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22-646: The Mayor of Dallas appoints the DHA's five-member governing board, and the board selects the DHA's president. In 1937 the Housing Act was passed by the U.S. federal government, and the Dallas City Council established the DHA in 1938. This Texas -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Dallas , Texas -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mayor of Dallas The Mayor of

44-759: A director of the Dallas Symphony ; the State Fair of Texas ; and the Dallas Public Library. He was also the founder and first president of the Greater Dallas Planning Council. He died in Dallas, after a lengthy illness, on July 6, 1961. Woodall Rodgers Freeway , which runs north of downtown Dallas , between U.S. Highway 75 and Interstate 35E is named in his honor, as is Woodall Rodgers Plaza, which connects

66-653: A member of several environmental committees and organizations after her short tenure, including the Environmental Protection Agency . Ron Kirk was the first African-American mayor of the City of Dallas and served two terms from 1995 to 2002. As mayor, he led several efforts advocating for race equality and social welfare, mitigated tension between City Council and the Dallas School Board, advocated for economic development, and oversaw

88-777: A political career in United States Congress before the end of his third term. His pro-term mayoral successor, Adlene Harrison , stepped in and became acting mayor for the remainder of his term. She was the city's first female mayor, and the first female Jewish mayor in the United States. Although Dianne Feinstein is officially recognized as the first female Jewish mayor in the United States, Adlene Harrison's position as acting mayor predates Feinstein's start in office by almost two years; Adlene began serving as acting mayor on February 11, 1976, while Feinstein took office on December 4, 1978. Adlene would go on to serve as

110-473: A term of two years. The office was first filled in the election of 1856 , in which Dr. Samuel B. Pryor defeated A. D. Rice for the position. A. D. Rice would run for office again and go on to serve as the 4th mayor of the city. For much of the 19th century, mayors of the city of Dallas served for only one term. This precedence was broken at the end of Winship C. Connor 's term, who – after serving three consecutive terms from 1887 to 1894 – would go on to be

132-739: The Charlottesville riots . This is the list of people who have held the office of Mayor. Note: municipal elections in Texas are non-partisan. The party affiliation of the Mayor is listed here for informational purposes only. Woodall Rodgers James Woodall Rodgers (May 11, 1890 – July 6, 1961) was an American attorney, businessman, and mayor of Dallas, Texas . Rogers was born in New Market, Alabama . He received his B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University in 1912 and his LL.B. from

154-665: The University of Texas in 1915. He began his law practice in Dallas in 1916, but at the outbreak of World War I , Rodgers joined the United States Army . He was honorably discharged in 1918 as a major in the artillery . He married his wife, Edna Cristler on November 9, 1920. Upon his return to Dallas, Rodgers became an associate with Saner & Saner but left in 1925 to found his own firm that specialized in oil and gas law. His firm would eventually come to represent Standard Oil in legal matters. In 1939, Rodgers

176-426: The City of Dallas is a member of the Dallas City Council and its presiding officer. The current mayor is Eric Johnson , who has served one term since 2019 and is the 60th mayor to serve in the position. Dallas operates under a city charter that designates the mayor as the official head of city government and a council-manager system where a city council-appointed city manager serves as the chief operating officer of

198-624: The city of Dallas until the completion of Republic Center Tower I in 1954. The economic success brought by his contributions in office are commemorated by several namesakes throughout the city, most notably the Woodall Rodgers Freeway that passes underneath Klyde Warren Park and over the Trinity River along the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge . Earle Cabell served as 48th mayor from 1961 to 1964 and

220-415: The city's longest consecutively serving mayor in the 19th century. His success was accredited to the development of the city's first water, power, and streetcar systems. The municipal government of Dallas underwent two significant structural changes during its history. The first change was made in 1907 where the city voted to change from an alderman system to a commission form of government. Stephen J. Hay

