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53-807: West was born in 1911 in Columbia , the county seat of Maury County , Tennessee ; he was the son of Martha Melissa (née Wilson) and her husband James Watt West. He moved to Nashville as a boy with his family. When he was three years old, his parents moved to a working-class neighborhood in Flat Rock, now known as the Woodbine district of Davidson County . Working his way through college, West attended Vanderbilt University and Cumberland Law School . In 1934 West began work as an assistant district attorney in Nashville. He also became active in politics, joining

106-599: A consolidated city-county (also known as either a city-parish or a consolidated government in Louisiana, depending on the locality, or a unified municipality , unified home rule borough , or city and borough in Alaska) is formed when one or more cities and their surrounding county ( parish in Louisiana , borough in Alaska ) merge into one unified jurisdiction. As such it is a type of unitary authority that has

159-470: A female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

212-411: A fight instigated by William "Billy" Fleming, a white repair apprentice, James Stephenson, a black Navy veteran, fought back and wounded him. Stephenson had been on the boxing team and refused to accept being hit. Stephenson had accompanied his mother to the repair store, which had mistakenly sold a radio which she had left for repair to John Calhoun Fleming, Billy's father. A white mob gathered during

265-560: A publicity campaign about these events, which were also covered by national media. The case gained much attention on the issue of civil rights for African Americans in the United States. The NAACP and other organizations put pressure on President Harry S. Truman to take action to improve the situation. He appointed a President's Committee on Civil Rights, which issued its report in October 1947. In 1948 Truman directed integration of

318-721: A school was bombed, he and the Board of Education obtained a federal court injunction to help protect the schools, students and parents. While mayor of Nashville, West was concerned about urban issues and civil rights. He served as president of the American Municipal Association (now the National League of Cities ). He presided over the Capitol Hill Redevelopment Project. This replaced a slum and vice district surrounding

371-545: A sheriff as required by the Georgia Constitution. These consolidated cities are: Five cities in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia were formed by the consolidation of a city with a county: Chesapeake , Hampton , Newport News , Suffolk , and Virginia Beach (from Norfolk, Elizabeth City, Warwick, Nansemond, and Princess Anne counties, respectively). However, in each case an independent city

424-477: A third wounded, in what the police said was an escape attempt while the Highway Patrol was trying to take them from the jail to the sheriff's office. The State Guard was withdrawn on March 3. Twenty-five black men were eventually charged with attempted murder of the four policemen. Another six were charged with lesser crimes, as were four white men. The main attorney defending Stephenson and other men in

477-403: Is Sitka, Alaska . Consolidated city-counties are typically formed to address particular government challenges. Among the benefits of having a unified jurisdiction include potential cost savings, more efficiency, increased legal powers and revenue sources, and a more streamlined planning system. Most consolidated city-counties have a single chief executive who acts as both the city mayor and as

530-568: Is buried in Nashville City Cemetery. Columbia, Tennessee Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Maury County, Tennessee . The population was 41,690 as of the 2020 United States census . Columbia is included in the Nashville metropolitan area . The self-proclaimed " mule capital of the world," Columbia celebrates the city-designated Mule Day each April. Columbia and Maury County are acknowledged as

583-537: Is the case in the Atlanta metropolitan area , where the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) studies and makes recommendations on the impact of all major construction and development projects on the region, but generally cannot stop them. The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) is a true government agency of the state of Georgia , and does control some state transportation funding to

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636-608: Is the location of Tennessee's first two-year college, Columbia State Community College , established in 1966. President Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife Lady Bird Johnson dedicated the new campus on March 15, 1967. On this visit, the President also visited the James K. Polk Home for a short time. On June 26, 1977, 42 people, including 34 inmates, died in a fire at the Maury County Jail. Rescue efforts were complicated by

689-422: The 2020 United States census , there were 41,690 people, 15,070 households, and 9,855 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2000, there were 33,055 people, 13,059 households, and 8,801 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,116.8 inhabitants per square mile (431.2/km ). There were 14,322 housing units at an average density of 483.9 per square mile (186.8/km ). The racial makeup of

742-614: The Australian Capital Territory government in Australia performs all municipal functions of the city of Canberra , and thus functions as an integrated city-territory. Similarly, the City of Tokyo merged with the prefecture to form Tokyo metropolis in 1943. In Russia, there are urban districts - territories consisting of a city and nearby settlements united by one mayor's office. As a rule, urban districts are

