Thomas D'Alesandro III
Thomas D'Alesandro III | |
|---|---|
 Thomas L. J. D'Alesandro III in 2011 | |
| 43rd Mayor of Baltimore | |
| In office January 1, 1967 – January 1, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Theodore R. McKeldin |
| Succeeded by | William Donald Schaefer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro III July 24, 1929 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Relations | Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. (father) Nancy Pelosi (sister) |
Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro III (born July 24, 1929) is an American attorney and former politician who was Mayor of Baltimore from 1967 to 1971.[1] He is the brother of former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi,[2] and son of former Baltimore Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., who served from 1947 to 1959.[1]
Biography
Early life and education
D'Alesandro was born in Baltimore to Annunciata (née Lombardi) and Thomas J. D'Alesandro Jr. He was the oldest of six children, of whom his youngest sister Nancy would become the first female Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He attended Loyola College in Baltimore and studied law at the University of Maryland School of Law.[1] He served in the US Army from 1952 to 1955.
Career
After military service, D'Alesandro entered into politics, becoming president of the Baltimore City Council in 1963.[1] He ran for mayor in 1967 as a Democrat and easily defeated Republican challenger Arthur W. Sherwood.[3]
His one term as mayor was dominated by civil unrest and budgetary troubles.[4] In 1968 D'Alesandro ordered the relocation of the East-West Expressway unstarted since 1941 to be rerouted through the Western Cemetery, followed by cancelling the project, followed by implementing a HUD program to finance 475 of the vacant homes abandoned after they were previously condemned to create "homes for the poor". The homes were demolished in 1974, with the Rouse Company creditors abandoning the project.[5][6]
He was unable to respond effectively to the Baltimore riot of 1968 that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and National Guard troops were called in to control the situation. He would never run for another political office, choosing to go into private law practice. Years later, D'Alesandro insisted that the riots were not the reason that he walked away from politics. He said that the reason was simply that he had five children and his mayoral salary was not sufficient for him to support his family.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d Biographical Dictionary of American Mayors, 1820–1980. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. 1981. as reprinted in "Thomas J. D'Alesandro, III: Mayor of Baltimore 1967–71". Maryland State Archives. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ^ "About Rep. Pelosi". Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi official website. Archived from the original on June 1, 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b For 30 years, people have wondered how Tommy D'Alesando III, a born winner, could walk away from politics. It wasn't the '68 riot, he insists. Accessed July 1, 2013
- ^ Biographical Dictionary of American Mayors Accessed July 1, 2013
- ^ Elfenbein, Jessica; Hollowak, Thomas L.; Nix, Elizabeth. Baltimore '68 : Riots and Rebirth in an American City. p. 62.
- ^ "Governor O'Malley Breaks Ground on Removal of West Baltimore's 'Highway to Nowhere' MARC Station improvement plan reunites West Baltimore communities". Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)
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