Tobacco merchant J. W. Cheek became Durham’s mayor in the town’s first elections in 1869. The post was then titled “magistrate of police.” The young town was plagued by a reputation as a “rough and brawling place,” a haven for “the shiftless of society,” so the first priority of Cheek and Durham’s inaugural government was […]
Dan Edwards was elected mayor of Durham in 1949 with the help of a coalition of labor and blacks, supported by a growing group of liberals. The election of a moderate politician with a new perspective in the traditionally conservative town marked the beginning of a slow march towards a more progressive and diverse political […]
Emanuel J. “Mutt” Evans (1907-1997), Durham’s first Jewish mayor, was elected in 1951 along with a wave of other progressives. During a difficult decade for Durham, Evans led with civility and true consideration for others. He pioneered efforts in sewage treatment and water purification, saw a new YMCA built on Trinity Avenue, established a black […]
Wense Grabarek, a former city council member, served as Durham’s mayor from 1963 to 1971, when the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing. More than any mayor before him, he directly addressed the problems presented by racial inequality. A striking illustration of his commitment to improved race relations took place shortly after his election […]
Wade L. Cavin (1916-1997) was Durham’s mayor from 1975 to 1979. A World War II veteran and a successful businessman, his story is a classic rags-to-riches tale. He arrived at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression, with $1.05 in his pocket. He received a […]
Harry Rodenhizer (1927-2007) served two nonconsecutive terms as mayor of Durham. He was first elected in 1979 and again in 1991, when Durham was experiencing a brief economic downturn. In his first mayoral campaign, he pushed for finishing the long-stalled and highly controversial Durham Freeway. Once in office, he delivered a 12-1 city council vote […]
Mayor Charlie Markham (1926-2010) was born into one of Durham’s earliest families. His father’s family was counted among the first citizens of Durham, and his mother’s father, Edward C. Hackney, served as mayor exactly a hundred years before Markham took the same office. Markham attended Duke University in the early 1940s. While a student, his […]
In 1985 Wib Gulley was elected Durham’s mayor of Durham, a position he used to improve the city’s transportation and infrastructure, always with an eye towards environmental, social, and preservation concerns. He negotiated the city’s acquisition of the local bus system from the Duke Power Company and improved the city’s streets, sewer, water, and solid […]
After eight years on the city council, Chester Jenkins (1938-2009) became Durham’s first African-American mayor in 1989. He served one term, rounding out a decade of progressive leadership in the city. He is credited with trying to secure voter approval to finance a new baseball stadium. Although unsuccessful, the effort is said to have helped […]
Sylvia Kerckhoff defeated incumbent Harry Rodenhizer to became Durham’s first female mayor in 1993, serving two terms. Before becoming mayor, she served six terms on the Durham City Council. Key issues during her time in office included economic development, crime prevention, and affordable housing. Two acts during her tenure made her especially proud. The first […]
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