A. L. “Chunk” Bender (June 6, 1916 – August 28, 1980) was the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of the City of

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...

from 1969 to 1971 after serving as Commissioner for many years. Due to health problems he declined a re-election bid. While the office of mayor in Chattanooga is officially non-partisan, he was a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Biography

Bender was born in 1916 in Chattanooga, the youngest of 14 children. In 1938 he married Rozelle Kelso (1916-2012) from

Fayetteville, Tennessee Fayetteville is a city and the county seat of Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,994 at the 2000 census, and 6,827 at the 2010 census. A census estimate from 2018 showed 7,017. History Fayetteville is the largest cit ...

. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and attained the rank of captain. He saw action in the Pacific. While he was at war, his first daughter, Patricia Ann, was born. Two years later his second daughter Frances Kelso was born. Nine years after Frances' birth, the couple had another son, George Andrew. Commissioner of Public Works and Vice-Mayor A.L. Bender assumed the office of Mayor on January 1, 1969, upon the resignation of Mayor Ralph Kelley. Following four years of service during

, Bender returned to Chattanooga and became superintendent of city parks, a position he maintained until an unsuccessful bid for the county commission in 1955. In 1958, County Judge Wilkes Thrasher brought Bender back into public service by appointing him county manager. Upon the death of Public Works Commissioner Pat Wilcox in 1962, Bender was appointed to finish the term. Commissioner Bender ran successfully for a full term in 1963 and was re-elected in 1967 without opposition. Commissioner Bender received the largest percentage of votes among the other commissioners, and thus he became vice-mayor under Mayor Ralph Kelley. On December 3, 1968, Mayor Kelly announced his resignation, passing the office of Mayor to “Chunk” Bender effective January 1, 1969. Due to ailing health and on his doctor's advice, Mayor Bender resigned from office on January 26, 1971. Bender's health suffered for several years and prevented his continuing in local politics, though he was close to Estes Kefauver and his campaign. In 1980 he died from

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

. His family continues to live in Chattanooga and the surrounding areas. The

rose garden A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Most often it is a section of a larger garden. Designs vary tremendously and roses m ...

in Chattanooga's Warner Park is a testament to his time as Commissioner of Parks.

References

http://www.chattanooga.gov/about-chattanooga/history-of-mayors/1969-1971-austin-letheridge-qchunkq-bender {{DEFAULTSORT:Bender, A. L. Mayors of Chattanooga, Tennessee Tennessee Democrats 1916 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American politicians United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army officers