795-480: The Columbia Athenaeum , Mule Day, and nearby plantation homes. For instance, Clifton Place is a historic plantation mansion located southwest of the city on Mt. Pleasant Pike (Columbia highway). Master builder Nathan Vaught started construction in 1838, and the mansion and other buildings were completed in 1839, for Gideon Johnson Pillow (1806-1877) on land inherited from Gideon Pillow. Columbia

848-619: The Democratic Party . The state had effectively disenfranchised most blacks since the turn of the century. This hollowed out the Republican Party in much of the state. Many elections, both local and state, were settled in the Democratic primaries, the true competitive contests. In 1943, West ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Nashville. Three years later, in 1946, he won election as vice-mayor of Nashville. In 1948, he

901-453: The Midwest and Upper South have the highest concentration of large consolidated city-county governments in the United States, including Indianapolis, Indiana ; Nashville, Tennessee ; Louisville, Kentucky ; Kansas City, Kansas ; and Lexington, Kentucky . The largest consolidated city-county in the United States by population is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , while the largest by land area

954-465: The "Antebellum Homes Capital of Tennessee"; the county has more antebellum houses than any other county in the state. The city is home to one of the last two surviving residences of James Knox Polk , the 11th President of the United States; the other is the White House. A year after the organization of Maury County in 1807, Columbia was laid out in 1808 and lots were sold. The original town, on

1007-536: The Armed Services by Executive Order 9981, as a result of the report and his consultation with black leaders. Marshall was later appointed as the first black United States Supreme Court justice. Columbia is located at 35°36′54″N 87°2′40″W  /  35.61500°N 87.04444°W  / 35.61500; -87.04444 (35.615022, −87.044464). It developed along the banks of the Duck River at

1060-547: The activist years of the Civil Rights Movement . At a critical moment during the sit-in demonstrations of 1960 , following the bombing of the home of Z. Alexander Looby , city councilman and defense attorney for the students, 2500 protesters marched to city hall and challenged West to take a stand against segregation. West appointed a biracial commission, and the Nashville business community quickly agreed to desegregate department store lunch counters. Nashville

1113-541: The altercation. The senior Fleming convinced the sheriff to charge both Stephensons with attempted murder. Rumors were rife that the Stephensons would be lynched . As whites gathered in the square talking about the incident, blacks armed themselves and planned to defend their business district, which they referred to as "the Bottom". It started about one block south of the square. Later that evening whites drove around

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1166-461: The area, shooting randomly into it; they referred to the neighborhood as "Mink Slide." Armed black men turned out some street lights and shot out others, patrolling the area for defense. Four policemen who entered the area were wounded and retreated, increasing white rage. Worried that the small police force could not control the mob, the mayor called in the State Guard and the sheriff called in

1219-462: The at-large elections, candidates supported by a minority had not been able to gain a majority and win election. In addition to being a voting rights reform, this change proved important to West's political future. He would build a political base on the reemerging black voter. State repeal of such voter registration restrictions as the poll tax enabled voters to exercise their constitutional rights again. As highways were built and white voters moved to

1272-538: The brother of his victim. In 1927 and 1933, young black men were lynched in Maury County for alleged assaults against white women; the first, Henry Choate , was being held as a suspect when he was lynched, and was hanged from the courthouse. In 1933 Cordie Cheek , a black 17-year-old, was accused of raping a white girl. After a grand jury declined to indict him, he was abducted from Nashville by white men including law officials, and taken back to Columbia. There he

1325-536: The capitals of the constituent entities of the Russia and other major cities in the region. In 2020, there were 635 urban districts. In nine consolidated city-county governments in the United States, the formerly independent incorporated places maintain some governmental powers. In these cities, which the United States Census Bureau calls "consolidated cities", statistics are recorded both for

1378-526: The case was Thurgood Marshall of the NAACP . He worked with Z. Alexander Looby , who was based in Nashville but associated with the national legal team, and Maurice Weaver, a white civil rights lawyer from Chattanooga, Tennessee . Marshall asked for a change of venue, hoping to get the trial moved to Nashville or another major city. The judge agreed to move the trial only to nearby Lawrenceburg, Tennessee . Local residents there were unhappy to be involved in

1431-430: The cause of reapportionment in the landmark case Baker v. Carr (1962), by which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the " one man, one vote " principle. This ruling forced reapportionment of state legislatures across the country; as a result, there was a shift of political power to the more densely populated urban districts and cities. West provided leadership in the desegregation of Nashville public schools. After

