Lou Ritter
Encyclopedia
Louis Hampton "Lou" Ritter (September 27, 1925 – April 9, 2010) was an American
politician
and lobbyist. He served as mayor of Jacksonville
, Florida
from 1965 until 1967. A Democrat
, he assumed office when W. Haydon Burns
, mayor since 1949, resigned to become Governor of Florida. He was the last mayor to serve his entire term before the city was consolidated
with the Duval County
government.
in 1943. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II
, then attended the University of Florida
where he served as student body president, graduating in 1950.
in early 1951, but was refused when he tried to file his intention with the clerk of the court, as he had been at school in Gainesville and not physically living in Duval County
. He filed suit to challenge the residency requirement and prevailed less than two weeks before the first primary. The publicity from the court challenge helped him win the election, and at 23, he became the youngest city councilman in Jacksonville's history. Two years later, Ritter was elected by his fellow councilmen as Council President. He was elected as Commissioner of Highways, Sewers & Airports in 1955 and served for nearly 10 years. Ritter initiated the planning and pushed for the current Jacksonville International Airport
. Construction began in 1965 and the facility opened in October, 1968. He implemented a building code
which required and enforced minimum housing standards. Ritter also began a master sewer plan for the city. In 1960, Ritter helped run John F. Kennedy
's presidential campaign in Florida.
, who had served as Mayor of Jacksonville since 1949, successfully ran for Governor of Florida in fall 1964, a year after being re-elected mayor. The city council nominated Ritter, then serving in the City Commission, to fill Burns' remaining term, and the county commission approved his appointment. This was the period of time immediately following passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
. Jacksonville had a history of racial segregation
and violence, but Ritter was credited with keeping the fight over civil rights from tearing the city apart. He was a progressive who supported civil rights
and welcomed federal assistance for the city's urban renewal
efforts. He appointed blacks to city advisory boards, started the anti-poverty agency, Greater Jacksonville Economic Opportunity, and integrated the Jacksonville Police Department. One of the officers he appointed was young patrolman Nat Glover, who was later elected Sheriff of Jacksonville in 1995. Ritter was quoted in a 2002 interview for the Financial News and Daily Record
:
During the terms of Mayor Burns, the good ol' boy network
was the de facto standard among those in government. Cronyism
and rampant corruption were common. In the early 1960s, a grand jury indicted eleven officials including councilmen, commissioners, the city auditor, the county purchasing agent and the city tax assessor. Ritter was never implicated, but the prevailing mood in the city was anti-incumbent. Ritter ran for election for the 1967 term, but was defeated by Hans Tanzler
, a local judge. According to historian James B. Crooks,
as Director Sargent Shriver
's executive assistant during President Lyndon Johnson's administration. After leaving Washington, D.C.
, Florida Governor Reubin Askew appointed him as secretary of the Florida Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation from 1971–1974. Subsequently, Ritter founded a lobbying firm in Tallahassee. Florida Funeral directors were his first client, but there have been many others, including golf professionals, the swimming pool industry and dry cleaners.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
staged an undercover sting operation in 1981 using a convicted felon who was trying to obtain a state liquor license. Several prominent Jacksonvillians were indicted, including Ritter, who was accused of accepting money illegally. Ritter was acquitted by a federal judge in 1982.
Ritter suffered a heart attack
in 2000 and received quadruple bypass surgery
which slowed his pace, but only slightly. Prior to his death, he was writing a book about politics in Jacksonville from 1930 through the 1960s. Louis Ritter died at his home in Palm Valley
on April 9, 2010 after a battle with cancer
. He was 84.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and lobbyist. He served as mayor of Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
from 1965 until 1967. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, he assumed office when W. Haydon Burns
W. Haydon Burns
William Haydon Burns was the 35th Governor of Florida from 1965 to 1967. He was also Mayor of the city of Jacksonville, Florida from 1949 to 1965.-Early life:...
, mayor since 1949, resigned to become Governor of Florida. He was the last mayor to serve his entire term before the city was consolidated
Consolidated city-county
In United States local government, a consolidated city–county is a city and county that have been merged into one unified jurisdiction. As such it is simultaneously a city, which is a municipal corporation, and a county, which is an administrative division of a state...
with the Duval County
Duval County, Florida
Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 864,263. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968...
government.
Early years
Ritter was born and raised in Jacksonville and graduated from Andrew Jackson High SchoolAndrew Jackson High School (Jacksonville, Florida)
Andrew Jackson High School is the oldest fully accredited high school in Duval County, Florida. It is located just north of downtown Jacksonville on Main Street . It opened in 1927, followed by Robert E. Lee High School, which opened in 1928. It was originally an all-white school, but the school...
in 1943. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, then attended the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
where he served as student body president, graduating in 1950.
Politics
Ritter decided to run for the Jacksonville City CouncilJacksonville City Council
The Jacksonville City Council is the legislative governing body of the city of Jacksonville, Florida.-Composition:The Jacksonville City Council is composed of nineteen members who are elected to four-year terms and serve as part-time legislators...
in early 1951, but was refused when he tried to file his intention with the clerk of the court, as he had been at school in Gainesville and not physically living in Duval County
Duval County, Florida
Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 864,263. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968...
