Darwin Alexander Hindman (April 30, 1933 – June 17, 2019) was an American politician and
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 a ...
of
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...
. He was elected mayor in 1995 and finished his fifth elected term (15 years total) in April 2010 after announcing he would not be running for re-election at the end of that term. During Hindman's term as mayor, Columbia and three other cities received 25 million dollars in
federal funding
In the United States, federal assistance, also known as federal aid, federal benefits, or federal funds, is defined as any federal program, project, service, or activity provided by the federal government that directly assists domestic governmen ...
to run a pilot project to promote bicycling and walking as an alternative to driving. In 2009 he was one of three mayors to receive the Leadership for Healthy Communities Award, along with
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...
of
New York City and
Gavin Newsom of
San Francisco. He has been called the "Father of the
Katy Trail." He was one of the longest serving members of the
Columbia City Council.
Education and early life
Hindman was born in
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
in 1933 and moved to Columbia in 1935. He received degrees in
political science and law from the
University of Missouri (1955 and 1961 respectively). Hindman flew
bombers and
transport planes during two tours of
active duty as a
pilot in the
United States Air Force. He lived in Columbia nearly all of his life.
Service
Hindman was involved with the Columbia Tomorrow Committee, the Missouri State Parks Advisory Board, Citizens Campaign for the Katy Trail State Park, the Missouri Economic Development Finance Board, the Missouri Environmental Improvement Board, and the Missouri Energy Resource Authority. He was president of the Missouri Rails-to-Trails Coalition
and a chairman of the
Katy Trail Coalition.
He was an advocate of building a pedestrian-based transportation system in Columbia and was active in political groups and committees across the state of
Missouri. He was also a supporter of many of Columbia's progressive policies such as
recycling programs and
smoking ban
Smoking bans, or smoke-free laws, are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, that prohibit tobacco smoking in certain spaces. The spaces most commonly affected by smoking bans are indoor work ...
s.
Awards
*Columbia Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Citizen of the Year
*University of Missouri Faculty Alumni
*Chevron Times Mirror Publications Citizen Conservation
*Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Association award
*Leadership for Healthy Communities Award (2009)
References
External links
Official biography(featuring Hyndman's bicycle advocacy)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hindman, Darwin
1933 births
2019 deaths
Politicians from Columbus, Ohio
Mayors of Columbia, Missouri
Lawyers from Columbia, Missouri
University of Missouri alumni
United States Air Force airmen
Lawyers from Columbus, Ohio
Missouri city council members
Military personnel from Missouri
20th-century American lawyers