1484-419: The cities and counties, but otherwise has very little authority beyond this small power of the purse . The case of New York City is unique, in that the city consists of five boroughs , each of which is co-extensive with a county. Each has its own district attorney; however, county-level government is essentially non-existent as all executive and legislative power is exercised by the city government throughout

1537-568: The cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven ). Nearly every larger city in Germany is an independent city, like Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich or Dresden; Austria , where the capital of Vienna is both a city and state; France , where the capital city of Paris has been coterminous with the département of Paris since 1968 ; and South Korea , where Seoul is a special city , while six other cities ( Busan , Daegu , Daejeon , Gwangju , Incheon , and Ulsan ) are metropolitan cities . Additionally,

1590-402: The city and county both nominally exist, although they have a consolidated government, whereas in an independent city, the county does not even nominally exist. Furthermore, a consolidated city-county may still contain independent municipalities maintaining some governmental powers that did not merge with the rest of the county. Not considering Hawaii , which has no independent municipalities,

1643-501: The city has a total area of 29.6 square miles (77 km ), of which 29.6 square miles (77 km ) is land and 0.03% is water. Incorporated in 1817, the city is at an elevation of 637 feet (194 m). The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Columbia has a humid subtropical climate . As of

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1696-478: The city of Manchester and meets its confluence with a major tributary, The Little Duck River , at Old Stone Fort State Park . The fort was named after an ancient Native American structure, between the two rivers, believed to be nearly 2,000 years old. The Duck River is sacred to most of the founding Native American tribes east of the Mississippi River . According to the United States Census Bureau ,

1749-402: The city was 64.63% White , 30.13% African American , 0.28% Native American , 0.41% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 2.06% from other races , and 1.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.70% of the population. There were 13,059 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 16.3% had

1802-444: The controversial case. Marshall and his team achieved acquittal from an all-white jury for all but two men. The prosecution dropped their charges against these men, as they believed the convictions would be overturned on appeal. The Stephensons were never tried, nor were four Whites charged with murder, nor were several blacks. Of two black men tried for murder, only Loyd Kennedy was convicted in his trial of 1947. The NAACP continued

1855-483: The economy, and Black veterans resisted being pushed back into second-class status after having fought in the war. In the postwar period, Black veterans often became leaders in the growing campaign for civil rights during the 1950s and 1960s throughout the state. Today, the county is a heritage tourism destination, because of its numerous historic sites. Attractions include the President James K. Polk Home ,

1908-604: The entire consolidated government and for the component municipalities. A part of the consolidated government is called the "balance", which the Census Bureau defines as "the consolidated city minus the semi-independent incorporated places located within the consolidated city". In Georgia, consolidations often required multiple attempts, changes in procedures, and different local laws in the state legislature. They often did not include some smaller jurisdictions. They also retained characteristics of both types of government, e.g,

1961-469: The fact that each cell required a separate key, and the dispatcher reportedly had difficulty locating the keys. The fire was reportedly intentionally started by a juvenile inmate. On February 25, 1946, a civil disturbance, dubbed "the Columbia Race Riot," broke out in the county seat. It was covered by the national press as the first "major racial confrontation" following World War II. In

2014-922: The five boroughs. The city, as currently constituted, was created in 1898 when the city of New York (then comprising what would become the boroughs of Manhattan and The Bronx ) annexed Kings County, Queens County, and Richmond County as the boroughs of Brooklyn , Queens , and Staten Island , respectively. Similar unitary authority arrangements also exist in other countries. England has six " metropolitan counties " created in 1974: Greater Manchester , Merseyside , South Yorkshire , Tyne and Wear , West Midlands , and West Yorkshire . From 1986, these metropolitan counties do not have county councils but rather joint boards for certain functions. Modern unitary authorities are similar, and are known as county boroughs in Wales . In Scotland, Aberdeen , Dundee , Edinburgh and Glasgow are functionally "independent cities", though

2067-514: The governmental powers of both a municipal corporation and a county. A consolidated city-county is different from an independent city , although the latter may result from consolidation of a city and a county and may also have the same powers as a consolidated city-county. An independent city is a city not deemed by its state to be located within the boundary of any county and considered a primary administrative division of its state. A consolidated city-county differs from an independent city in that

2120-511: The head of the county government, and a multi-district elected body that serves as both the city council and as the county legislative body. In many states, consolidated city-counties must be approved by voters. According to information compiled by former Albuquerque mayor David Rusk , 105 referendums were held in the United States between 1902 and 2010 to consider proposals to consolidate cities and counties. Only 27 of these proposals were approved by voters. Wyandotte County, Kansas , uses

