John H. Simmons (died October 18, 1940) was an American politician who served as the 13th

Mayor of Tulsa This is a list of mayors of Tulsa, a city in the U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a s ...

from 1916 to 1918.

Early life

John H. Simmons was born in Edinburgh, Indiana. He was educated in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

, and graduated from Henderson Academy near Springfield.

Career

After graduating, Simmons became a deputy clerk in Wright County, Missouri. He organized the Wright County Bank in Hartville, Missouri. In 1902, he moved to Oklahoma and organized the Cleveland National Bank. He served as its president until he moved to

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, in 1906. He served as president of the City National Bank in Tulsa until its consolidation with the First National Bank. He then served as vice president of the First National Bank. Simmons ran for mayor of Tulsa as a Republican in 1912 against the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

's nominee Frank M. Wooden. He served as the 13th

from 1916 to 1918. He was mayor while the

Tulsa Municipal Building Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

at Fourth and Cincinnati was being built and during the

Tulsa Outrage The Tulsa Outrage was an act of vigilante violence perpetrated by the Knights of Liberty — a group understood at the time to be a contemporaneous incarnation of the Ku Klux Klan — against members of the Industrial Workers of the World on Nove ...

in 1917. After his term, he was appointed by Governor

Robert L. Williams Robert Lee Williams (December 20, 1868 – April 10, 1948) was an American lawyer, judge, and the third governor of Oklahoma. Williams played a role in the drafting of the Oklahoma Constitution and served as the first Oklahoma Supreme Court ch ...

to the Tulsa district exemption board during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was a charter member of the commercial club in Tulsa, later the chamber of commerce. Simmons purchased considerable property in Tulsa. In his later years, he spent time in the administration of his real estate and oil properties. He gave towards the construction of Hotel Tulsa.

Personal life

Simmons married Margaret. They had two sons and two daughters, John, Hugh, Mrs. Irma Clay and Inez. He was a member of the First Christian Church. Simmons died following a stroke at his home at 1601 South Norfolk Avenue in Tulsa on October 18, 1940, aged 81. He was interred at Rose Hill Mausoleum.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, John Year of birth uncertain 1850s births 1940 deaths People from Indiana People from Springfield, Missouri People from Wright County, Missouri Mayors of Tulsa, Oklahoma American bank presidents Oklahoma Republicans 20th-century mayors of places in Oklahoma