Jyles Coggins
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Jyles Jackson Coggins (January 10, 1921 – August 25, 2011) was an American
real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. R ...
and
politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
who served in the
North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...
and
North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...
. He served as the
Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina The mayor of Raleigh is the mayor of Raleigh, the state capital of North Carolina, in the United States. Raleigh operates with council-manager government, under which the mayor is elected separately from Raleigh City Council, of which they are ...
from 1975 until 1977. Coggins was born to a poor family in 1921 in
Iredell County, North Carolina Iredell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,693. Its county seat is Statesville, and its largest town is Mooresville. The county was formed in 1788, subtracted from Ro ...
, United States. He moved to
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in 1939 to pursue a university education, but dropped out due to ill health and took up various jobs. He enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
in 1942 and fought in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
as a bomber pilot. Following his discharge in 1946, Coggins moved to
Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
to resume his education. He shortly thereafter abandoned his studies to start his own construction company. Over time the business grew and completed projects across the southeastern United States, and Coggins became a millionaire. In 1963 he, a
conservative Democrat In American politics, a conservative Democrat is a member of the Democratic Party with conservative political views, or with views that are conservative compared to the positions taken by other members of the Democratic Party. Traditionally, co ...
, was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives. Two years later he was elected to the North Carolina Senate. Over the course of his legislative career he advocated for the
disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...
and opposed liquor, pornography, and coed dormitories on state university campuses. He also frequently disregarded the wishes of state Democratic leaders, earning a reputation as a maverick. Coggins left the Senate in 1971 and unsuccessfully sought a seat in the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
the following year. Coggins was elected Mayor of Raleigh in 1975. During his tenure, the
Raleigh City Council Raleigh City Council is the governing body for the city of Raleigh, the state capital of North Carolina. Raleigh is governed by council-manager government. It is composed of eight members, including the Mayor of Raleigh. Five of the members ar ...
was split evenly between members aligned with community and environmental activists who wanted to limit the city's growth and others who represented business interests and sought to promote development. The division brought about frequent clashing between Coggins—who had an abrasive, uncompromising style and supported further development in Raleigh—and members of the council. He was challenged in his 1977 reelection bid by
Isabella Cannon Isabella McLean Bett Walton Cannon (May 12, 1904 – February 13, 2002) was an American politician who served as the first female mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1977 until 1979. At the age of 73, she defeated the incumbent Mayor, Jyles ...
, who ran at the behest of a coalition of community activists. Coggins frequently attacked the coalition throughout the campaign. Despite having the endorsement of Raleigh's two newspapers and outspending his opponent, he lost the election. He died on August 25, 2011.


Early life

Jyles Coggins was born on January 10, 1921, in Mooresville,
Iredell County, North Carolina Iredell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,693. Its county seat is Statesville, and its largest town is Mooresville. The county was formed in 1788, subtracted from Ro ...
, United States to James Lee Coggins and Jeanette Arney. He was the third of five children in a poor family. Both of his parents worked at the Kannapolis Cotton Mill. When Coggins was thirteen years old his father died, and he moved to Statesville to work on a farm, sending a portion of his income back to his family to support it. He graduated from Iredell County's Central High School in 1939. Coggins hitchhiked from his family's farm to
Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to: Places Antarctica * Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia *Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area Canada * Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...
to attend the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
. He studied at the school from 1939 until 1940, when he was forced to drop out due to ill health. He then worked a variety of jobs before enlisting in the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
in June 1942. Seeking to become an aviator, he undertook training courses in Chapel Hill; Anacostia, Maryland; and
Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
, and was commissioned as a lieutenant on August 17. He completed his operational flight training on November 6 and was subsequently sent to
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
to join American forces moving out for deployment in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Coggins served as a
bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...
pilot and fought in the South Pacific, earning ten military awards, including two Distinguished Flying Crosses. Coggins became known as "Bomber Jack" to his fellow Marines during the war and garnered the rank of First Lieutenant before he was discharged in 1946. Coggins returned to North Carolina and enrolled in North Carolina State College in
Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
, building his own duplex to reside in while he pursued his studies. Anticipating a post-war
construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and com ...
boom, he dropped out in 1947 to pursue a career in contracting. Coggins married Frances Katherine Lyon on September 24, 1943 in
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
. They had five daughters together. Coggins was a Presbyterian Christian, and was a member of a
masonic lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...
, the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...
, the
American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
, and the Raleigh Civitan Club.


Commercial career

Coggins founded the Coggins Construction Company. His first projects were small duplexes. Over time Coggins gradually expanded his building work to include apartment complexes and government buildings. His construction company completed projects across the
southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...
, including development at
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point (*) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, United States, in the eastern part of the state. It was built in 1941, and was commissioned in 1942 and ...
and the erection of Beckanna Apartments, an eight-story, 250-unit housing complex on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh which he named for two of his daughters. Coggins later engaged in
real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...
speculation In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset (a commodity, good (economics), goods, or real estate) with the hope that it will become more valuable shortly. (It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline i ...
. Believing that
U.S. Route 70 U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern United States, Southeastern, Southern Unite ...
would become an important channel of commercial activity between Raleigh and
Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
, he began to purchase land along the highway, eventually amassing over 250 acres. He leased some of the land in the area and oversaw a significant amount of
real estate development Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw Real Estate, land and the sale of developed land or parcels ...
along the road, sometimes provoking the ire of local residents. He also founded the Lyon Equipment Company and Dob's, Inc. Coggins frequently attended to his business, and he had little spare time to interact with friends and family or engage in leisurely activities. Over the course of his career he became a millionaire. His newfound wealth allowed him to purchase a large home and 16-acres of land in western Raleigh. He founded Raleigh Memorial Park, a cemetery. His last development project was the erection of a large
mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
in the cemetery. Coggins had wanted to build such a structure since the 1950s but never had any commercial support to do so, and decided to personally construct it in the early 1990s. He dedicated it to his wife. Coggins served as chairman of the board of Textile Research Services, Inc.. He was also a member of the National Association of Cemeteries, North Carolina Cemetery Association, Raleigh Merchants Bureau, Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, North Carolina Association of Quality Restaurants, North Carolina Motel Association, Association of General Contractors, Raleigh Board of Realtors, and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.


Legislative career

In 1963 Coggins sought a seat in the
North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...
. Affiliating with 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 ...
, he styled himself as a conservative and won election. Coggins was then elected to the 12th district seat in
North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...
, representing
Wake County Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...
, in 1965. He won re-election to the Senate in 1967 and 1969, serving until 1971. In the 1969–1970 legislative session, he served as Chairman of both the Senate Appropriations Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutional Care, and the Senate Committee on Libraries. Over the course of his time in the legislature, he advocated for the
disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...
and opposed liquor, pornography, and coed dormitories on state university campuses. In 1971 he introduced a bill that would prohibit students from visiting opposite sex dormitories on state university campuses, but it was defeated in committee. Throughout his tenure he gained a reputation as a maverick, frequently ignoring the wishes of state Democratic leaders. Speaking about his legislative career in 1975, he said, "I was not a special-interest legislator. I was never bothered by lobbyists much in the legislature." In 1972 Coggins sought the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
seat from
North Carolina's 4th congressional district The 4th congressional district of North Carolina is located in the central region of the state. The district includes all of Durham County, Orange County, Granville County, and Franklin County, as well as portions of Chatham County, northe ...
. He lost the Democratic Party's nomination to
Ike Franklin Andrews Ike Franklin Andrews (September 2, 1925 – May 10, 2010) was an American politician. He served as a Democratic U.S. Congressman from North Carolina's Fourth Congressional District between 1973 and 1985, when he was defeated for reelection b ...
in a primary election.


Mayoral career


1975 campaign

In the 1970s citizens of Raleigh became increasingly concerned about the city's rapid population growth and the consequences of unchecked real estate development. These people formed civic and neighborhood associations which unified as a collective political bloc, the Community Coalition, that supported a more managed process for dealing with Raleigh's expansion. The coalition's electoral strength contributed to the election of
Clarence Lightner Clarence Everett Lightner (August 15, 1921 – July 8, 2002) was an American politician and mortician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1973 to 1975. He was the first popularly elected Mayor ...
as Mayor of Raleigh in 1973. In 1975, Coggins sought the office of Mayor, challenging Lightner, whose reputation had suffered from family legal troubles, though Coggins did not openly discuss them. He emphasized during his campaign that he had never maintained a campaigning organization on his behalf or accepted a political donation, noting that his "loner" status in politics made him less suspicious than other candidates with potential ties to real estate developers. He placed first in the October mayoral primary election, earning 10,201 votes. Lightner placed third. He withdrew from the race and endorsed Coggins. Coggins faced City Councilman J. Oliver Williams in the November 4 election, who had the support of the Community Coalition. According to some reports, Coggins initially sought the support of some coalition members, but failed. He resorted to criticizing the bloc, accusing it of trying to take over the municipal government. Two local black voters' groups, the Raleigh Wake Citizens Association and the Wake County Black Democratic Political Caucus, endorsed him. Coggins won the election with 55 percent of the votes cast in his favor.


