Joseph P. Riley, Jr. (born June 19, 1943) is an American politician who is the long-time Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina. He is the longest serving mayor in the United States that is still living and in office.[1]
[edit] Biography
He was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and graduated from The Citadel in 1964, and the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1967. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1968 to 1974. First elected Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina in December 1975, as of November 8, 2011[update] he has been elected to a tenth term.
Riley is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Riley served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors for 1986–1987. He currently serves on the USCM Executive Committee. He is a founder of the Mayors' Institute on City Design.[2]
[edit] Awards and recognition
- President of the National Association of Democratic Mayors (1988–1992)
- Outstanding Mayors Award by the National Urban Coalition
- Distinguished Citizen Award by the National Association of Realtors
- South Carolina's Order of the Palmetto
- South Carolinian of the Year
- Verner Award by the South Carolina Arts Commission (1982)
- Municipal Leader of the Year by American City & County (1991)
- Thomas Jefferson Award from the American Institute of Architects for Public Architecture (1994)
- Seaside Prize from the Seaside Institute (1997)
- President's Award from the U. S. Conference of Mayors, for outstanding leadership (2000)
- Urban Land Institute J. C. Nichols Prize for Visionary Urban Development (2000)
- Keystone Award, by the American Architectural Foundation (2002)
- One of the twenty-five most dynamic mayors in America, Newsweek Magazine
- The American Society of Landscape Architects named him an Honorary Member, for leadership and vision
- Recipient of The National Medal of Arts (2009)[3] - Presented by President Barack Obama
[edit] References
[edit] Sources
| Persondata |
| Name |
Riley, Joseph |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
|
| Date of birth |
June 19, 1943 |
| Place of birth |
|
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
