Vincent John Whibbs Sr. KSG (February 8, 1920 – May 30, 2006) was an American automobile dealer,

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 ...

and businessman who served as the 54th

mayor of Pensacola The mayor of the City of Pensacola is the chief executive officer and holder of the city of Pensacola, Florida. The mayor's office is located at the city hall at 222 West Main Street in Downtown, and owns an estate near the Texar Bayou in East Pens ...

from 1978 to 1991. Whibbs was also very involved with many projects and groups in his hometown of

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 ...

. He was invested as a knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great by

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in 1995.

Personal life

Vincent John Whibbs was born on February 8, 1920, in Buffalo,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Whibbs had a wife, Anna, and 7 children. He died on May 26, 2006, at the age of 86.

Career

Business career

Whibbs worked for the Pontiac division of General Motors beginning in 1940. He held positions in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

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 ...

, and

. During

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 ...

, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. In 1958, Whibbs founded Vince Whibbs Pontiac, now known as Buick GMC Pensacola.

Political career

Whibbs served on the board of directors of the Greater Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce. Vince also served as president of the Pensacola Chapter of the Navy League, Rotary Club of Pensacola Suburban West, the Fiesta of Five Flags, Junior Achievement, Pensacola Franchised Automobile Dealers Association and the United Way and Project Alert. Whibbs was elected to serve on the

Pensacola City Council The Pensacola City Council is the governing body of the City of Pensacola, Florida. The seven-member council is elected by single-member districts. Council members serve four year terms. Each November, the council elects a council president, who c ...

from Ward 1, Group 2 in 1963, and served as a councilman until 1965. In 1975, Whibbs was selected to be head of the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, and was then elected to serve as the 54th

from 1978 until his retirement in 1991. He was succeeded by

Mayor pro Tempore ''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 ...

Jerry Maygarden Jerry Louis Maygarden (born December 22, 1948) is a former American politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1994 to 2002. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 55th Mayor of Pensacol ...

Legacy

The Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park, opened in 2012, is named in his honor. There is a statue of Whibbs at the Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park.

References