242-407: The city. The city of Dallas operates under a council-manager government type, putting the city of Dallas in a unique position as being one of the largest cities in the United States to utilize this municipal government structure. Unlike the more common form of government used by large cities known as the mayor-council government - where the mayor serves the chief-executive position of the city -

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264-580: The construction of the American Airlines Center . He would later step down to pursue a seat in the US Senate, where he lost in the 2002 election to John Cornyn . After his defeat, he went on to become a lobbyist before being nominated and appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as United States Trade Representative from 2009 to 2013. Laura Miller - the city's third female mayor, following Adlene Harrison and Annette Strauss -

286-463: The council-manager government of the city of Dallas gives the operational responsibility to the appointed City Manager. The mayor presides over city council meetings and official ceremonies and serves as a representative of the City of Dallas at the local, state, national, and international level. Likewise, it is not uncommon for mayors of the city of Dallas to simultaneously serve as members or heads of other committees while in office, further representing

308-481: The interests of the people and city of Dallas in organizations and committees. The Office of Mayor was created with the formation of the Dallas City Charter in 1856, also providing for the mayor six aldermen, a treasurer, recorder and a constable. In the charter, it was stated that each office would be elected for a term of one year. In the reorganization of 1876, the mayor was elected to the office for

330-415: The peak of the 2008 recession . He would later vacate the office to pursue a US Senate campaign in 2012, of which he would place third in the runoff. Following the four-month incumbency of acting mayor Dwaine Caraway , mayor Mike Rawlings would be known for his vocal leadership during the 2014 Ebola outbreak , the 2016 shooting of Dallas police officers , and the removal of confederate monuments following

352-490: The rampant manufacturing of aircraft and weapon goods in a rapidly industrializing Dallas. Rodgers oversaw the initial transformation of Dallas Love Field from a USAAF training ground to a commercial airport. He was also mayor when the Mercantile National Bank Building was constructed, which was the only skyscraper built in the United States during World War II and was the tallest building in

374-587: The then proposed Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport . As mayor, he went on to support public works projects such as developing the new Dallas City Hall , the Dallas Convention Center , and the Dallas Central Library - the last of which is now named in his honor. He was followed by Wes Wise who went on to further improve the city's image during his three terms as mayor from 1971 to 1976. However, he stepped down to pursue

396-553: Was Tom Bradford , a successful grocer who was a significant financial contributor to the Bradford Memorial Hospital for Babies, the preliminary institution to the Children's Medical Center Dallas . He died after suffering a major heart attack in 1932 and was the first mayor of Dallas to die in office. Woodall Rodgers , serving two 4 year terms from 1939 to 1947, was mayor during World War II and served during

418-614: Was elected mayor of Dallas, a position he held until 1947. Under his tenure, Love Field underwent expansion; construction began on Central Expressway ( US 75 ); the Dallas Public Library; and the Garza-Little Elm Reservoir , which is currently one of Dallas's largest water supplies. Rodgers also held positions as a trustee with the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts (now the Dallas Museum of Art ) and as

440-495: Was instrumental in renegotiating the Wright Amendment to revise flight restrictions at Love Field Airport, as well as implementing a citywide smoking ban and an ordinance prohibiting sex-based discrimination. The following mayor Tom Leppert would impose a staunch crime-fighting policy, promote the economic development of a modern inland port, and was a vocal supporter of a controversial convention center hotel project at

462-473: Was mayor during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in the city. In the wake of the assassination, Cabell was the target of multiple death threats and accusations of his involvement in the act. The image of the city of Dallas was immensely tarnished by the assassination of the President, earning the moniker "City of Hate". Following Earle Cabell was Mayor J. Erik Jonsson who funded and supported

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484-421: Was the first mayor elected in this new form of government, demonstrating the success of the highly debated commission form of government and contributing to the development of White Rock Lake in response to a water shortage in 1910. The second major government change was made in 1930, altering the commission form of government to specifically be a council-manager form. The first mayor to serve following this change

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