Mary Estus Jones Webb (May 14, 1924 – September 16, 1995) became Mayor-President of Baton Rouge in 1955 on the death of her husband,

Jesse L. Webb Jr. Jesse Lynn Webb Jr. (December 8, 1923 – April 28, 1956) was Mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He died in office in an airplane crash in 1956. Early life Webb was born on December 8, 1923, to Jesse Lynn Webb and Maude (Borskey) Webb. His father, ...

in a plane crash. She was the first woman to serve as Mayor-President of Baton Rouge.

Early life

Webb was born in

Columbia, Louisiana Columbia is a town in, and the parish seat of, Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 390 as of the 2010 census, down from 477 in 2000. History The land that became Columbia was first cleared by Daniel Humphries in 1827. ...

on May 14, 1924, to James Melton Jones and Hattie Estus Head. She married Jesse Lynn Webb and they had four children.

Tenure as Mayor-President

Her husband was only 29 when he was elected Mayor-President of Baton Rouge in 1952. Three years later, he died when the aircraft he was flying in crashed while on final approach at

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...

. The City Council chose Mrs. Webb to serve as caretaker Mayor-President for the balance of her husband's term. She did not seek election in her own right in 1956.''Baton Rouge Advocate'', Obituary. September 18, 1995

Later years

She served as Sigma Pi Fraternity housemother at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

for many years. Webb died on September 16, 1995, and was buried at Roselawn Cemetery in Baton Rouge.

References

1924 births 1995 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Louisiana Mayors of Baton Rouge, Louisiana Women mayors of places in Louisiana Women in Louisiana politics Louisiana State University people People from Columbia, Louisiana 20th-century American women politicians {{BatonRougeLA-stub