive; Gullett Files for Re-Election As Executive of Pr. George's". The Washington Post 1974-06-25, C1.
  • Krause, Charles A., and Harold J. Logan. "Pr. George's Democrats Win; Kelly Takes Executive Post". The Washington Post 1974-11-06, A13.
  • Landers, Jim. "Winfield Kelly to Run For County Executive". The Washington Post 1974-03-20, B7.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK