A View from the Archives: The Mayors of Charleston

Since its establishment in 1977, the Records Management Division has been responsible for the stewardship of the records of previous mayors of the City of Charleston. The earliest of these records dates back to the 1890s with Mayor John F. Ficken. Unfortunately, the Great Memory Loss of 1865, natural disasters, and the evolving nature of municipal documents have made the records of earlier mayors largely obsolete.

We have been researching the lives of these political figures and adding their biographies to our official site, which you can read here. Former Records Specialist Rebecca Schultz started this project and has been continued by me, with recent additions including William Rouse, Thomas McCalla, and Thomas Bennett, Jr. The goal of these biographies is to provide a general outline of the lives and careers of these former mayors and contextualize them within their time. This includes providing some information on their family connections, businesses, roles in state politics, and their participation in the institution of slavery. We hope that these biographies will serve as a jumping-off point for researchers.

Since many researchers are interested in photographs and paintings of mayors, I wanted to highlight some of the materials found in the City of Charleston Yearbooks, Municipal Photographs Collection, and the City Hall Art Collection. We have already posted about the Yearbooks, as they are a valuable and fascinating resource for 20th-century Charleston and municipal activity. The Municipal Photographs Collection (currently being uploaded) includes photos representative of city officials and activities. Meanwhile, the administrative records for the City Hall Art Collection in our archives include information on the acquisition, restoration, and loan history of the paintings found in City Hall. I have included some interesting stories found within this collection that give color to how these paintings arrived at City Hall.

One example found in the City Hall Art Collection archives is the documentation surrounding the portrait of Mayor Charles MacBeth (1805-1881). The portrait was created in 1868 by an unknown artist. The file includes a photograph, taken in December 1934, of the painting leaning up against a tree. The back of the photo states that it was taken in Birmingham, Alabama, where the painting was stored. It was formerly owned by Frank and Alberta Jones, who lived in Savannah at the time [1]. The City acquired the painting in July 1935 [2] and commissioned local artist Fanny (Mahon) King [3] to restore it, and it now hangs on the top floor of City Hall. The City of Charleston Council Chamber houses many mayoral portraits, as well as those of national figures, including a 1791 painting of George Washington by John Trumbull.

Letter, Jones to Barbot, Jun. 5, 1935 [5]

Letter, King to Barbot, Aug. 26, 1935 [6]

Another story found in the City Hall Art Collection is of the mayoral portrait of William McGillivray Morrison, painted by Spartanburg-born artist Grace Annette Du Pre. The portrait was completed in 1954 and was celebrated at a reception before being hung in the Council Chamber, where it remains today. Du Pre is the first known woman commissioned to complete a mayoral portrait for the City of Charleston and is the second woman to have her art displayed in its City Hall.

Photograph of Portrait of William McG. Morrison by G.A. Du Pre [7]

Letter, Du Pre to Tamsberg, Jan. 27, 1958 [8]

“Mayor’s Portrait Is Previewed at Reception.” March 28, 1954, News & Courier [9]

Finally, we have some photographs of past mayors that have made their way into the City of Charleston Yearbook and our Municipal Photographs Collection. Take a look here:

John F. Ficken (1843-1925)

J. Adger Smyth (1837-1920)

R. Goodwyn Rhett (1832-1939)

Tristram T. Hyde (1862-1931)

Burnet R. Maybank (1899-1954)

Henry W. Lockwood (1891-1944)

E. Edward Wehman (1891-1964)

William McG. Morrison (1903-1960), autographed

Additional biographies will slowly be added to our official site, and some may make their way here for a more in-depth conversation, just as we did for John F. Ficken. See more about mayoral collections that are open to researchers here.

Sources

[1] Jones, A. B. (1934, December 18). [Letter to Joseph C. Barbot]. City of Charleston Records Management Division (Clerk of Council City Hall Art Collection).

[2] [City Council Minutes]. (1935, July 9). Regular Meeting.

[3] King, Fanny Mahon. To Joseph Barbot, Charleston (S.C.). August 22, 1935. City of Charleston Records Management Division.

[4] December 1, 1934. Black and white photograph, 2.75" W x 3.8" L. City of Charleston Records Management Division, Clerk of Council City Hall Art Collection, Box 1, Folder 27.

[5] Jones, Alberta B. To Joseph C. Barbot, Savannah (G.A.). June 5, 1935. Clerk of Council City Hall Art Collection, Box 1, Folder 27. City of Charleston Records Management Division.

[6] King, Fanny Mahon. To Joseph Barbot, Charleston (S.C.). August 22, 1935. City of Charleston Records Management Division.

[7] Du Pre, Grace Annette. William McG. Morrison. 1954. City of Charleston Records Management Division, Clerk of Council City Hall Art Collection, Box 1, Folder 37.

[8] Du Pre, Grace Annette. To A. J. Tamsberg, New York (N.Y.). January 27, 1958. Clerk of Council City Hall Art Collection, Box 1, Folder 37. City of Charleston Records Management Division.

[9] The News and Courier (Charleston (S.C.)). “Mayor’s Portrait Is Previewed at Reception.” March 28, 1954.