James Joseph McConn (March 15, 1928 – March 14, 1997) was the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

from 1978 to 1982. He remains the last

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to hold that office as of 2022. McConn was born in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. He moved with his family to Houston in 1939, where he met Marjorie Gougenheim, whom he married in 1947. He attended the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...

, and then returned to Houston, where he became engaged in the building-materials business and then in

home construction Home construction or residential construction is the process of constructing a house, apartment building, or similar residential building generally referred to as a 'home' when giving consideration to the people who might now or someday reside th ...

. He became president of the Greater Houston Homebuilders Association in 1969, and from there became known in local politics, having been appointed to a vacant seat on the

Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. Currently, there are sixteen members, 11 elected from council districts and five at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, w ...

by then Mayor

Louie Welch Louie Welch (December 9, 1918 – January 27, 2008) was an American politician who served from 1964 to 1973 as the mayor of Houston, Texas. Early life Welch was born on December 9, 1918 in Lockney in Floyd County in West Texas. and grew up in ...

in 1971. He was reelected to the council in 1973, but did not run in 1975. In 1977, he ran for mayor. In the first round, he lost by a large margin to

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

former district attorney Frank Briscoe, but he won the

runoff election The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resul ...

due in large part to support from minority voters and endorsements from other first-round candidates. He won reelection in 1979 against councilman Louis Macey, but lost to

Kathy Whitmire Kathryn Jean Whitmire (née Niederhofer; born August 15, 1946) is an American politician, businesswoman, and accountant best known as the first woman to serve as Mayor of Houston The following is a list of people who have served as mayor of t ...

in 1981. After leaving office, McConn served as vice president of the Houston Sports Association, which at the time owned the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

baseball team (1981–1989), and as director of the

Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality * ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record * "Greater" (song), by MercyMe, 2014 *Greater Bank, an Australian ...

(1989–1997). He died of cancer at the age of sixty-eight.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McConn, Jim Mayors of Houston University of Notre Dame alumni Texas Republicans 1928 births 1997 deaths Businesspeople from Texas Politicians from Tulsa, Oklahoma 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American politicians Businesspeople from Tulsa, Oklahoma