Harry E. Bailey (died October 25, 1976)
was an
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
politician who was instrumental in the growth of the
Oklahoma turnpike system.
Career
Bailey served as State Highway Commissioner beginning on January 17, 1939, alongside George Meacham and Sandy Singleton.
After the resignation of W. A. Quinn, Bailey assumed the office of
city manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief execu ...
of
Oklahoma City on February 11, 1941.
Bailey was an opponent of the unionization of the
Oklahoma City Police Department )
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. In November 1941, officers from Tulsa attempted to assist OCPD officers in forming their own chapter of the
Fraternal Order of Police. After being told by Bailey that such an attempt would lead to their firing, the officers disbanded. In early 1943, eighty OCPD officers again attempted to unionize; Bailey fired eight officers and the others quickly disbanded once again.
During his tenure, Bailey was responsible for the $14 million appropriation used to construct
Tinker Air Force Base, and also oversaw the construction of
Wiley Post Airport
Wiley Post Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located seven nautical miles (13 km) northwest of the central business district of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. The facility covers 1,143 acres (463 ha) and has three runways. ...
.
Bailey left the city manager position on February 1, 1944, and the following day he became Chief Engineer of the Oklahoma Highway Department.
He then served as Director of the State Highway Department beginning on March 12, 1947.
Bailey became the General Manager of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority on January 13, 1951. In this role, he oversaw the construction of the
Turner Turnpike
The Turner Turnpike is a toll road in central Oklahoma, connecting its two largest cities, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Authorized by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1947 and opened in May 1953, it is the oldest of the state's eleven turnpikes.Everett, ...
.
Legacy
Bailey is the namesake of the
H. E. Bailey Turnpike
The H. E. Bailey Turnpike is an toll road in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The route, opened on April 23, 1964, is a four-lane limited access highway that connects Oklahoma City to Lawton in its northern section and ...
, which connects Oklahoma City to
Lawton and is now part of
Interstate 44.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, H. E.
1976 deaths
Year of birth missing
Engineers from Tennessee