Tenure

Coggins assumed office on December 9, 1975. During his tenure, the eight-member
Raleigh City Council Raleigh City Council is the governing body for the city of Raleigh, the state capital of North Carolina. Raleigh is governed by council-manager government. It is composed of eight members, including the Mayor of Raleigh. Five of the members ar ...
was split evenly between members aligned with community and environmental activists who wanted to limit the city's growth and others who represented business interests and sought to promote development. The division brought about frequent clashing between Coggins—who had an abrasive, uncompromising style and supported further development in Raleigh—and members of the council. The disagreement emerged during the City Council's first meeting in December when Coggins called for a vote on the reelection of a returning member as mayor pro tempore. The four city council members supported by the Community Coalition asked that the vote be postponed until a later meeting when they could consider assigning all other leadership roles on the council. Coggins' disregarded their wish and proceeded with the vote, which tied among the councilmen. After breaking the tie with his own vote, Coggins angrily declared "If we're going to have division, let's bring it to a head right now." He then told the four councilmen backed by the coalition, "I refuse to be intimidated. I refuse to be coerced. And I will not be dictated to by any group regardless of who supports it." He later clarified that the "group" he alluded to was the Community Coalition. Relations between Coggins and the council remained tense throughout the rest of his term. The councilmen hotly debated whether the mayor should be empowered to refer proposals to committees without the council's consent. Coggins disagreed with the council about revisions to Raleigh's city charter, pushing for the abolition of the Community Advisory Council, a board which represented neighborhood civic associations. During his tenure the city council also failed to produce a plan for addressing Raleigh's development and growth. The frequent disagreement between Coggins and the council greatly contributed to the eventual resignation of one city councilman and the decision of two others to not seek reelection. While mayor, he also defeated a
strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
undertaken by black sanitation workers attempting to unionize and established a committee to examine the city's housing inspections department. On July 31, 1976 he was awarded an honorary
doctor of law A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL ...
from Shaw University.


1977 reelection campaign

Coggins sought reelection in 1977. He was challenged by a
grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...
candidate,
Isabella Cannon Isabella McLean Bett Walton Cannon (May 12, 1904 – February 13, 2002) was an American politician who served as the first female mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1977 until 1979. At the age of 73, she defeated the incumbent Mayor, Jyles ...
, who ran for the mayoral office at the behest of the Raleigh Coalition, a successor group to the Community Coalition. On September 13 Coggins, Cannon, and other candidates for municipal offices attended a forum hosted by the coalition. In his opening statement Coggins declared that he was not pursuing the coalition's endorsement, and characterized the group as "a self-appointed, self-anointed group of people serving as an ad hoc city council in exile." At the forum's end he dismissed the event as a "farce". Cannon and the other candidates used their time to discuss local issues, and on September 20 the coalition endorsed Cannon. In the early weeks of the campaign, Coggins discussed Raleigh's need for jobs and his experience in business. Throughout its duration, he emphasized his political experience as mayor and as a legislator. He also frequently criticized the Raleigh Coalition for being "anti-growth". Some observers believed that Coggins attacked the coalition instead of Cannon directly because he was hesitant to speak poorly of an elderly woman. Coggins initially denied that this was the case, but later said, "I still think a gentleman should treat a lady as a lady." Coggins spent $12,000 of his own money on his campaign effort, the most of any candidate for Raleigh municipal office in the 1977 election. He received the endorsement of the city's two daily newspapers, '' The Raleigh News and Observer'' and '' The Raleigh Times'', as well as the support of the Raleigh Wake Citizens Association. The Wake County Black Democratic Political Caucus endorsed Cannon. During the final week of the campaign, Coggins spent $9,000 on newspaper advertisements, including $4,000 on four full-page ads. In an upset, Cannon defeated Coggins in the November 8 election, 14,508 votes to 13,315. Coggins won only 15 of Raleigh's 43 precincts, performing best in the wealthier neighborhood constituencies as well as the working-class areas of the eastern part of the city. Various theories were offered as to why Coggins lost. G. Wesley Williams, director of the Raleigh Merchants Bureau, believed that Coggins "blew it" by repeatably delivering "vitriolic statements" throughout his tenure. Journalists believed the split of the black vote—which had previously unified behind Coggins—contributed to his defeat. Coggins attributed his failure to the campaigning done by the Raleigh Coalition as well as negative press coverage of himself. His term ended in December. Reflecting on his political career in 1998, Coggins said, "I never looked at politics as a profession. It was more of a hobby, my chance to give something back to the community since I had no talent for volunteering or civic groups"


Later life

Coggins flew aircraft as a hobby after World War II, and continued doing so into his 70s. On February 8, 1978 Governor
Jim Hunt James Baxter Hunt Jr. (born May 16, 1937) is an American politician and retired attorney who was the List of governors of North Carolina, 69th and 71st Governor of North Carolina (1977–1985, and 1993–2001). He is the longest-serving governo ...
appointed him to the North Carolina Cemetery Commission. Coggins' wife died in 1995 and he subsequently developed
insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...
. He sold Raleigh Memorial Park in 1996. Coggins died at his home in western Raleigh on the evening of August 25, 2011. He was survived by his five daughters, 15 grandchildren, and one great-grandson.


Notes


Citations


References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coggins, Jyles 1921 births 2011 deaths Mayors of Raleigh, North Carolina Democratic Party North Carolina state senators Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives United States Marine Corps officers United States Marine Corps pilots of World War II United States Marine Corps bomber pilots of World War II People from Iredell County, North Carolina Businesspeople from North Carolina Military personnel from North Carolina