William Gardner Hewes III (born October 27, 1961) is an American

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician. He is the mayor of

Gulfport, Mississippi Gulfport is the second-largest city in Mississippi after the state capital, Jackson. Along with Biloxi, Gulfport is the co-county seat of Harrison County and the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan ...

and the former

President pro tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

of the

Mississippi State Senate The Mississippi Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, convenes at the Mississippi State Capitol ...

Early life and education

Hewes was born in

New Iberia, Louisiana New Iberia (french: La Nouvelle-Ibérie; es, Nueva Iberia) is the largest city in and parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, Iberia Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The city of New Iberia is located approximately southeast of Lafayette, L ...

October 27, 1961 and moved to

, where he attended Harrison Central High School. He later graduated from the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

in 1984 with a

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanced ...

Political career

Mississippi State Senate

Hewes represented Senate District 49, which contained

Harrison County, Mississippi Harrison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 208,621, making it the second-most populous county in Mississippi. Its county seats are Biloxi and Gulfport. The county is named af ...

. He served from his election in 1992 until 2012, serving as

President Pro Tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

from 2008 until 2012. Hewes was also the founding chairman of the Mississippi National Guard Legislative Caucus while in the Senate. As Senator, Hewes authored Mississippi’s Seller’s Disclosure Statement for Real Estate transactions, as well as Mississippi’s Prepaid College Tuition Program (MPACT), and funding for the Lynn Meadows Children’s Museum. An advocate for business interests, he was engaged in Tort reform initiatives, as well as early efforts to change the State Flag.
Mississippi Seller’s Disclosure Law – Real Estate (uslegal.com)
Lynn Meadows Discovery Center (lmdc.org)br>SB3105(As Passed the Senate) - 1997 Regular Session (state.ms.us)Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition Program... (ms.gov)MPACT , State Treasury of Mississippi (ms.gov)

2011 Lieutenant Governor race

Hewes was an unsuccessful candidate for the office of

Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi The lieutenant governor of Mississippi is the second-highest ranking executive officer in Mississippi, below the governor of Mississippi. The office of lieutenant governor was established when Mississippi became a state, abolished for a few decade ...

in 2011. After losing the Republican primary election to

Tate Reeves Jonathan Tate Reeves (born June 5, 1974) is an American politician serving as the 65th governor of Mississippi since 2020. A member of the Republican Party, Reeves served as the 32nd lieutenant governor of Mississippi from 2012 to 2020 and as ...

by a 14-point margin, Hewes endorsed him in the general election.

Mayor of Gulfport

Billy Hewes, a

, serves as the Mayor of

, the state's second largest city, having won office in the 2013 City of Gulfport General Election, in which he ran unopposed. Hewes’s leadership was instrumental in the construction of the Mississippi Aquarium Mississippi Aquarium - Wikipedia, the creation of the Harbor Lights Winter Festival, and support of the emerging Blue Economy, which is bringing a new maritime research and development component to the region’s economy. As Mayor of Mississippi’s largest coastal city, Hewes publicly advocated for a change to Mississippi’s State Flag.
Annual Gulfport Harbor Lights Winter Festival , Gulfport, MS 39501 (gulfcoast.org)Blue Economy , City of Gulfport (gulfport-ms.gov)Mississippi: Diving Into the Blue: Mississippi is all in on the Gulf Coast’s innovative Blue Economy.: , Site Selection Magazine
ttps://yallpolitics.com/2020/06/16/hewes-ms-flag-has-become-a-distraction-time-for-a-change/ Mississippi Flag has become a distraction, it's time for a change.

Political membership

He served as National Chairman of the

American Legislative Exchange Council The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives who draft and share model legislation for distribution among state governments in the United State ...

and as chairman of the

Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) is an interstate compact among the five U.S. states that border the Gulf of Mexico: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Its purpose is to promote the conservation, development an ...

. As Mayor, Hewes served an unprecedented two terms as Chairman of the Mississippi Municipal League (2019-2021), and since 2018, he has served on the U.S. Department of Commerce

First Responder Network Authority The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) of the United States was created under the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (MCTRJCA) as an independent authority within the National Telecommunications and Information Adminis ...

Board. He is also a member of the advisory board for the U.S. Department of Interior

National Park System The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properties ...

. A graduate of Leadership Mississippi and Leadership Gulf Coast, Hewes is a member of the Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, and is a past president of the Gulfport Jaycees. Hewes also serves on the Board of the South Mississippi Planning and Development District.

Family history and personal life

The Hewes family is one of the founding families of the City of Gulfport. Hewes is related to the first Mayor of Gulfport. In addition, Billy's grandfather served as a Chancery judge, and his father served on the Gulfport City Council. He is married to Paula Hewes (née Morton) and has four children. His mother-in-law Ruby Morton, was a national Goodwill Ambassador for South Mississippi. Hewes is an insurance agent and real estate broker with The Hewes Agency and Billy Hewes Real Estate. He is also a songwriter and musician, having served on the

Mississippi Blues Commission The Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission in 2006 to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, and influence of the blues throughout (and in some cases beyond) t ...

. Hewes has had songs featured in two movie soundtracks (''Stay with Me - Precious Cargo''), ''Mississippi Christmas - Christmas in MS'') and his band, Cut Bait, performs at festivals and fundraising events. The album, “She’s Got the Moves,” was released in 2021.

Awards

Hewes was named Legislator of the Year by the Mississippi Association of Realtors.

References

External links

*
William Gardner Hewes

Project Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hewes, Billy Living people Mayors of places in Mississippi Republican Party Mississippi state senators 1961 births People from New Iberia, Louisiana People from Gulfport, Mississippi Singers from Louisiana Singers from Mississippi American male singers Cajun people American blues singers Presidents pro tempore of the Mississippi State Senate