Dale Danks

American politician (1939–2021)
Dale Danks
Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi
In office
1977–1989
Preceded byRussell C. Davis
Succeeded byJ. Kane Ditto
Personal details
Born
Alney Dale Danks Jr.

(1939-08-27)August 27, 1939
Miami, Florida, U.S.
DiedJune 9, 2021(2021-06-09) (aged 81)
Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (1995-2021)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic (until 1995)
Parent(s)Alney Dale Danks Sr.
Elizabeth Ross Banks

Alney Dale Danks Jr.[1] (August 27, 1939 – June 9, 2021)[2] was an American attorney who served as the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, from 1977 to 1989.[3][4]

Biography

Alney Dale Danks Jr. was born on August 27, 1939, in Miami, Florida, to Alney Dale Danks Sr. and Elizabeth Ross.[2] When Danks was 3, his family moved to Alabama.[2] In 1954, his family moved to Jackson, Mississippi.[2] He graduated from Murrah High School and enrolled in Millsaps College in 1957.[5] In June 1959, he dropped out of Millsaps College and married Carolyn Carl.[5] In 1963, he graduated law school at the Jackson School of Law and was admitted to the bar.[6]

Political career

In 1965, Danks first ran for city commissioner as a Republican and lost. He ran for becoming the Hinds County prosecutor in 1968 and lost. However, he won the election to become the Hinds County prosecutor in 1972.[2] In 1977, he ran for the mayor office of Jackson, Mississippi as a Democrat, beating Republican candidate Doug Shanks.[7][8] He won re-election in 1981.[2] Starting in 1985, he became the first mayor of the city under mayor-council form.[9] Danks stopped being the mayor of Jackson in 1989, when he lost in a runoff election to J. Kane Ditto.[6][10]

Later life

He then returned to practicing law.[6] After 1989, he was appointed as a municipal judge in Madison, Mississippi.[6] In 2004, he formed a law firm with attorney Michael Cory, named "Danks, Miller & Cory".[6] In 2005, he served on the transition team of mayor Frank Melton.[3]

Danks died of complications from a stroke on June 9, 2021.[11][6]

References

  1. ^ "Alney Dale Danks Sr. Obituary". Clarion-Ledger. 1991-12-29. p. 14. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Lengthy profile of Jackson Mayor Dale Danks". Clarion-Ledger. 1984-10-14. p. 82. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  3. ^ a b Ladd, Donna. "Dale Danks Working For, and Against, the City". www.jacksonfreepress.com. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  4. ^ "DALE DANKS JR. | Danks Miller & Cory". Archived from the original on 2020-10-14. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  5. ^ a b "Lengthy profile of Jackson Mayor Dale Danks". Clarion-Ledger. 1984-10-14. p. 81. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Cardon, Dustin. "Dale Danks Jr". www.jacksonfreepress.com. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  7. ^ MS Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 596 https://da.mdah.ms.gov/series-files/sos/sosenrolled/sos-enrolled-2015/sos-enrolled-2015-concurrent/sos-enrolled-2015-concurrent-senate/pdf/SCR596.pdf
  8. ^ Southwick, Leslie H. (2013-10-11). The Nominee: A Political and Spiritual Journey. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-61703-913-3.
  9. ^ Bowers, James R.; Rich, Wilbur C. (2000). Governing Middle-sized Cities: Studies in Mayoral Leadership. Lynne Rienner Publishers. ISBN 978-1-55587-870-2.
  10. ^ The Hotline. The Network. 1989. p. 10.
  11. ^ Warren, Anthony. "Dale Danks, former Jackson mayor, dies of complications from stroke". WLBT. Archived from the original on 2021-06-10. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  • v
  • t
  • e
Mayors of Jackson, Mississippi
President of Selectmen
  • Thomas H. Dickson 1834
  • S.P. Baley 1835
  • Thomas H. Dickson 1836
  • S.P. Baley 1836
  • John P. Oldham 1837–1838
Mayors
  • John P. Oldham 1839
  • H.R. McDonald 1840
  • John P. Oldham 1840–1841
  • James H. Boyd 1842–1843
  • John P. Oldham 1844–1849
  • James H. Boyd 1850
  • J. P. Jones 1851
  • William H. Taylor 1852–1853
  • Richard Fletcher 1854
  • William H. Taylor 1855–1857
  • James H. Boyd 1858
  • W. A. Purdom 1859
  • Richard C. Kerr 1860–1861
  • Charles Henry Manship 1862–1863
  • D. N. Barrows 1864–1867
  • Thomas H. Norton 1868
  • Lt. Col. James Biddle 1868
  • James P. Sesseons 1868–1869
  • Rhesa Hatcher 1869
  • Lt. Col. Joseph G. Crane 1869
  • Captain F.A. Field 1869
  • A. Way Kelly 1869
  • E. W. Cabiniss 1869–1870
  • Oliver Clifton 1870–1871
  • Rhesa Hatcher 1871–1872
  • Marion Smith 1872–1874
  • John McGill 1874–1888
  • William Henry 1888–1893
  • L. F. Chiles 1893–1895
  • Oliver Clifton 1895–1897
  • Ramsey Wharton 1897–1899
  • H. M. Taylor 1899
  • W. W. Morrison 1899 (Mayor Pro Tem.)
  • John W. Todd 1899–1901
  • William Hemingway 1901–1905
  • Oliver Clifton 1905 (died before taking office)
  • Ramsey Wharton 1905–1908 (died in office)
  • A. C. Crowder 1909–1913
  • S. J. Taylor 1913–1917
  • Walter A. Scott 1917–1945
  • Leland S. Speed 1945–1949
  • Allen C. Thompson 1949–1969
  • Russell C. Davis 1969–1977
  • Dale Danks 1977–1989
  • J. Kane Ditto 1989–1997
  • Harvey Johnson Jr. 1997–2005
  • Frank Melton 2005–2009 (died in office)
  • Leslie B. McLemore 2009 (interim mayor)
  • Harvey Johnson Jr. 2009–2013
  • Chokwe Lumumba 2013–2014 (died in office)
  • Charles Tillman 2014
  • Tony Yarber 2014–2017
  • Chokwe Antar Lumumba 2017–present