James Lee Key (1867–1939) was a lawyer who served a total of four terms as the 45th and 48th Mayor of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Biography

Early years

James L. Key was born in

DeKalb County, Georgia DeKalb County (, , ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 764,382, making it Georgia's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat is Decatur. DeKalb County is inclu ...

on July 27, 1867, and educated in the public schools. He initially took up the practice of law in the city of Atlanta, in the 1890s

Political career

By 1902, Key was an Atlanta city councilman representing the Sixth Ward. He ran for mayor in 1904 and 1918 first losing to, then defeating, James G. Woodward. He was easily re-elected in the 1920 election. During that second term, he established Atlanta's first City Planning Commission and issued bonds to build the Spring St. viaduct (completed December 20, 1923). He didn't run for re-election in 1922, and when he did run in 1924, he lost. In 1930, Key was elected to a third

Term Term may refer to: * Terminology, or term, a noun or compound word used in a specific context, in particular: **Technical term, part of the specialized vocabulary of a particular field, specifically: ***Scientific terminology, terms used by scient ...

in the wake of the Atlanta graft ring scandal and early in that term he made public statements against

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

and the

blue law Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, Sunday trade laws and Sunday closing laws, are laws restricting or banning certain activities on specified days, usually Sundays in the western world. The laws were adopted originally for religious reasons ...

bans of Sunday baseball games and Sunday movies. This precipitated a recall vote in 1932 that he would have lost if not for support from the black community. He was instrumental in getting

Harry Hopkins Harry Lloyd Hopkins (August 17, 1890 – January 29, 1946) was an American statesman, public administrator, and presidential advisor. A trusted deputy to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Hopkins directed New Deal relief programs before servi ...

and his

WPA WPA may refer to: Computing *Wi-Fi Protected Access, a wireless encryption standard *Windows Product Activation, in Microsoft software licensing * Wireless Public Alerting (Alert Ready), emergency alerts over LTE in Canada * Windows Performance An ...

program to update the city sewer system and nearly a million dollars to remodel the

Atlanta Municipal Auditorium Atlanta Municipal Auditorium, originally known as the ''Auditorium and Armory'', was an auditorium in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It was constructed with funds raised by a committee of Atlanta citizens and then sold to the city of Atlanta. The stru ...

and

Cyclorama A cyclorama is a panoramic image on the inside of a cylindrical platform, designed to give viewers standing in the middle of the cylinder a 360° view, and also a building designed to show a panoramic image. The intended effect is to make vie ...

building. Key won a fourth term in 1934. Herbert T. Jenkins, Sr. who named a son after the mayor, was an aide and driver for Key. Jenkins later served as Chief of Police of the

Atlanta Police Department The Atlanta Police Department (APD) is a law enforcement agency in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. The city shifted from its rural-based Marshal and Deputy Marshal model at the end of the 19th century. In 1873, the department was formed with 2 ...

for 26 years, from 1947-1973. By the time he was campaigning for his fifth term, against

William B. Hartsfield William Berry Hartsfield Sr. (March 1, 1890 – February 22, 1971), was an American politician who served as the 49th and 51st Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. His tenure extended from 1937 to 1941 and again from 1942 to 1962, making him the longest-s ...

in 1936, the nearly 70-year-old Key was accused of spending only an hour a day at his office and lost a contentious race.

Death and legacy

James L. Key died in 1939 after finally seeing the end of Prohibition. The James L. Key Elementary School was named for the late mayor in 1963. Located at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Stovall Street, the school was closed in the 1990s. The former James L. Key Golf Course, in Atlanta, was named in his honor. The golf course, along with many old Victorian-era homes in the Grant Park neighborhood were demolished in the late 1950s to make way for

Interstate 20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with Interstate 10, I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with Interstate 95, I-95 in Flo ...

References

External links

Image: James L. Key residence (Atlanta History Center)

Image: Mayor of Atlanta James L. Key with others beside an Eastern Air Transport plane, circa early 1930s (Georgia State University)

1932 press photo of James L. Key - Atlanta Mayor (Historic Images Outlet)

Audio file: Oral history by Dr. Homer E. Nash - Recalling prominent politicians, such as Atlanta mayors James L. Key and William B. Hartsfield (Atlanta University System)

Photo
of Mayor James L. Key and

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...

at WSB radio in 1922 {{DEFAULTSORT:Key, James L. 1867 births 1939 deaths Mayors of Atlanta