2173-585: The poverty line, including 19.7% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over. The city is served by Maury County Public Schools . Private schools include Agathos Classical School, Zion Christian Academy and Columbia Academy . The city is home to the main campus of Columbia State Community College , a community college serving nine counties in southern Middle Tennessee. 35°36′54″N 87°02′40″W  /  35.615022°N 87.044464°W  / 35.615022; -87.044464 Consolidated city-county In United States local government ,

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2226-536: The same sort of functions as American consolidated city-counties. One example is the City of Toronto , created in 1998 from the amalgamation of the central government and the six constituent municipalities of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto (a type of regional municipality ), itself originally created in 1954. In Germany, Berlin and Hamburg are both cities and states (the state of Bremen consists of

2279-476: The south bank of the Duck River , consisted of four blocks. The town was incorporated in 1817. Columbia was the site of Jackson College from 1837 until it was burned, along with most of Jackson, by Union troops during the American Civil War . Columbia had five documented lynchings in the 20th century. In 1924 a black man was shot and killed in the courthouse after his sentence was commuted, by

2332-674: The southern edge of the Nashville Basin ; the higher elevated ridges of the Highland Rim are located to the south and west of the city. The Duck River is the longest river located entirely within the state of Tennessee . Free flowing for most of its length, the Duck River is home to over 50 species of freshwater mussels and 151 species of fish, making it the most biologically diverse river in North America. It enters

2385-466: The state Highway Patrol that night. The Guard resisted Patrol requests to arm the white mob. In an uncoordinated effort, the Highway Patrol entered the district early the next morning before a planned time; they provoked more violence and destroyed numerous businesses. Eventually through the next day, they and the State Guard rounded up more than 100 blacks as suspects in the police shootings. No whites were charged at that point. Two black men were killed and

2438-415: The state capitol building with a green belt, new state office buildings, and parking lots. The East Nashville Urban Renewal Project began during his administration, and infrastructure projects were completed for an $ 11 million sewage treatment plant and $ 2 million in street lighting. West's strong alliance with Nashville's black community helped improve race relations and prepare the city for the challenges of

2491-463: The suburbs in the postwar years, African-American voters gained more political power in the city. In 1951 West won election as mayor of Nashville, along with the first two African-American councilmen in 40 years. All three men were attorneys. As mayor of Nashville, West supported other voting rights reforms, particularly a state campaign to reapportion rural and urban voting districts in the state legislature to reflect demographic changes. West championed

2544-542: The term "unified government" to refer to its consolidation with Kansas City, Kansas , and most of the towns within the county boundaries remain separate jurisdictions within the county. Individual sections of a metropolitan or regional municipality may retain some autonomous jurisdiction apart from the citywide government. Often, in place of another level of government, local governments form councils of governments – essentially governmental organizations which are not empowered with any law-making or law enforcement powers. This

2597-523: The term is not used. London is unique however, being a ceremonial county (officially known as Greater London ) containing the 32 London boroughs. Enclaved within Greater London, the ancient City of London forms a distinct county, which today forms only a tiny part of what most consider to be London as a capital city, which takes up 607 square miles. The Canadian province of Ontario contains several single-tier municipalities , which serve

2650-406: Was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 35,879, and the median income for a family was $ 42,822. Males had a median income of $ 34,898 versus $ 22,093 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 18,004. About 10.9% of families and 13.9% of the population were below

2703-496: Was castrated and lynched by a white mob. During World War II phosphate mining and the chemical industry expanded in Columbia to support the war effort. By the 1940 census, the total city population was 10,579; more than 3,000 were African American. After the war, chemical plants were a site of labor unrest between white and Black workers, both in terms of competition for work and efforts to unionize. Veterans sought to re-enter

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2756-557: Was elected as state senator in the Tennessee Senate , serving one term to 1949. In the Senate, West introduced legislation that restored single-member district elections for the Nashville city council, replacing the citywide at-large election of each seat. This represented a major opportunity for African-American voters, as it enabled minorities whose votes were concentrated in a few wards to elect candidates of their choice. In

2809-557: Was the first southern city to desegregate public facilities. With an interest in improving services, West supported the consolidation of the city government with that of Davidson County proposed in 1958 and 1963. After the measure passed a referendum, West ran to become mayor of the new Metropolitan government in 1963, but finished third behind Davidson County Assessor Clifford Allen and Davidson County Judge Beverly Briley . He ran again in 1966, losing to Briley. West retired to private life. He died in Nashville on November 20, 1974. He

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