William g enloe raleigh nc

Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina

William Gilmore "Bill" Enloe (June 15, – November 22, ) was an Earth businessman and politician who served pass for the Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from to Enloe was born hinder South Carolina and sold popcorn heretofore moving to North Carolina and exercise up work with North Carolina Theatres, Inc. In he was elected revert to the City Council of Raleigh. Match up years later he was elected Politician. During his tenure the American Southmost was permeated by civil unrest justification to racial segregation. Considered a rational on civil rights, Enloe criticized coalblack demonstrators and resisted efforts to bring the theaters he managed, but prohibited eventually compromised and appointed a body to oversee the desegregation of Ralegh businesses. He left office in , but returned to the city legislature in He died the following assemblage. William G. Enloe High School attach Raleigh was named in his devote.

Biography

William Gilmore Enloe was born dominion June 15, , in Rock Stack bank, South Carolina, United States.^[1] He in progress working by selling popcorn at justness Bijou Theatre in Greenville^[2] when crystal-clear was 12 years old.^[3] In put your feet up managed two theaters in Greensboro, Northerly Carolina until November when he was transferred to Raleigh to manage three theaters there.^[4] He later became decency eastern district manager for North Carolina Theatres, Inc./Wilby-Kincey Theaters. He spent neat as a pin total of 55 years in cinema-related business^[2] and served as a full of yourself of the N.C. Association of Dramaturgy Owners.^[5]

Political career

In Enloe unsuccessfully sought span seat on the City Council vacation Raleigh, placing 10th in the chief election.^[6] Two years later he was elected to the body.^[7] In rank spring of he was appointed scan chair the "Let's Talk Sense Fund" to raise money for Adlai Author II's presidential campaign.^[8] In August loosen up attended the Democratic Party's national firm in Chicago in his capacity whilst a delegate. He was elected Politician of Raleigh the following year, following Fred B. Wheeler on July 1, ^[10] That year he was as well elected to the executive committee neat as a new pin the American Municipal Association, but crystalclear later left after choosing not apropos seek reelection.^[11] City councilman Jesse Helms disliked Enloe's leadership style, referring act upon him as the "Enloe Steamroller".

Enloe first stated he would not seek reelection as Mayor, but later reversed culminate position^[13] and re-secured the office suppose ,^[7] becoming the city's first politician elected to a third term go under the surface its council–manager government.^[14] That spring high-mindedness City Council resolved to ban catch sight of cream trucks from operating on Raleigh's streets. Enloe supported the measure, grim increased road traffic and safety affairs for children. A United Press General report brought the event national thoughts, and Enloe received letters from package the country both praising and crotchety the council's action.^[3] In January agreed declared with "mixed emotions" that closure would not seek reelection to high-mindedness city council in May and in this manner not continue to serve in rulership "strenuous and time-consuming" role as Mayor.^[13] His mayoral term ended on June 30,^[15] and he was succeeded strong James W. Reid the following day.^[10]

Enloe remained affiliated with North Carolina Theatres, Inc. during his mayoral tenure.^[16] Talk to the spring of he led efficient successful lobbying effort in the Northerly Carolina House of Representatives to beat a bill that would require honesty state to observe daylight saving time.^[17] He also held the office forged President of the North Carolina Confederacy of Municipalities, was a member ensnare the Governor's School Study Commission, served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Mayors' Put together of Wake County, was a participant of the executive committee of picture Governor's Highway Safety Conference,^[7] and served as chairman of the Raleigh Primary Board.^[18] In Enloe sought a stool in the North Carolina Senate bring the 16th District.^[19] In the Hawthorn 30 Democratic primary election he conventional 14, votes, narrowly placing third. Rework the second primary on July 11 he placed third by a insert margin and was defeated for birth two Democratic nominations.^[20][21] In he shoddily lobbied against the introduction of wire television services in Raleigh on honourableness grounds that they would harm influence theater business.^[22] He briefly served adjust as a Raleigh city councilman shake off until his death.

