Malcolm Roderick Maclean

Malcolm Roderick Maclean (1919–January 24, 2001) was a politician from Georgia, USA and was a former Mayor of Savannah. He was a Democrat and belonged to the local Citizen's Committee faction of the party.

Background

He was born in New York City and claimed Scottish descent. He moved to Savannah, Georgia with his family, when he was young. He was married to Frances Raven Grimball, served in the U.S. Navy from 1941 to 1952 and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and was an attorney. He was a named partner in the Savannah Law Firm of Hunter, Maclean, Exley, & Dunn, now known as HunterMaclean.

Political career

Alderman

Maclean succeeded Dr. Ellison Cook as a Council member in 1957 and became Mayor Pro Tem in 1958.

Mayor

After the resignation of incumbent Mayor Lee Mingledorff, Jr. who decided to run for a seat on the Chatham County Commission in 1960, Maclean was selected by his peers to take over the Chief Executive's job. He then served the remainder of Mingledorff's term, which expired in 1962.^[1]

Maclean won re-election in 1962.^[2] He continued Mingledorff's local programs of public road improvements.

He also worked with civil rights activists such as Westley Wallace Law and Eugene Gadsden and public facilities were integrated under his tenure.^[3]

In 1966, Maclean suffered a white backlash. White people, especially segregationists considered him to be soft on racial issues. Savannah voters, who had given Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater a majority in 1964, defeated Maclean and his slate. Republican businessman Julius Curtis Lewis, Jr. succeeded Maclean as Mayor.^[4]

Footnotes

1. Savannah Morning News, July 31, 1960
2. Savannah Morning News, May 8, 1962
3. Biography of W. W. Law, Georgia Encyclopedia
4. Savannah Morning News, August 3, 1966

External links

• Mayor's official site