The New Orleans mayoral election of 1930, held in January of that year, resulted in the election of

T. Semmes Walmsley Thomas Semmes Walmsley (June 10, 1889 – June 19, 1942) was the mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana from July 1929 to June 1936. He is best known for his intense rivalry, reconciliation, and then resumption of hostilities with Governor Huey Pierc ...

to his first full term as Mayor of New Orleans. T. Semmes Walmsley had been acting mayor since the resignation of the previous mayor,

Arthur J. O'Keefe Arthur Joseph O'Keefe, Sr. (November 8, 1876 – November 14, 1943) was mayor of New Orleans from 1926 through 1929. Life and career Born in New Orleans, O'Keefe was the son of Arthur O'Keefe and the former Sarah Hanley. He was educated at t ...

, due to illness in July 1929. Leader of the

Regular Democratic Organization The Regular Democratic Organization (RDO), or Old Regulars, or the New Orleans Ring, is a conservative political organization based in New Orleans. It has existed for 130 years and as of 2017 is still active. The symbol of the RDO is the rooste ...

, Walmsley was the chosen candidate of that powerful political machine. Public Service Commissioner Francis Williams, once an ally of Governor Huey Long but by 1930 his enemy, ran against Walmsley. Against the advice of advisors like Robert Maestri, Long remained neutral in the first primary, declaring that neither candidate was worth supporting. The first primary was a close race; Walmsley came first by only 9,000 votes. Williams was entitled to face Walmsley in the runoff, but he rejected Long’s last-minute offer of support and withdrew from the race.

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1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

1930 Louisiana elections 1930 United States mayoral elections