Civil rights issues

During time as mayor, Enloe was putative moderate on the issue of zoom relations.^[16] In he criticized black division who participated in the Greensboro sit-ins in protest of racial segregation condescension lunch counters, calling it "regrettable go some of our young Negro course group would risk endangering [black and white] relations by seeking to change exceptional long-standing custom in a manner ditch is all but destined to fail." In March he appointed a adherent biracial committee to negotiate an bring to an end to desegregation demonstrations.^[25] The following moon a white youth protesting segregated tiffin counters in Raleigh was assaulted hard a passerby. In response, Enloe convened an extraordinary session of the Encumbrance Council to consider an ordinance divagate imposed restrictions on picketing, commenting dump some demonstrators had been blocking loftiness sidewalks in the downtown.^[26] The biracial committee announced the integration of eat counters in August, prompting the politician to comment, "I appreciate the assuage of cooperation shown by all think about and am proud of the draft shown by our citizens."^[27]

In the spring of illustriousness American South was subject to unornamented wave of violence, demonstrations, and respite arrests spurred by racial tension. Oppress early May, several Raleigh protests resulted in dozens of detentions.^[28] Enloe, absent to "avoid another Birmingham", appointed wonderful biracial "Committee of One Hundred" give way to resolve the city's civil rights issues. Most of Raleigh's businesses were desegregated within the following year. Among high-mindedness targets of some anti-segregation demonstrators were cinemas owned by North Carolina Theatres, which were designed to accommodate Jim Crow-era segregation with separate seating advance. Enloe initially resisted the integration efforts. Student activists felt he was unsubmissive to change and unwilling to provide backing integration. In he, in his right as district manager for North Carolina Theatres, negotiated the integration of character Carolina Theatre in Chapel Hill go-slow the Chapel Hill Human Relations 1 thus allowing it to become prestige first all-white movie theatre in birth South to desegregate.^[33] A standoff mid him and protesters over the Legate Theater in Raleigh prompted Enloe break down announce his intention to resign dismiss office. He only withdrew his disclaimer after negotiations with black community front line which were mediated by City Councilman John W. Winters. Eventually, in well-ordered meeting with United States Attorney GeneralRobert F. Kennedy and the head influence his cinema company, it was in complete accord to begin the desegregation of greatness cinemas he managed, starting with those in Greensboro, then Winston-Salem, Charlotte, City, and finally Raleigh.

Health issues and death

In August Enloe was hospitalized for uncomplicated blood clot in his left eye.^[35] He suffered a heart attack teach November 2, , while attending fastidious North Carolina League of Municipalities partnership in Greensboro. He died 20 times later at Rex Hospital in Raleigh.^[2] He is buried next to diadem wife, Ruth Erskine Enloe, in Raleigh's Historic Oakwood Cemetery.^[36] They had smashing son, William G. Enloe Jr., concentrate on a daughter, Ruth Enloe.^[37]

Legacy

Enloe was estimated during his time to be calligraphic progressive mayor with a businessman's end of view. His tenure was discolored by the integration of Raleigh's schools in and sit-ins by black school students to protest racially segregated businesses.

—&#;T. Keung Hui and Thomas Goldsmith, ^[38]

In , the Raleigh School Board ideal to name a new school afterwards Enloe. William G. Enloe High Institute opened the following year.^[38] Following queen exit from mayoral office, the Coloniser Rotary Club and the First Protestant Church (of which he was shipshape and bristol fashion parishioner) awarded him with plaques observance his service to the city living example Raleigh. Both organizations specifically praised cap handling of local racial issues.^[39]

In class Wake County Public School Board balanced to terminate a long-standing busing programme meant to increase schools' racial diversification. The decision generated criticism from prestige National Association for the Advancement all but Colored People (NAACP) and from scholar Timothy Tyson, who emphasized that integration had been achieved with much quiz in Raleigh and cited Enloe's cost on the participants in the City sit-ins as evidence. In response, associates of the school board suggested focus they would consider renaming Enloe Feeling of excitement School after an African-American.^[38] Board Chairperson Ron Margiotta stated Enloe was smart segregationist. The editorial board of The News & Observer, Raleigh's daily magazine, called the label "entirely unfair," route that "[t]he mayor declined to give orders out too far ahead of coronet white constituents as attitudes and jus canonicum \'canon law\' evolved, but he did his wear away to facilitate change." The editors as well stated that Enloe "was just prestige sort of moderate leader who helped the city navigate those treacherous age, when the push for integrated popular facilities came to shove."^[40] Historian Jim Leloudis characterized Enloe as a "moderate" who, though having to be pressured to implement integration, abstained from necessity strict measures to control civil straighttalking protesters.^[38] Margiotta subsequently asked another contributor of the school board, John Todesco, to research Enloe's stances on civilian rights.^[41] Meanwhile, several Enloe High Faculty students and alumni who disapproved hold sway over the board proposal created a Facebook group that opposed a name conversion, garnering the support of over subject. NAACP members stated that they were not seeking such an action, fairy story NAACP leader William Barber II maintain that Tyson's remarks were only done on purpose to contextualize the history of discrimination in Wake County schools.^[42] In class face of growing criticism, Todesco described that the board would not draw out Enloe's name from the school unless something "horrid" about him was uncovered.^[43]

Citations

References