. He filed suit to challenge the residency requirement and prevailed less than two weeks before the first primary. The publicity from the court challenge helped him win the election, and at 23, he became the youngest city councilman in Jacksonville's history. Two years later, Ritter was elected by his fellow councilmen as Council President. He was elected as Commissioner of Highways, Sewers & Airports in 1955 and served for nearly 10 years. Ritter initiated the planning and pushed for the current Jacksonville International Airport
Jacksonville International Airport
Jacksonville International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located 13 miles north of downtown Jacksonville, a city in Duval County, Florida...
. Construction began in 1965 and the facility opened in October, 1968. He implemented a building code
Building code
A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures. The main purpose of building codes are to protect public health, safety and general welfare as they relate to the...
which required and enforced minimum housing standards. Ritter also began a master sewer plan for the city. In 1960, Ritter helped run John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's presidential campaign in Florida.
Mayor
W. Haydon BurnsW. Haydon Burns
William Haydon Burns was the 35th Governor of Florida from 1965 to 1967. He was also Mayor of the city of Jacksonville, Florida from 1949 to 1965.-Early life:...
, who had served as Mayor of Jacksonville since 1949, successfully ran for Governor of Florida in fall 1964, a year after being re-elected mayor. The city council nominated Ritter, then serving in the City Commission, to fill Burns' remaining term, and the county commission approved his appointment. This was the period of time immediately following passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including racial segregation...
. Jacksonville had a history of racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
and violence, but Ritter was credited with keeping the fight over civil rights from tearing the city apart. He was a progressive who supported civil rights
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
and welcomed federal assistance for the city's urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
efforts. He appointed blacks to city advisory boards, started the anti-poverty agency, Greater Jacksonville Economic Opportunity, and integrated the Jacksonville Police Department. One of the officers he appointed was young patrolman Nat Glover, who was later elected Sheriff of Jacksonville in 1995. Ritter was quoted in a 2002 interview for the Financial News and Daily Record
Financial News and Daily Record
The Financial News & Daily Record is a daily financial newspaper published in Jacksonville, Florida by Bailey Publishing and Communications, Inc. The Financial News & Daily Record began publication in 1912. The paper is published five days a week, having not missed a publication since it began in...
:
“Nat Glover (Jacksonville Sheriff 1995-2003). I appointed him patrolman when I was mayor. In 1965, we had a segregated police department. A black officer could not arrest a white person. When the black officers were recruited, they had their own precinct over on the west side of LaVillaLaVilla, Jacksonville, FloridaLaVilla is a neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida and former independent city, located just west of downtown. Jacksonville's first suburb, it was annexed by the city in 1887. It is primarily an African-American neighborhood, and its northern section was considered "the mecca for African American...
and were given passed down uniforms.”
During the terms of Mayor Burns, the good ol' boy network
Good ol' boy network
Good ol' boy network, or "Good old boys", describes a system of social networking/cronyism perceived to exist among communities and social strata. These networks are perceived to be located throughout the world...
was the de facto standard among those in government. Cronyism
Cronyism
Cronyism is partiality to long-standing friends, especially by appointing them to positions of authority, regardless of their qualifications. Hence, cronyism is contrary in practice and principle to meritocracy....
and rampant corruption were common. In the early 1960s, a grand jury indicted eleven officials including councilmen, commissioners, the city auditor, the county purchasing agent and the city tax assessor. Ritter was never implicated, but the prevailing mood in the city was anti-incumbent. Ritter ran for election for the 1967 term, but was defeated by Hans Tanzler
Hans Tanzler
Hans Gearhart Tanzler, Jr. is a former American politician and judge. He served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1967 to 1979. During his administration, the City of Jacksonville consolidated with Duval County, making him the last mayor of the old city government and the first mayor of a...
, a local judge. According to historian James B. Crooks,
"Ritter had ambitious plans for a progressive Jacksonville. [He] was popular and had a substantial record of achievement as mayor. Under normal circumstances he would have won re-election handily. But 1967 was different, and Tanzler epitomized the nonpartisan reformer advocating open and honest government without spoils or patronage."
Later life
Ritter never ran for political office again. He worked for the Office of Economic OpportunityOffice of Economic Opportunity
The Office of Economic Opportunity was the agency responsible for administering most of the War on Poverty programs created as part of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society legislative agenda.- History :...
as Director Sargent Shriver
Sargent Shriver
Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr., known as Sargent Shriver, R. Sargent Shriver, or, from childhood, Sarge, was an American statesman and activist. As the husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was part of the Kennedy family, serving in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations...
's executive assistant during President Lyndon Johnson's administration. After leaving Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Florida Governor Reubin Askew appointed him as secretary of the Florida Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation from 1971–1974. Subsequently, Ritter founded a lobbying firm in Tallahassee. Florida Funeral directors were his first client, but there have been many others, including golf professionals, the swimming pool industry and dry cleaners.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
staged an undercover sting operation in 1981 using a convicted felon who was trying to obtain a state liquor license. Several prominent Jacksonvillians were indicted, including Ritter, who was accused of accepting money illegally. Ritter was acquitted by a federal judge in 1982.
Ritter suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 2000 and received quadruple bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease...
which slowed his pace, but only slightly. Prior to his death, he was writing a book about politics in Jacksonville from 1930 through the 1960s. Louis Ritter died at his home in Palm Valley
Palm Valley, Florida
Palm Valley is a census-designated place in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. The population was 19,860 at the 2000 census.-History:...
on April 9, 2010 after a battle with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. He was 84.