James W. Holley III (November 24, 1926 – October 5, 2012) was an American
politician and
dental surgeon
A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofacial comp ...
. Holley became the first Black
mayor of
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is an independent city in southeast Virginia and across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,915. It is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area.
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Naval M ...
, and ultimately the city's longest serving mayor, although both his mayoral terms (separated by a decade) ended with his being
recalled from office. Thus he became the only known politician in American history to be twice recalled until
Fullerton, California
Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617.
Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Sa ...
Councilman Don Bankhead was recalled in June 2012.
Early life
Holley was born in 1926. After graduating from Portsmouth's
I. C. Norcom High School
I. C. Norcom High School is a public high school in Portsmouth, Virginia. It is administered by Portsmouth City Public Schools. The school colors are maroon and grey, and the mascot is the Greyhounds. The school was named after Israel Charles Norc ...
in 1944, Holley served in the
United States Army during
World War II, stationed in
Camp Livingston in
Louisiana.
Following the war, he attended
West Virginia State College (now West Virginia State University), and graduated with a
Bachelor of Science in 1949. From there he went to
Washington, D.C. where he attended dental school at the
Howard University College of Dentistry, graduating in 1955.
He has also received an honorary law degree from West Virginia State.
He attended college on the
G.I. Bill.
During a reception in the late 1950s, Holley met
Virginia Union University student Mary Walker; the couple would marry in 1960.
Holley was active during the
Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s, and played an integral role in the desegregation of Portsmouth, winning court battles which allowed for the equal use of the city's libraries, hospitals, restaurants and golf courses.
In 1961, he and fellow dentist Dr. Hugo Owens, then the president of the local NAACP, requested service at the public library but were turned down because of their race, which ultimately led to the combination of that library with the segregated black library. During the course of his involvement in the civil rights movement, Holley entertained
Martin Luther King Jr. at his home on multiple occasions.
Politics
Holley first served as a member of the Portsmouth
City Council from 1968 to 1984, and was vice-mayor from 1978 to 1980. Upon his election in 1968, he became the first
African American to serve on Portsmouth's City Council. He has twice held the office of mayor, first from July 1, 1984, to December 15, 1987, and again from July 1996 to July 13, 2010. Holley was also the first African American mayor in the city's history, and its longest serving mayor.
His first term came to an end following an expense account scandal, becoming the first
Virginia politician in modern times to be recalled.
Hate mail sent to community leaders became another factor in his removal. His successor, Gloria O. Webb, former chairperson of the School Board, not only became Portsmouth's first female mayor, but also served uncontested for a decade.
In May 2008 Holley narrowly defeated Martha Ann Creecy in the first contested mayoral election in Portsmouth since his 1996 victory. Holley was recalled for a second time on July 13, 2010.
This second recall effort began in 2009 after an assistant made a confidential complaint of verbal abuse and of being required by Holley to perform his personal errands while working on city time. The accusations (leaked to the press) prompted the Portsmouth City Council to fine Holley $2,500 and ask him to retire, citing a pattern of mistreating subordinates.
After Holley refused to retire, his opponents circulated a recall petition citing the allegations against him, which gathered 8000 signatures, which a judge deemed sufficient to place Holley's recall on the ballot for July 13, 2010.
Though an
Independent, Holley backed both
Democrats and
Republicans
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 ...
running for office, including
Hillary Clinton's
2008 presidential bid and former
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
George Allen's
2006 re-election bid. He also made a
campaign contribution to
Barack Obama.
Holley also drew criticism in 2008 for suggesting that Portsmouth needed a "black" hotel to act as a counterbalance to the "white"
Renaissance Hotel
Renaissance Hotels is a luxury hotel brand of Marriott International. It was founded in 1981 as Ramada Renaissance, an upscale brand of Ramada Inns. In 1989 the brand was relaunched as Renaissance Hotels. It was bought by Marriott in 1997. As ...
. Holley was an early supporter of the Renaissance; his portrait hangs in the lobby, and the hotel named its ballroom the "Holley Ballroom." He later apologized for the remark, saying that his words were "misconstrued" and "misinterpreted."
Holley died in 2012, aged 85, after suffering a stroke.
Fashion
Holley was known for his stylish dress. He appeared in the September 2007 issue of ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'' along with former
Virginia Beach mayor
Meyera E. Oberndorf in a feature chronicling U.S. mayors.
Notes
External links
Official Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holley, James
1926 births
2012 deaths
African-American mayors in Virginia
Activists for African-American civil rights
American dentists
United States Army personnel of World War II
Howard University alumni
Mayors of places in Virginia
Military personnel from Virginia
Politicians from Portsmouth, Virginia
Recalled American mayors
United States Army soldiers
Virginia city council members
Virginia Independents
West Virginia State University alumni
20th-century dentists
20th-century African-American politicians
20th-century American politicians
21st-century African-American politicians
21st-century American politicians