Frank Wilson Wozencraft (June 7, 1892 – September 3, 1966) was

mayor of Dallas The Mayor of the City of Dallas is the head of the Dallas City Council. The current mayor is Eric Johnson (Texas politician), Eric Johnson, who has served one term since 2019 Dallas mayoral election, 2019 and is the 62nd mayor to serve the posit ...

from 1917 to 1921.

Biography

Frank Wilson Wozencraft was born on June 7, 1892, in Dallas, Texas, to Gen. Alfred Prior Wozencraft and Virginia Lee Wilson. His father had been attorney general of Texas. He married Mary Victoria McReynolds, daughter of Dr. John Oliver McReynolds and Katherine Seay on June 21, 1922, in Dallas, Texas. They had two sons. He attended St. Matthew's School for Boys in Dallas, graduated from Dallas High School (1909), and received his B.A. (1913) and LL.B. (1914) degrees from the University of Texas where he became a member of the

Delta Chi Delta Chi () is an international Fraternities and sororities, Greek letter collegiate social fraternity formed on October 13, 1890, at Cornell University, initially as a professional fraternity for law students. On April 30, 1922, Delta Chi be ...

fraternity. His first position was in his father's law office. He worked as an attorney for Southwestern Telephone and Telegraph. At the outbreak of World War I, he organized the Dallas Greys. He transferred to Company B, 144th Infantry, 36th Division. At age 26, Frank Wozencraft was the youngest individual elected

Mayor of Dallas The Mayor of the City of Dallas is the head of the Dallas City Council. The current mayor is Eric Johnson (Texas politician), Eric Johnson, who has served one term since 2019 Dallas mayoral election, 2019 and is the 62nd mayor to serve the posit ...

, defeating the incumbent mayor who was running for re-election. After refusing re-nomination as mayor, he practiced law with the firm of Leake, Henry, Wozencraft & Frank in Dallas. In 1931 he joined Radio Corporation of America in New York City as the corporation's legal counsel. He resigned to serve in World War II first as Lt. Colonel and later

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

with American-British Combined Communications Board of the Combined Chiefs of Staff. After the war, he returned to Dallas where he was a partner with former FCC commissioner

Norman S. Case Norman Stanley Case (October 11, 1888October 9, 1967) was an American politician who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island from 1927 to 1928 and the 55th Governor of Rhode Island from 1928 to 1933. He also served in the Army during Wor ...

in the

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, law firm of Case & Wozencraft and later with Leake, Henry, Golden, Burrow and Potts. He was a 32nd degree

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, Knight Templar,

Shriner Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

and a

Rotarian Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

. He was active with the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

and a member of the local, state and American bar associations. Frank Wozencraft died September 3, 1966, in Dallas, Texas, and was interred at the Greenwood Cemetery, Dallas."Dallas' Boy Mayor of 20s Dies at 74." ''The Dallas Morning News''. September 4, 1966, p. 18A.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wozencraft, Frank W. 1892 births 1966 deaths Mayors of Dallas University of Texas School of Law alumni United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army personnel of World War II Texas lawyers Texas Democrats 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers United States Army colonels Military personnel from Texas