Donald Brenham McKay

Donald Brenham McKay (July 29, 1868 – September 8, 1960) was the owner and editor of the Daily Times newspaper in Tampa, Florida and served several terms as Mayor of Tampa[1] from 1910 to 1920 and from 1928 to 1931.[2]

Donald Brenham McKay
Mayor of Tampa
42nd
In office
January 3, 1928 – October 27, 1931
38th
In office
June 6, 1910 – June 10, 1920
Personal details
BornJuly 29, 1868
Tampa, Florida
DiedSeptember 8, 1960
Tampa, Florida
Cause of deathHeart failure
Political partyWhite Municipal Party
RelationsJames McKay Sr. (grandfather)

Life and career

McKay was born in Tampa on July 29, 1868. His grandfather was James McKay Sr., who also served as Mayor of Tampa.[3] His father served as a county commissioner.[4]

He married Aurora Gutierrez, daughter of Gabino Gutierrez, in 1900. They had eight children.[2]

He was a leading organizer of the whites only White Municipal Party and the first mayor of Tampa elected under its influence.[4] The party excluded African Americans from meaningful involvement in Tampa's municipal elections for decades. As mayor he led infrastructure projects including street paving, sidewalk construction, brick firehouses, Tampa City Hall, and the fairgrounds.[2]

In 1910, the International Socialist Review accused him of targeting union workers and said the streets of Tampa were not safe to walk with him as mayor.[5] In December 30, 1913, he would welcome Tony Jannus after his airboat flight from St. Petersburg to Tampa, the first commercial flight in the U.S.[6]

During World War 1, President Woodrow Wilson would appoint McKay to serve as the chairman of the President's Advisory Committee for Southwest Florida.

In 1928, he would attend the dedication of a bridge to Davis Island.[7]

Starting in 1946 and until his death, he wrote the column "Pioneer Florida" which was published in The Tampa Tribune.[3]

During his life he would also serve as the President of the Tampa Board of Trade and be one of the founders/trustees of the University of Tampa.

McKay would die of heart failure in Tampa, Florida on September 8, 1960.[3]

Legacy

The University of South Florida has a collection of his papers.[8] The Florida State Archives have a photo of him.[9] The University of Tampa's auditorium would be renamed as the Donald Brenham McKay auditorium in 1960.[3]

References
  1. Ingalls, Robert P. (1987). "Lynching and Establishment Violence in Tampa, 1858-1935". The Journal of Southern History. 53 (4): 613–644. doi:10.2307/2208777. JSTOR 2208777.
  2. "About D.B. McKay". Tampa Historical Society.
  3. "Donald Brenham Mckay - 38th And 42nd Mayor Of Tampa". City of Tampa. June 17, 2014.
  4. Iorio, Pam (2001). "Colorless Primaries: Tampa's White Municipal Party". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 79 (3): 297–318. JSTOR 30150855.
  5. Simons, Algie Martin; Kerr, Charles H. (March 19, 1910). "The International Socialist Review". Charles H. Kerr & Company – via Google Books.
  6. "The First Airline Story". First Airline Monument.
  7. Kite-Powell, Rodney (August 13, 2013). History of Davis Islands: David P. Davis and the Story of a Landmark Tampa Neighborhood. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781625840004 – via Google Books.
  8. "Donald Brenham 'D.B.' McKay collection". digital.lib.usf.edu.
  9. Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Portrait of Tampa Mayor Donald Brenham McKay". Florida Memory.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.