Roy LeCraw (May 1, 1895 – February 21, 1985) served part of one term as the 50th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia before resigning to join the U.S. Army at the beginning of World War II. He was a self-confident insurance man and an officer in the National Guard. A charter member and the 1924 President of the Atlanta Junior Chamber of Commerce, he served as president of the

Atlanta Chamber of Commerce The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce is the chamber of commerce for the Atlanta metropolitan area. It was founded in 1859. History The first Atlanta Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1859, and was chiefly concerned with fighting railroad rate ...

starting in 1932 and ran for mayor in 1934, but was soundly defeated by

James L. Key James Lee Key (1867–1939) was a lawyer who served a total of four terms as the 45th and 48th Mayor of Atlanta. Biography Early years James L. Key was born in DeKalb County, Georgia on July 27, 1867, and educated in the public schools. He ini ...

. The next mayor,

William B. Hartsfield William Berry Hartsfield Sr. (March 1, 1890 – February 22, 1971), was an American politician who served as the 49th and 51st Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. His tenure extended from 1937 to 1941 and again from 1942 to 1962, making him the longest-s ...

, saw many of Atlanta's best business and professional people begin to leave the city for life in the

suburbs A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

and a labor-friendly candidate such as LeCraw became more popular. This caused Hartsfield to start the campaign to annex Buckhead but in September 1941, LeCraw defeated Hartsfield by 111 votes. His tenure was to be short-lived, however. He joined the Army, resigning his post in May 1942 when mayor

pro tem ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a ''locum tenens'' (placeholder) in the absence of ...

George B. Lyle George Browning Lyle (January 18, 1884 – December 14, 1948) was briefly mayor of Atlanta during the month of May in 1942. Roy LeCraw had fought a tough campaign against incumbent William Hartsfield and won on a slim margin but just a few month ...

took over until a special election could be held on May 27, in which Hartsfield defeated eight opponents. LeCraw served in Europe and after the war he returned and ran again in 1945 but was defeated by Hartsfield. In 1948, he served as a state senator, and in 1954 lost a bid for the U.S. Congress. He served in Korea and received the Bronze Star. In the 1960s he raised money for and founded many Presbyterian churches in the various countries he had visited.

Christian Service

LeCraw became a missionary later in life. He traveled to the far east and help start over 150 churches. A video of his life story is on vimeo. https://vimeo.com/16079161

Honors

In 2002 a lamp was installed in his honor at 2970 Peachtree Road in Buckhead.

References

Succession

References

Roy LeCraw's obituary
1895 births 1985 deaths Mayors of Atlanta Georgia (U.S. state) state senators United States Army personnel of World War II 20th-century American politicians {{GeorgiaUS-mayor-stub