George G. Seibels, Jr. (July 16, 1913 – March 28, 2000), was the first

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 ...

to serve as 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 a ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. Seibels was born in 1913 in

Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort city located in San Diego County, California, United States, across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population was 24,697 at th ...

. He was the son of Rear Admiral George Seibels, Sr., of Montgomery, Alabama, and a great-grandson of George Goldthwaite, former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and a

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

. Seibels was reared in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and graduated in 1937 from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in history. At the university, he was the intramural light-heavy weight

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

champion for three years. After graduation, he spent one year playing professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

. Seibels moved to Birmingham in 1938 to work in the insurance business. In December 1941, he enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and was commissioned an officer in 1942, rising to the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. He served on anti-submarine duty and on a combat minesweeper in the North African and Mediterranean theatres, having participated in the assault on

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Returning to Birmingham after the war, Seibels co-chaired the committee responsible for the safety torch on the

Vulcan statue The ''Vulcan'' statue is the largest cast iron statue in the world, and is the city symbol of Birmingham, Alabama, reflecting its roots in the iron and steel industry. The tall statue depicts the Roman god Vulcan, god of the fire and forge, w ...

. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the Alabama Jaycees for traffic safety promotion. In 1947, Birmingham won first place in the Jaycees National Safety Award contest with Seibels as chairman of the local Traffic Safety Committee. The George G. Seibels Traffic Safety Award is now given annually by the Jaycees to the traffic safety chairman whose city has had the best program. Siebels, widely known as a

, was elected in the non-partisan election to the Birmingham City Council in 1963. He was part of the progressive slate of council candidates that successfully changed the city charter and ousted "Bull" Connor and his segregationist supporters from City Hall. After a single term on the City Council he was elected mayor in 1967, succeeding the retiring Albert Boutwell, who himself had defeated the notorious "Bull" Connor four years earlier. He served as Mayor from 1967 to 1975 during a period of growth for the city during which Birmingham was designated an "All-American" city. He was narrowly defeated for a third term in 1975 by fellow City Councilman David Vann. Three years later, in 1978 he was elected to the first of three terms representing Jefferson County in the Alabama House of Representatives. As one of the first modern-era Republicans in the legislature he was a vigorous defender of the City of Birmingham. He retired from elective public office in 1990 but remained active in party politics where he was affectionately known as "Mr. Republican" among Alabama GOPers. George Seibels died in Birmingham in March 2000. His final resting place is at the Arlington Antebellum House. In 2003 the Birmingham Zoo renamed its train in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siebels, Jr., George G. 1913 births 2000 deaths Alabama city council members Mayors of Birmingham, Alabama Republican Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives University of Virginia people United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy sailors Businesspeople from Alabama People from Coronado, California Players of American football from Virginia 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American politicians