On this day in Alabama history: William Bell took seat in county government
Nov. 12, 2008
William Bell was sworn in to the Jefferson County Commission’s District 1 seat on Nov. 12, 2008. Bell, born June 1, 1949, in Birmingham, would go on to serve as mayor of Birmingham from 2010 to 2017. He was also a long-time Birmingham City Council representative and was appointed in 1999 to succeed Richard Arrington Jr. as interim mayor of Birmingham. After the 2009 conviction of Larry Langford, Bell won a runoff against attorney Patrick Cooper in a special election to serve the remainder of his term of office. Bell is the grandson of a former ore miner and the son of D-Day veteran John W. Bell and Luvenia Little. He grew up in Titusville and was one of the first African American students to enroll at John Carroll Catholic High School in 1966. He graduated in 1997 and went on to earn a master’s degree in psychology and guidance counseling from UAB and a Juris Doctor from Miles College.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.