October 19, 1934

Richard Arrington Jr. was born on Oct. 19, 1934 in Livingston. His father worked as a sharecropper early in Arrington’s life, but moved the family to Fairfield to work for TCI when Richard was 5. The son excelled at Fairfield Industrial High School, Miles College, the University of Detroit and the University of Oklahoma, where he completed his doctorate. Arrington returned to Miles College as a dean until 1970, when he was elected to the Birmingham City Council and served two terms. The city’s black leaders convinced him to run for mayor in 1979 and Arrington gained the endorsement of The Birmingham News, Birmingham Post-Herald and Lt. Gov. George McMillan. Although white voters outnumbered registered black voters by about 14,000, Arrington won a runoff and was sworn in Nov. 12, 1979. He was re-elected to four more terms before retiring in 1999.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Livingston native Richard Arrington Jr. (1934- ) was Birmingham’s first black mayor, leading the city from 1979-1999. His tenure included great strides in racial equality and economic development in Birmingham, as well as accusations of cronyism. His election was in large part the result of Judge U.W. Clemon’s efforts to improve race relations in the city. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of The Birmingham News)

A campaign poster for Richard Arrington’s 1975 re-election run for a seat on the Birmingham City Council. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of John Morse)

Alabama Gov. George Wallace, seated, and Birmingham Mayor Richard Arrington Jr. discuss in February 1984 a bill authorizing a horse track with legalized gambling in Birmingham. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of the Alabama Department of Archives and History, photograph by James Hatcher)

(Alabama NewsCenter)

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