John Stephens Peyton (born July 28, 1964) is an American businessman and politician who is currently president of

Gate Petroleum A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...

. He served as

Mayor of Jacksonville The Mayor of Jacksonville is the chief executive for the city of Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Jacksonville currently utilizes the strong mayor form of government, in which the mayor has significant powers compared to the Jacksonville C ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

from 2003 to 2011, when he was succeeded by

Alvin Brown Alvin Brown is an American politician from Florida who served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, from 2011 to 2015. He was the first African American to be elected to that position. Brown succeeded John Peyton as mayor after winning the 2011 ma ...

. He was the second

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 be elected to the position since 1888. After his term he returned to Gate, his family business, and succeeded his father

Herb Peyton Herbert Hill Peyton (born January 6, 1932) is an American entrepreneur and founder of Gate Petroleum in Jacksonville, Florida, which had sales of $1.44 billion in 2008. He is the father of John Peyton, current President of Gate and former two-term ...

as the company's president in January 2012.

Biography

Peyton's father is

, founder and principal owner of

, one of the largest privately held companies in the state. They have made a considerable fortune developing, buying and selling land to both the state and federal governments, as well as owning Ponte Vedra Inn and Club and other clubs and resorts, 225 Gate Gas and convenience stores in the southeastern United States, and several other businesses. Prior to his election as mayor, Peyton served as board Chairman for the

Jacksonville Transportation Authority The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is the independent agency responsible for public transit in the city of Jacksonville, Florida, and roadway infrastructure that connects northeast Florida. However, they do not maintain any roadways. ...

; Vice President of Gate and serving as chairman of the Board of Directors for the

Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra The Jacksonville Symphony is an orchestra based in Jacksonville, Florida. Concert hall As one of a handful of American orchestras with its own dedicated concert hall, the Jacksonville Symphony performs the majority of its programs in the Rober ...

and ''Greenscape of Jacksonville''. Peyton attended

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...

and earned a bachelor's degree, then graduated from the

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

Executive Education Program. A long-time bachelor, Peyton became engaged during his first campaign and married Jacksonville physician Kathryn Pearson on June 1, 2003."Wedding: Pearson-Peyton"
St. Augustine Record, June 8, 2003 They have two sons, John Conner, born in 2005, and Kent Thomas, born in 2007. Peyton is an

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

Mayor of Jacksonville

Peyton was elected as the 6th mayor of Jacksonville in 2003. At age 38, Peyton was one of the youngest mayors serving a major city in Florida at the time. Peyton survived a crowded Republican primary and defeated the county's Democratic sheriff,

Nat Glover Nathaniel Glover Jr. (born March 29, 1943), is an American former college administrator and former police officer and sheriff. Glover is considered a pioneer in leadership in Jacksonville, Florida. He was the first African American elected sheriff ...

, for the seat in a race that was the most expensive in Jacksonville history. He took office in 2003, succeeding John Delaney. In 2007, Peyton defeated community activist Jackie Brown by a margin over 50% to win a second term. Priorities include solidification of the River Accord, Seeds of Change, and his popular

early literacy Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

program ''RALLY Jacksonville!'', aimed at educating four-year-olds.

Back to Gate

Peyton's term of office ended on July 1, 2011, and

took office as the city's first African-American mayor. In a January 9, 2009 interview in the ''

Financial News & Daily Record The ''Jacksonville Daily Record'', formerly the ''Financial News & Daily Record'', is a weekly newspaper that has been published in Jacksonville, Florida since 1912. Overview The ''Daily Record'' primarily publishes urban development, financial, ...

'', Peyton was asked about his plans for 2011 when his term ended. He responded:"A conversation with Mayor John Peyton"
(January 9, 2009). ''

. Retrieved November 18, 2011. Peyton returned to Gate following his terms, briefly serving as vice president while he got up to speed on the company businesses. In January 2012, Gate announced John Peyton would succeed his father as president, while his father will take a less active role in the company.

References

External links

Biography, from the City of Jacksonville websiteGate Petroleum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peyton, John 1964 births Living people Mayors of Jacksonville, Florida Mercer University alumni Harvard Business School alumni American energy industry businesspeople Florida Republicans