Benjamin Elbert Douglas Sr. (September 3, 1894 – July 27, 1981) was the mayor of

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 ...

from 1935 to 1941. He administered the construction of an airport for Charlotte. Charlotte Douglas International Airport, as the airport is named today, was named after him in 1954. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he was also the first mayor of Charlotte who was directly elected by voters pursuant to a change in the city charter.

Biography

Douglas was born 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 R ...

on September 3, 1894. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

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 ...

. In 1946 Ben Douglas founded Douglas Furs, after

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

asked a personal favor of Ben Sr. – to find a way to clean the fleece-lined fur-trimmed flight jackets for the soldiers flying in the then current war in Europe. He used his knowledge gained in the dry cleaning business (he owned one in Charlotte prior) and his ingenuity gained him a government contract and later a thriving business in the fur trade. Douglas also was the relentless lobbyist for the now well-traveled

Independence Boulevard U.S. Route 74 (US 74) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Primarily in North Carolina, it serves as an important highway from the mountains to the ...

. Mary Louise Douglas (his widow) continued to work at Douglas Furs 3 days a week until her death on December 29, 2007. The store is lined with historical text, newspaper articles of his election, and pictures of Ben and his accomplishments. Douglas directed the North Carolina Department of Conservation and Development from 1953 to 1955. In 1956, Douglas unsuccessfully ran for Congress.

References

External links

Political GraveyardBen E. Douglas (1935–1941)
– City of Charlotte website. 1894 births 1981 deaths Mayors of Charlotte, North Carolina North Carolina Democrats People from Iredell County, North Carolina United States Army personnel of World War I 20th-century American politicians {{NorthCarolina-mayor-stub