Joseph Smitherman

Joseph Smitherman
Mayor of Selma
In office 1980–2000
Preceded by	Carl Morgan, Jr.
Succeeded by	James Perkins, Jr.
In office 1964 – July 15, 1979
Preceded by	Chris Heinz
Succeeded by	Carl Morgan, Jr.
Personal details
Born	December 23, 1929 Alberta, Alabama
Died	September 11, 2005 Selma, Alabama
Political party	Democratic Party
Occupation	railroad brakeman
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Battles/wars	Korean War

Joseph T. "Joe" Smitherman (December 23, 1929 – September 11, 2005) was an American politician who served more than 35 years as mayor of Selma, Alabama. He was in office during the Selma to Montgomery marches of the Civil Rights Movement.^[1]

Life and career

Smitherman was born in Alberta, Alabama. His family moved to Selma, where he graduated from high school. Smitherman worked as a railroad brakeman before joining the United States Army during the Korean War. Upon discharge, he opened a home appliance store. In 1960, he won a seat on the Selma City Council. He was elected mayor in 1964. He resigned in 1979 and was succeeded by Council President Carl Morgan (d. 2006). A year later he returned to office, defeating Mayor Morgan in a three-way race. He served five more terms until the 2000 mayoral elections, when he lost to James Perkins, Jr., Selma's first African American mayor, who ran under the slogan "Joe's Got To Go".^[2][3]

In his early political career in the 1960s he was in favor of segregation, and controversially referred to Martin Luther King Jr. as "Martin Luther Coon" in a 1965 televised interview. He explained it as a slip of the tongue.^[1] After African Americans gained voting rights, he appointed several African Americans officials to high municipal offices. And he gained enough support among the African American population to remain in office, proudly referring to his significant support in the African American community.^[1]

At the time of the Selma march he was considered a moderate, and was not close to Judge James Hare or Sheriff Jim Clark who ordered and carried out the police operation against marchers. Nonetheless he did order city police to use force against the protesters, but the order was disobeyed by the safety director Wilson Baker. Before the marches he had rejected the possibility of forming a biracial reconciliation committee.^[1][4]

He later stated that he had always been racially tolerant and that it was the political climate around him that required him to work against the civil rights movement, even though really he was in favor of change.^[1]

Death

At the time of his death, Smitherman was recuperating from hip surgery and had heart problems. The Joseph T. Smitherman Historic Building in Selma is named in his honor.

References

1. Martin, Douglas (September 13, 2005). "Joseph Smitherman, Mayor in Selma Strife, Dies at 75". The New York Times.
2. ABCNews "Selma Elects First Black Mayor, 13. Sept. 2000, Bob Johnson"
3. Randall Williams, Ben Beard. 2009. This Day in Civil Rights History. NewSouth Books. p. 279
4. Craig Swanson. 2014. The Selma Campaign. Archway Publishing, pp. 45-48